Any vehicle registered abroad entering Morocco must be covered by insurance valid on Moroccan territory. European insurance (green card) is accepted in Morocco ONLY if the 'Morocco' (MA) box is ticked by your insurer on the green card. Otherwise, you must take out border insurance on arrival. Border insurance, sold at border crossings and some Moroccan consulates, fills this gap. It is sold in steps, from 5 days to 6 months, renewable.
Timeline
Understanding mandatory border insurance
European insurance (green card) is accepted in Morocco ONLY if the 'Morocco' (MA) box is ticked by your insurer on the green card. Otherwise, you must take out border insurance on arrival. Border insurance (assurance au tiers frontière) is mandatory civil liability insurance covering damage caused to third parties while driving in Morocco. It is sold directly at border crossings (Tanger Med, Bab Sebta, Bab Melilla) or at some Moroccan consulates in Europe. The steps offered run from 5 days to 6 months, renewable: 5 days, 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months.
💡 Tip: If you stay in Morocco for more than 3 months with your foreign vehicle, you must regularize your customs situation before that deadline or risk vehicle seizure.
Choosing the duration, and why no price is displayed
The two insurers that openly market this product offer the same grid: 5 days, 10 days, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months, renewable. The 8-day and 15-day options often quoted elsewhere exist at neither of them. On price, the honest answer is that there is no public one. Order no. 213-05 on compulsory insurance, which governs the border insurance certificate and defines its model, sets no tariff at all: the word does not appear once. And neither insurer publishes a price list. The amount is quoted at the counter when you subscribe, and depends on the vehicle category and the duration. Be wary of any site announcing a firm price: nobody is in a position to guarantee it.
💡 Tip: Ask for the price of the two durations bracketing your stay before choosing. Moving up to the longer one often costs less than renewing on site.
⚠️ Warning: Driving uninsured in Morocco is an offence and the vehicle can be impounded. Keep the original certificate in the car: that is what you will be asked for at a roadside check.
Who issues border insurance
Border insurance is not an informal product: it matches an official certificate model, model 8 of order no. 213-05, light violet in colour. It is taken out at the entry posts. Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, it is not reserved to a single company. At least two insurers market it and say so on their own websites: CAT, present at the border posts, and atlantaSANAD through its general agent. Neither claims exclusivity. We publish no list of "authorised" companies for this category: we found none that is official. ACAPS, the supervisory authority, publishes the list of licensed insurance companies and remains the only reference to consult.
💡 Tip: At the counter, check that the certificate handed to you is the border insurance one and that it covers your whole stay.
⚠️ Warning: If an intermediary tells you that only one company may insure you, or quotes an official price, ask which text they are relying on.
Special cases: vehicle bought in Europe and driven to Morocco
If you buy a new or used vehicle in Europe to import to Morocco, the vehicle has a temporary export registration (WW plates in France, red plates in Belgium). In this case, transit insurance must cover the journey to Morocco AND the customs clearance period. After customs clearance and Moroccan registration, you will take out standard Moroccan insurance.
⚠️ Warning: A vehicle with export plates not insured for Morocco may be refused boarding by ferry companies.
In depth
The most misunderstood point is price. Many Moroccans abroad arrive at the counter with a figure in mind, read somewhere, and find something else. It is not that they were lied to: no official tariff exists. Order no. 213-05, which precisely governs the border insurance certificate and defines its model, contains not a single mention of a tariff. Price is therefore set by each insurer, and varies with vehicle category and duration.
The second confusion is duration. A widespread belief holds that cover is capped at three months. The two insurers that publish their offer actually go up to six months, renewable. That difference matters for someone spending a long summer in the country, or leaving the vehicle there between stays.
Finally, border insurance is third-party liability: it covers damage caused to others, not your own vehicle. Going beyond that means approaching a licensed insurer after entering Morocco. We give no figure for that extension, for the same reason as above.
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕Trusting a price found online. No text sets the border insurance tariff and no insurer publishes one: an amount quoted elsewhere binds nobody.
- ✕Assuming cover stops at 3 months. Both verified insurers go up to 6 months, renewable.
- ✕Looking for an 8-day or 15-day option. It does not exist: the steps are 5 days, 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months.
- ✕Believing a European green card is enough in Morocco when it does not list the country.
- ✕Forgetting to renew before expiry during a long stay.
- ✕Not keeping the certificate in the vehicle for roadside checks.
🔗 Official links and resources
Order no. 213-05 on compulsory insurance (PDF, ACAPS)
The text defining the border insurance certificate, model 8. It sets no tariff.
ACAPS, the insurance supervisory authority
Publishes the list of licensed insurance companies in Morocco.
CAT, border insurance
Durations offered and border posts covered, from the insurer itself.
❓ Frequently asked questions
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