Morocco by van or motorhome: ferries, customs, safety 2026

• • Algeciras – Tanger Med: the most frequent route, about 1.5 hours; five companies run it in 2026 (Baleària, Trasmediterránea, FRS Iberia/DFDS, Naviera Armas, AML).
• • Tarifa – Tanger Ville: about 1 hour, arriving in the city centre — less practical with a large motorhome.
• • Motril to Tanger Med or Nador, Almería – Nador (about 6 hours): for the east of the country.
• • From France: Sète and Marseille to Tanger Med, about two days at sea.

The fare depends on the vehicle's length (and sometimes height): declare them exactly when booking, bike rack included. In high season and at holidays, book the return crossing too.

Your van enters Morocco under temporary admission: it may stay 6 months per calendar year, in one or several visits, with no duties or deposit. It is registered by customs at the port or border, in the driver's name; the vehicle must leave within the period or penalties apply.

• • Documents: passport (an ID card is not enough), original vehicle registration certificate — with the owner's authorisation if the vehicle is not in your name — and proof of insurance.
• • Visa: EU citizens are exempt for tourist stays of up to 90 days; check for your nationality.
• • Drone: importing one is banned without authorisation. If declared, customs hold it until you leave; if not, it may be confiscated with a fine. Leave it at home.

Morocco is part of the green card system, but cover is not automatic: your green card is valid only if the "MA" box is not crossed out. Many European insurers cross it out by default; ask for the extension before leaving.

Otherwise, border insurance is compulsory: you buy it at approved desks at the port of Tanger Med and at border posts, for periods from a few days to three months. Also check that your assistance contract (breakdown, repatriation) covers Morocco: it does not always.

Specialist guides list several hundred campsites and reception areas, often simple, at prices well below Western Europe. They provide what matters for autonomy: water, emptying, sometimes electricity, and a guard.

Wild camping outside designated places is less and less welcome. In Souss-Massa, at Tafraout, local groups and residents complain about motorhomes settling on farmland and private land instead of campsites. The common-sense rule: campsite, guarded aire, or the explicit agreement of the owner or local authorities — and if the police or gendarmerie ask you to move on, move on.

Your foreign ministry's travel advice is the reference — the French Conseils aux voyageurs page is cited here: reread it the day before you leave, it changes without notice. At the time of writing it notably says that:

• • the land border with Algeria has been closed since 1994: do not approach it off the main roads;
• • the far south and border areas are under heightened vigilance; desert tracks and isolated hikes should be done in a group and with an approved guide;
• • the risk of terrorist attack cannot be ruled out, especially in isolated areas.

On the road, the main threat is ordinary: avoid driving at night (pedestrians, animals, vehicles without lights) and respect the limits — speed cameras are numerous and checks frequent. Off-grid, a satellite messenger keeps you connected: see our inReach, SPOT, Zoleo comparison.

• • Water — do not drink untreated tap water: bottled or filtered only. Fill the tank at campsites, and filter or treat drinking water. Carry a reserve in the south, where water points get sparse: our guide to van water autonomy gives the volumes.
• • Fuel — diesel is available everywhere on main roads, at around 15 dirhams a litre in mid-September 2026. Fill up before tracks and long southern stages.
• • Money — the dirham cannot be exported (2,000 MAD allowance in notes): change on arrival, use city ATMs and keep your exchange slips to convert back when leaving.
• • Heat — in summer the cabin overheats fast south of the Atlas: ventilation and sunshades are part of autonomy, see our guide to the van in summer.

Facts checked on 7 October 2026. Safety advice, ferry fares and fuel prices change: check before you go.

• • France Diplomatie — Conseils aux voyageurs : Maroc
• • Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (Maroc) — portail officiel
• • Office des changes (Maroc) — règles d'import et d'export des devises et du dirham
• • Démarches Maroc — admission temporaire d'un véhicule (2026)
• • Campings.ma — assurer un véhicule étranger au Maroc (carte verte, assurance frontière)
• • Yabiladi — le Conseil des bureaux de la carte verte et le Maroc (juin 2024)
• • Ferryhopper — lignes Espagne–Maroc en 2026
• • Bladi — les drones à la douane marocaine
• • Bladi — camping sauvage des camping-cars dénoncé à Tafraout
• • Le Matin — prix des carburants au 16 septembre 2026