Morocco residence and citizenship

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Morocco. Ordinary naturalisation in Morocco needs 5 years of legal residence.

Last updated: 10 November 2026

Checked — Sources last checked 10 November 2026 by the automated residence and citizenship review.

Residence routes in Morocco

Investment, own-income, remote-work and permanent routes. Scroll across the table to see every column.

Route	Kind	Minimum	Processing	To citizenship
Visitor residence card — independent means or retirement	Retirement or own income	—	—	5 years
Residence card after four lawful years	Permanent residence	—	—	5 years

"Minimum" is a cited investment threshold in its stated currency. A USD figure appears only when a supported conversion is on file; "—" means no supported amount is on file, not that it is free. "To citizenship" counts the years of residence before a naturalisation application. A zero-year entry states no residence wait; citizenship still needs a separate decision.

Work, family, study and other routes (4)

Route	Kind	Minimum	Processing	To citizenship
Professional registration card — local employment	Work	—	—	5 years
Professional registration card — intracompany secondment	Work	—	—	5 years
Residence card — Moroccan citizen's foreign spouse	Family	—	—	5 years
Residence card — qualifying dependent family	Family	—	—	5 years

Each route's conditions and sources

Visitor residence card — independent means or retirement

Article 13 visitor card covers a foreigner able to live on own resources who undertakes not to perform work needing authorization. Retirees can use this legal category; the law fixes no pension or investment minimum. Four uninterrupted lawful years may support a residence-card application; citizenship application needs five habitual lawful years and Arabic.

Sources: Law 02-03 article 13 visitor residence (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Law 02-03 article 16 residence card (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Nationality Code article 11, amended by Law 08-23 (Moroccan Ministry of Justice)

Residence card after four lawful years

Article 16 permits an application after at least four uninterrupted lawful years, assessed on means and settlement intent; approval is discretionary. The card is a longer-term residence title, not guaranteed indefinite status. Naturalization can be sought after five habitual lawful years in total.

Sources: Law 02-03 article 16 residence card (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Nationality Code article 11, amended by Law 08-23 (Moroccan Ministry of Justice)

Professional registration card — local employment

Article 13 professional card requires prior authorization for the activity; Fragomen identifies local-hire Expatriate Status. No universal capital floor or verified fee/processing bound. Four lawful years may support residence card; five habitual lawful years may support naturalization.

Sources: Law 02-03 article 13 professional residence (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Law 02-03 article 16 residence card (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Nationality Code article 11, amended by Law 08-23 (Moroccan Ministry of Justice), Morocco employment and self-employment summary (Fragomen, summary)

Professional registration card — intracompany secondment

Fragomen identifies Secondment Status for intracompany transferees; professional card still requires authorization. No universal capital floor or verified fee/processing bound. Four lawful years may support residence card; five habitual lawful years may support naturalization.

Residence card — Moroccan citizen's foreign spouse

Article 17 provides a residence card to a qualifying foreign spouse of a Moroccan citizen, subject to lawful entry and stay. Article 10 gives a separate five-year marriage residence declaration route specifically to a foreign woman married to a Moroccan man; other spouses rely on ordinary naturalization conditions.

Sources: Law 02-03 article 17 family residence (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Nationality Code article 11, amended by Law 08-23 (Moroccan Ministry of Justice), Nationality Code article 10 spousal declaration (Moroccan Ministry of Justice)

Residence card — qualifying dependent family

Article 17 also names dependent foreign ascendants of a Moroccan citizen and the spouse/minor children of a residence-card holder. Eligibility follows the listed relationship and lawful entry/stay. Ordinary citizenship requires five habitual lawful years, without automatic family naturalization.

Sources: Law 02-03 article 17 family residence (Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government), Nationality Code article 11, amended by Law 08-23 (Moroccan Ministry of Justice)

Citizenship in Morocco

Years of residence before naturalisation: 5 years
Years before permanent residence: 4 years
Dual citizenship allowed: Yes
Language: Sufficient Arabic or Amazigh for ordinary naturalization
Residence and presence: Habitual and lawful residence for five years before application

Article 11, as amended by Law 08-23, ordinarily requires five years of habitual lawful residence before application, sufficient Arabic or Amazigh, and sufficient means. The amended article does not state a requirement to remain in Morocco until decision. Article 12 permits exceptional-service waivers, but sets no purchasable citizenship price or programme. Article 10 gives a five-year declaration route to a foreign woman married to a Moroccan man. Global Citizen Solutions lists Morocco among countries that generally allow dual citizenship; retention of another nationality also depends on that country's law.

What is the cheapest residence visa in Morocco?

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Morocco. Routes for people living on their own income or working remotely (Visitor residence card — independent means or retirement) ask for proof of income, not an investment.

How many years to citizenship in Morocco?

Ordinary naturalisation in Morocco needs 5 years of legal residence. Permanent residence is possible after 4 years. Habitual and lawful residence for five years before application.

Does Morocco allow dual citizenship?

Yes. Morocco lets a new citizen keep another nationality, subject to the other country's rules.

Tax and residence days

A residence permit and tax residence are different tests. See the Morocco tax rates, count your days with the Morocco day test and see what changed in the data, day by day.

Sources

The Morocco profile cites 8 sources, 6 of them from a government or a statute. Data as of 2026-Q4.

Law 02-03 article 13 visitor residence · Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government, official, read 10 November 2026
Law 02-03 article 13 professional residence · Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government, official, read 10 November 2026
Law 02-03 article 16 residence card · Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government, official, read 10 November 2026
Law 02-03 article 17 family residence · Moroccan General Secretariat of the Government, official, read 10 November 2026
Nationality Code article 11, amended by Law 08-23 · Moroccan Ministry of Justice, official, read 10 November 2026
Nationality Code article 10 spousal declaration · Moroccan Ministry of Justice, official, read 10 November 2026
Countries that allow dual citizenship in 2026 · Global Citizen Solutions, summary, read 10 November 2026
Morocco employment and self-employment summary · Fragomen, summary, read 10 November 2026

Rules, fees and minimums change, and many routes have conditions not shown here. Did you find an error? Tell us, with the source.

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This page is general information. It is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Check the official source and ask a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply or invest.