Your company is newly established and is about to start export-import business in or with Morocco? Are you worried about whether doing the export-import procedures yourself is difficult or incurring a lot of costs? You have just been recruited into an import-export company, but you have no experience in the field of import procedures and documentation. You are a new employee for a customs service company in Morocco, but do not have practical experience, so you want to learn from the beginning to prepare to do services for upcoming customers?

Or you are just curious to learn about Morocco’s main import and export products, so you could discover and realize some export-import business ideas?

In any case, doing export-import business with or in Morocco needs research and proper planning.

Faced with the above situations, Exportimportpractical has written this article to provide more information for those who want to start an import-export business in or with Marocco, or need the knowledge in their daily job.

So, let’s dive in! And if you want to skip around, then below you can use the table of content to go to the topics you want directly.

Overview Of Morocco’s Economy

Morocco’s main exporting-importing sectors are summarized in this infographic:

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Morocco is currently one of the five largest economies in Africa. According to the ease of doing business report in 2017, Morocco ranks 68 out of 190 ranking countries (up 60 places in 8 years), 1st in North Africa, 3rd in Africa. 

Morocco ranks second in Africa in terms of FDI attraction ($6.6 billion in 2016) and is the third-largest investor with 80 projects in African contient in 2016 worth $5 billion, at 2023 already around $10 billion

This country prioritizes developing clean energy, it built the world’s largest solar power plant, provides electricity for 1 million homes, and set a target of using 52% clean energy by 2030.

In 1999, Morocco established the Tanger Free Zone in the northeast of Morocco to create a favorable environment for foreign investors through the issuance of: 

1. Tax incentives 

2. The support of the Moroccan State 

3. Simplify administrative procedures 

 Morocco GDP by sector

Although belonging to the group of developing countries, Morocco has a diverse economic background. Agriculture employs 50% of the labor force and contributes less than 20% of the gross domestic product.

The modern and large-scale exploitation of the Atlantic lowlands provides agricultural products (grapes, vegetables, especially oranges and tangerines) for export to Europe. Traditional agriculture (grain, sheep farming) concentrates in the hinterland and mountainous areas.

Challenges Of Importing Into the Moroccan Market

High Import Tariffs

Currently, the basic tariff rates are 0%, 2.5%, 10%, 17.5%, 25%, 35% and 50%; in which the average for most items is 30%.

Products with a high level of protection are industrial products such as food industry goods, plastics, leather, wood products, paper, fabrics, shoes, and products made of stone and metal.

In addition, import taxes are also high on agricultural products such as grains and meat. Animals are subject to tax rates of up to 300% and even higher import duties on meat products.

When there is a dispute or non-compliance with the contract, it is difficult for the foreign exporter to pursue and win the case. 

There are high requirements for packing. Sometimes the cost per package is higher than the shipment’s, making it difficult for foreign exporters.

State-Controlled Valuation for products

State-controlled pricing is also common for subsidized products, monopolistic markets, public services, and some social products and services such as electricity and water, compulsory insurance for vehicles, school books, transportation, and pharmaceuticals.

Export Products Of Morocco

Octopus

The harvest in Morocco ends usually on October. In the last ten days of exploitation, the price of octopus can increase in average by 0.5 EUR/kg (based on 2021).

Morocco’s frozen octopus products have many advantages and are dominating the Japanese market with a stable supply. For many months, Moroccan enterprises applied to stockpile goods and refused many orders from Chinese customers to promote trade to markets such as Korea and Japan.

Phosphate

In 2018, phosphate ore exports reached 1.9 million tons with an estimated value of $164 million. It is the number published by Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW).

Phosphate ore in the territory of Western Sahara is in the Boucraa mine operated by the Moroccan national-owned OCP through its branch in Boucraa. According to OCP, the capacity in Western Sahara is 2.6 million tons/year, equivalent to about 8% of the total exploitation capacity.

Fish 

Morocco is the 17th largest fish producer in the world, with about 1.5 million tons of output, worth more than $1 billion. In 2021, Morocco exported 451,631 tons of processed seafood.

Thanks to its good climate and water resources, Morocco can supply the market with a wide range of fishery products, either caught or farmed.

Electronic Products

European countries want to order outsourcing of small electronic products from Europe. The countries with the lowest labor costs are specialized electronics, and Morocco meets that demand.

Aviation Industry

Morocco companies has ISO certificates in aircraft engine maintenance and repair, especially jet engines of all kinds (Boeing, Airbus, Jets, helicopters). In addition, Morocco also produces components for aircraft such as cables and other parts for export. The partners are Snecma, Boeing, and other international companies.

Vegetables And Fruits

With about 30,000 hectares of farming area, off-season vegetables and fruits produce about 1.5 million tons, of which 580 thousand tons are for export. Tomatoes account for 61% of total vegetable exports, followed by beans, zucchini, capsicums, strawberries, and watermelons.

Citrus Fruits

The annual citrus fruits export volume reaches about 600,000 tons, of which 53% are exported to Russia, 23% to the EU, 13% to Canada, and 11% to countries in the Scandinavian region and the United States. 

The growing areas of these fruits distributed as follows: Soussa – Massa accounted for 40.5%, Gharb 19.8%, Moulouya 16.8%, Tadla 14.1%, Haouz 7.3%, and Louklos 1, 6%. The citrus group in Morocco includes three main varieties: Navel, Valencia, and Clementine.

if you are looking to do business with citrus, then definitely you should go and visit the previously mentioned growing areas, as from there you could get the best prices.

Clothes

Moroccan clothing products are mainly for export; 90% of clothing exports exported to Europe. The main markets are France and Spain, accounting for over 74% of the total export turnover to Europe.

Import Products Of Morocco

Coffee

Morocco is one of the relatively large import markets for green coffee (unroasted coffee beans), of which 80% is robusta and 20% is arabica. On average, Morocco imports about 28,000 tons per year. Although the coffee market in Morocco is still unstructured, there is fierce competition.

Currently, the Moroccan market for coffee consumption is still seasonal with an average consumption of about 0.8 kg/person/year, of which urban areas tend to consume the highest.

Wheat

Wheat imports range from 2 to 3 million tons per year depending on domestic supply, and most of it is from France. Although traders often prefer to use domestic wheat, only about half of the total wheat production is sold to mills, which provide 80% of the wheat needs.

Tea 

Among the 50 major importers I’m the country, Mido Food Company holds the largest market share (60%) and can dominate the Moroccan tea market.

China is the largest tea supplier to the Moroccan market, accounting for 98% of the tea imports.

Some special types of teas, which Morocco imports.

Gunpowder tea: Rolled tea leaves are round, 3mm granules. When brewed, the tea will expand. It is a tea with a light green or yellow-green juice and strong taste. The tea to make of mint tea, the national drink of Morocco.

Chun Mee: has the shape of “fairy hair”, has large brown leaves, tasty, and aroma. Chun Mee tea is from Shanghai.

Sow Mee tea: (China white tea) has the form of small and broken segments.

Of the three types of tea above, Gun powder is the most consumed on Morocco.

Fabric

Morocco is also an importer of fabrics, yarns, and ready-made garments. According to Moroccan Customs, in 2006, Morocco imported $470 million in cotton fabrics, $340 million in synthetic fabrics, $108 million in synthetic fibers, $50 million in ready-to-wear clothing, and $48 million in cotton.

Export-Import Regulations In Morocco

Morocco has an on-site customs clearance method – customs clearance at the importer’s business premises. This method is for businesses who have regular commercial activities to save time on customs procedures. 

The export businesses must prove their financial stability and have clearance credit. Currently, two industrial zones in Casablanca have on-site customs clearance points.

Taxes In Morocco

MFN Tax Rates

There are 7 MFN tax rates: 0%, 2.5%, 10%, 17.5%, 255, 35% and 50%.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

VAT applies to imported goods and services. Taxes are according to the customs value to which various taxes and fees.

Special Import Tax (Single Rate: 0.25% By Value)

This tax is levied on imported goods to finance economic promotion and export inspection. This tax does not apply to goods imported under the customs economic regime; equipment and tools, components, and spare parts necessary for investment promotion; goods entitled to tax exemption or complete exemption from import tax.

Import Documents

a. Import Documents When Paying Taxes And Other Obligations At The Border:

  • Commercial invoice
  • Bank certificate
  • Receipt of tax-free imported goods

b. Documents Upon Customs Clearance Of Goods:

  • Import license
  • Detailed declaration 
  • Pre-import declaration (applicable to some goods) (Prior import
  • declaration)
  • Transit or transshipment documents
  • Insurance certificate
  • Packing lists
  • Sea or air waybill or consignment certificate

Customs Clearance Of Goods In Morocco

a. Clearance

Import businesses can perform some declarations through SADOC (Informatics System of Customs and Authority exchange rate) for all tariff regimes. Customs clearance is after obtaining the code provided by the customs authority.

b. Importer Registration

Importers must register at the Trade Registry. This registration is in the first instance court where the head office of the business or headquarters. A business registration number helps to get an import license.

c. Import License

Imported goods need to have an import commitment (usually (or must have a pre-import declaration (for the import of products that cause or threaten to cause damage to domestic production)) and the importer must have an import license.

Prohibited And Restricted Imports Into Morocco 

anesthetics and psychoactive substances, weapons, weapons materials, ammunition, except for the import of military service, graphic articles, posters, sculptures, photographs, paintings, films, or reproductions of sexually explicit or immoral or otherwise disturbing peace, apxin, and products thereof, imported cows. Live animal products include live cows, bovine embryos, etc.

Temporary Trade Protection Measures

a. Anti-subsidy duties imposed if the imported goods show signs of being eligible for export subsidies in the country of origin.

b. Anti-dumping duty is applied if the import price is lower than the average selling price of the product.

Regulations on packaging and labels

Goods labels must be inscribed in French or Arabic and must indicate the country of origin.

Labels of processed foods must clearly show:

  • The exact name of the product
  • Quality ingredients
  • Company name, manufacturer address
  • Product packaging company
  • Country of origin
  • Weight of components.

Additional reading: Import-export documentation and procedures.

How To Start An Exporting Business To Morocco

The Moroccan market has a lot of potential. There is a great demand for affordable products with moderate quality and low prices. Follow the following steps to learn exporting to Morocco.

Step 1: Access The Market

To export directly to Morocco, you should visit and survey the market to introduce products, prices, and learning partners. Entering into any new markets, export marketing plays an important part.

1: Find Out Information About The Market And Products

  • Basic information about the market: Size, segments, trends, pieces, competition.
  • Current commercial law
  • Regulations on import, export, and investment
  • Specific business areas and products (interesting to you)

2: Conduct a Market Survey

  • Contact with local trade promotion agencies and organizations.
  • Meet directly with businesses by industry.
  • Visiting local production facilities and shops.
  • Attend trade fairs to introduce your products (if possible) to get initial feedback.

3: Choose a Local Commercial Agent

  • Sign a contract with reputable local export/import business agents, to ask them to promote your business and products locally, using their insider knowledge and contacts.
  • Implement specific import-export contracts agreed through agents.
  • Develop a mechanism for regular coordination and exchange of information with Moroccan state management agencies.

Step 2: Find The Export Customers From Morocco

The most difficult for newbies in the field of export sales is finding and connecting with potential customers in foreign markets. Here are tips for better export sales:

Briefly learn about the customer

Collect as much information about your export customers as possible. It will help you better understand them, thereby having a more effective export sales strategy.

Product knowledge

You should know your product well enough to be ready to answer the customers’ questions, no matter how difficult or silly they may be. For the export market, you may need to modify your products acc to the local market’s needs and conditions.

Regularly update the news related to your product. Spend some time analyzing negative reviews for your products on social media to gain insight into what your customers think.

Step 3: Sign An Export Order Contract

Many exporters don’t pay much attention at the contents of the contracts and easily accept to sign. It leads to some risks related to transaction standards between parties in those industries or related to legal issues.

Additionally, when signing an order contract, right from drafting and negotiating the contract, It is better to have as much information about the Moroccon customer as possible. You should have the legal information, their financial capacity to perform the contract, feedback from some of the references. 

We recommend getting information about the partner through some diplomatic representatives, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Step 4: Prepare The Export Documents

Whether the goods are of animal or plant origin, the exporter needs to apply to customs clearance under the strict supervision of the sanitary and phytosanitary authorities.

Procedures include:

  • An application for an import license (made according to the form, signed and stamped). This is the duty of the Moroccan importer.
  • Certificate of veterinary hygiene and quarantine (original-for products of animal origin);
  • Certificate of hygiene and quarantine (original-for products of plant origin);
  • A copy of the certificate of origin;
  • A copy of the customs declaration;
  • Copy of commercial invoice;
  • Declare the list of products;
  • Copy of Bill of Lading;
  • Application registration form.

Step 5: Check The Exporting Goods Before Packing

Checking the goods helps confirm the quality, quantity, design, and technique of the goods. If there are errors and defects, the buyers can return the goods, stop the payment, and request the seller provide quality goods.

Things to do to check the exporting goods:

a. Check the results of conformity assessment, goods labels, standard conformity marks, regulation conformity marks, and documents attached to products and inspected goods ;

b. Test samples according to announced applicable standards and corresponding technical regulations when necessary.

Step 6: Choose the Right Mode of Transport 

Depending on the type of goods, volume, delivery location, loading, or unloading, exporters will choose the form of transport to use. In many cases, you can do multimodal transport. 

Transport companies also have many modes of transport. However, the difference is that export transport often has to travel long distances and undergo many dismantling sessions at the port. So it is necessary to choose suitable transportation to ensure the quality of goods to the destination.

Step 7: Track the orders after exporting 

After sending your goods, you need to track the delivery to avoid delays or failure to deliver to the destination, loss, or damage of the goods. If anything changes, you need to coordinate with the shipping company you use to resolve issues related to your order.

For additional reading, we recommend: The biggest risks and Solutions in Exporting Business.

How To Start An Import Business From Morocco

With a new business, importing from Morocco is difficult. How can businesses import successfully? Take a look of the main steps below:

Step 1: Determining The Type Of Goods

Do the goods need an import license? If yes, by which agency? Do the goods need to be inspected? By which agency? It is essential to learn this to avoid importing prohibited items or not having enough time to apply for a permit. 

Step 2: Choose the right supplier

You need the supplier to be able to do export business and have needed licenses. Therefore, the supplier must ensure the quality of the product to meet the requirements of your business. For each and every supplier and also customer, it is necessary to conclude comprehensive due diligence to verify the. Check out a checklist for verifying new customers and suppliers.

Factors to evaluate the performance of supplier and service provision:

  • Order time: The time from the beginning of order fulfillment until the supplier delivers the goods to your business.
  • Delivery Reliability: Can the exporter keep the promised delivery time?
  • Delivery is sure: Right type of goods, quality, quantity according to the contract.
  • Information: Information exchanged throughout between the supplier and your business.
  • Flexibility: A supplier’s ability to adapt to products/services as the relevant conditions change.
  • Service level: The probability that the product will support your business well.

Notes when importing online:

Only buy products on reputable websites, like Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, etc.

It is necessary to refer to reviews, feedback from customers who have purchased to understand more about the product.

It is necessary to learn carefully about the manufacturer or distributor of the product you intend to buy.

Notice the information: warranty, accessories, after-sales service attached. 

Step 3: Customs clearance for imported goods

It is necessary to have full legal documents from the exporter, including the following documents:

  • Sea/airway bill of lading
  • Business contract
  • Commercial invoice
  • Goods packing list
  • A detailed list of information of goods
  • Certificate of origin
  • MSDS (for dangerous goods, chemical goods)
  • And other relevant documents if required.

Step 4: Track the delivery information 

Currently, most of the large domestic and foreign shipping units have tracking systems – tracking bills of lading, allowing you to look up the Bill of lading on the website or via the phone application.

Here are some reputable shipping units such as DHL, UPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.

Step 5: Get the delivery order

The delivery order is after the ship arrives at the port, then the shipping line or FWD sends the Arrival Notice to the consignee.

To get a delivery order, you need to bring the following documents:

  • Ordering contract (original)
  • Prove that you accept other people to take orders
  • Notice of arrival of goods (photocopy)
  • Photocopy of the bill of lading (1 copy, should be complete on both sides) if using Surrendered B/L
  • Many carriers have photocopies available, but some shipping lines require shippers to bring B/L photos to stamp and the customs documents.
  • Original bill of lading (1 copy)

Step 6: Pay the costs at ports, airports

For imported shipments, you must go to the Shipping Line/Forwarder and pay the costs, to get a delivery order, bring it out of the port and present it to the warehouse (for retail)/make an EIR (FCL container) to receive the goods.

Step 7: Receive the goods

After customs confirm the customs procedures, you can take the goods out of the port and bring them to your warehouse.

Regarding importing from a foreign country, read: Importing from China ( case study).

Business Culture In Morocco 

Language

French is official in government and business circles, widely used due to its close relationship with France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada. Fluent use of French is an advantage for exporters and foreign investors.

On products and packages, goods must be in two languages, French and Arabic.

Meet and Negotiate

When negotiating prices, Moroccan partners always want to be the ones to decide on the final price and want to be respected.

So, to get the final price and close the negotiation, you should give them the impression that they are the winner of that negotiation.

Read more about business negotiations and influence techniques in our export sales article.

Representative Agent

By the experience of entrepreneurs who have done business in the Moroccan market, foreign export businesses should have a local representative office, agents, or distributors. Local agents and distributors can help foreign exporters with Arabic and business practices in Morocco.

If not located here, foreign businesses can choose the form of intermediaries through commercial agents. The activities of commercial agents under the Commercial Code of Morocco include three types of agents in Morocco: commercial agents, brokers, and trustees. All the agents are working normally based on the commission fee, from the order value.

Conclusion 

Above are the main steps specifically for starting your own export business in or with Morocco. Above were also described the main export and import products and sectors and also the important regulation and procedures regarding moving the products into or out from Morocco. We are sure, the above information will help no matter If you are an entrepreneur, starting your own export/import business or you need the knowledge for your daily job.

If you want to learn step-by-step about how to start or grow your own export-import business online or offline, as a direct merchant or agent, then you are in the right place. We have tools & resources and programs which help you to start, grow and expand your business and get more customers and raise profitability. No matter where you are from!

You are advised to take training courses and use the resources and tools listed below: