Morocco 2026: Record Tourism and Visa Rules That Apply

Morocco pulled in nearly 20 million international visitors in 2025, a 14% jump on the year before, and the country's tourism ministry credits a big chunk of that to hosting the Africa Cup of Nations from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026 — cross-border card spending during the tournament spiked more than 190% against the same period a year earlier, and roughly 600,000 foreign visitors came specifically for the football. The government is now targeting 26 million visitors a year by 2030. None of that is throat-clearing: it means more competition for riads and desert-tour slots heading into the cool-season months that Moroccans themselves consider peak travel time, so if you're booking a winter trip now, the practical questions — who actually needs a visa, what you can and can't do with the currency, what things actually cost — are worth sorting out before the riad you wanted is gone.

Do you actually need a visa?

For most travellers reading this, no. Citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, every EU/Schengen member state, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can enter Morocco for tourism without a visa and stay up to 90 days, per Morocco's published visa policy. That hasn't changed for 2026.

What has been in flux is a temporary Electronic Travel Authorisation (AEVM) that Morocco introduced for nationals of several African countries around the AFCON tournament, to manage the surge of arrivals. It has been wound down in stages since the tournament ended — as of 27 April 2026, only citizens of the Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ghana and Guinea still needed it, according to Morocco visa-tracking site Moratra. It was never a requirement for US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport holders, who remain simply visa-free.

Record visitor numbers have also drawn private "e-visa" services advertising themselves as helping travellers apply for entry to Morocco — one, evis.ma, describes itself explicitly as a private digital visa services company, not a government platform. If your passport is on the 90-day visa-free list above, you don't need to pay anyone for a Morocco visa at all; you just need a passport valid for your stay and, per standard border checks, an onward ticket and accommodation details you can show if asked.

The dirham is a closed currency — plan for it

Morocco's dirham (MAD) can't be bought or sold outside the country in any meaningful volume, and the rules on carrying it across the border are specific rather than vague. Foreign currency can be brought into Morocco without limit, though amounts equivalent to 100,000 MAD or more must be declared to customs on arrival, per Morocco's foreign-exchange regulator, the Office des Changes. Leaving the country, you're capped at taking out no more than 2,000 MAD in cash — everything beyond that has to be reconverted back to your own currency before you go, ideally at the airport with your original exchange receipt in hand. Budgeting to spend down your dirhams before your flight, rather than assuming you can swap them back home, saves a scramble at the departure gate.

Marrakech: the gateway, and what it actually costs

Marrakech is where most first-time visitors land and where AFCON's crowds were heaviest. Two of its best-known sights have published, current prices: Jardin Majorelle — the cobalt-blue garden Yves Saint Laurent once owned — charges 170 MAD (roughly US$17) per adult for entry, per a 2026 visitor guide to the garden, which also warns that tickets should only be bought through the garden's own site because resale scams for this particular attraction are common. The 19th-century Bahia Palace, a short walk from the medina's souks, charges 70 MAD (about US$7) per adult, according to its own ticketing page. Both are open daily from around 8am to 5pm. Neither figure has moved much in recent years, but with visitor numbers still climbing, arriving at opening time is worth it to avoid the queues that built up during the AFCON season.

Beyond Marrakech: Fes, Chefchaouen, and the Sahara

Fes, roughly five hours by train or a short domestic flight from Marrakech, holds the largest car-free urban area in the world in its medina — a genuinely different pace of city than Marrakech's tourist-dense center. Chefchaouen, the "blue city" in the Rif mountains, is usually visited as a day trip or overnight from Fes or a direct bus from Tangier or Casablanca. Neither city saw anything like Marrakech's AFCON-season crowding, so they're worth building into an itinerary if you want a quieter contrast to the capital's souks.

For the Sahara, Merzouga is the usual base for camel treks and overnight desert camps in the Erg Chebbi dunes, reached by a multi-day overland trip from Marrakech rather than a direct flight. Prices for a standard 3-day, 2-night Marrakech-Merzouga round trip run from roughly $90-200 per person for a shared minibus tour with a basic Berber-style camp, up to $200-350 for a smaller group with an en-suite tent, according to a 2026 pricing breakdown of Sahara tour operators; private luxury camps with a dedicated driver run considerably higher, and the same source notes that splitting a private vehicle between two or four travellers brings the per-person cost down sharply.

When to actually go

Morocco's high season runs roughly October through April, and there's a real reason beyond crowds and pricing: summer in Marrakech is genuinely punishing. Average daily highs in July and August sit around 37°C, with individual days regularly pushing past 40°C, per seasonal climate data for Marrakech. Riads without air conditioning, and long walking days in the medina or the desert, are a different experience at 40°C than at the 20-23°C daytime norm of a Moroccan winter. If you're booking now for a trip this coming winter, you're booking in exactly the window that Morocco's own tourism numbers say is getting more competitive every year, not less — an eSIM sorted before you land means you can pull up your riad's exact address in the medina's unmarked alleys the moment you're through arrivals, rather than trying to find Wi-Fi first. Check whether your phone supports eSIM and see Morocco data plans before you go.

FAQ

Do US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand citizens need a visa for Morocco?

No. All of these nationalities can enter Morocco for tourism visa-free and stay up to 90 days. This has not changed for 2026; the temporary Electronic Travel Authorisation introduced around the AFCON tournament applied only to a short list of other African nationalities and has been wound down in stages since the tournament ended.

How much Moroccan dirham can I take out of the country?

Up to 2,000 MAD in cash. Anything beyond that has to be reconverted back into foreign currency before departure, ideally at the airport with the receipt from your original exchange.

What does it cost to visit Jardin Majorelle and Bahia Palace in Marrakech?

Jardin Majorelle charges 170 MAD (about US$17) per adult; Bahia Palace charges 70 MAD (about US$7) per adult. Both are open daily from roughly 8am to 5pm.

When is the best time to visit Morocco to avoid extreme heat?

Roughly October through April. Marrakech's summer average highs sit around 37°C in July and August, with individual days exceeding 40°C, making the cooler months far more comfortable for walking-heavy sightseeing and desert trips.