Morocco

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Road Freight Carrier Registration Required

Yes

Yes, for the company operating the trucks. Under the 1963 Dahir as amended by Law 16-99, anyone who carries goods by road for others (pour compte d’autrui, meaning for hire) must be entered in a special register kept by the ministry in charge of transport. Decree 2-03-169 creates separate registers for international carriers, national carriers, carriers working within defined transport zones, transport commission agents, and lessors of goods vehicles. The application is filed with the ministry’s regional or provincial office where the applicant is based, and the registration certificate is issued in the name of the registered person or company.

Conditions for Registration

Yes. The applicant must meet three conditions. Good repute (honorabilité) is not met if the company’s legal representative has been convicted, by a Moroccan or foreign court, with a resulting ban on commercial or industrial activity, a judicial liquidation, or a final conviction for drug trafficking, smuggling, or illegal migration offences. Professional competence (capacité professionnelle) is shown by a recognized diploma, a qualifying training course, or a professional competence examination, after which the ministry’s office issues a certificate. Financial capacity (capacité financière) means holding equity capital in an amount set by ministerial order according to the activity and the size of the fleet. Within two months of acceptance, the company must also prove its entry in the commercial register and on the professional tax roll.

Nationality Conditions

Yes. The 1963 Dahir requires an applicant for carrier registration to be of Moroccan nationality, or a national of a country that has a ratified and published free-trade agreement with Morocco allowing it, and at least 20 years old. How this condition applies to a company with foreign shareholders should be confirmed with the ministry.

Transport Commission Agent Registration

Required where applicable. A company that organizes transport under its own name and responsibility but has it performed by other carriers is a transport commission agent (commissionnaire de transport) and needs its own registration. In addition to equity capital, a commission agent must hold liability insurance covering that activity, placed with insurers approved by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Vehicle Documents and Driver Requirements

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Each truck, trailer, and semi-trailer used for hire needs an authorization card (carte d’autorisation) issued to the registered carrier, and the carrier must declare each vehicle it puts into or takes out of service. A registered carrier receives a copy of its registration certificate marked for vehicle registration, which it uses to register a goods vehicle. Each loaded truck carrying goods for others must carry a freight manifest (manifeste de fret) for the trip, and heavier trucks must carry the operating authorization, the authorization card, and the manifest on board. Drivers need the correct category of driving licence for the vehicle, and available sources indicate that professional drivers of goods vehicles also need a professional driver card (carte de conducteur professionnel) under the Highway Code (Law No. 52-05), which requires initial qualifying training and continuing training every five years.

Compulsory Motor Insurance Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. The 1963 Dahir and Decree 2-03-169 require goods vehicles to carry the insurance required by law. Motor third-party liability insurance (responsabilité civile automobile) is compulsory in Morocco and covers bodily injury and property damage caused to others. It does not cover the household goods being carried; customers should ask what protection, if any, the mover offers for their goods.

Carrier Liability Rules

Set by the Code de commerce (Law No. 15-95), with no separate removal-specific law identified. Available copies of the Code indicate that a carrier is liable for loss of and damage to goods from the moment it receives them until delivery, unless it proves force majeure, an inherent defect of the goods, or the act or instructions of the sender or recipient, and that a clause excusing the carrier from this liability has no effect. Hidden loss or damage must be reported promptly, within seven days of delivery. Under the road transport law, contracts for carriage for hire must be in writing and state the nature of the transport, the terms of collection and delivery, the price, and any compensation. Where there is no written contract, a model contract set by ministerial order applies by law, and under that model the customer may declare a value for the goods.

Consumer Protection

Yes. Law No. 31-08 on consumer protection (Dahir No. 1-11-03 of 18 February 2011) applies to services supplied to consumers. It requires suppliers to inform consumers of the essential characteristics and price of a service, to issue an invoice or receipt, and to provide a copy of a written contract. Clauses that create a significant imbalance against the consumer, such as clauses that remove or limit the consumer’s right to compensation, are abusive and void. The Ministry of Industry and Trade administers the law.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes. The Ministry of Industry and Trade runs a national consumer portal, khidmat-almostahlik.ma, which accepts complaints online. Complaints about a breach of regulations go to the competent administration, and disputes between a consumer and a business go to a consumer protection association. Consumer protection associations can advise consumers, represent them amicably or in court, and ask a court to stop unlawful practices or remove abusive clauses. Unresolved disputes can be taken to the courts.

Industry Association

None found. No dedicated Moroccan household-moving trade association was identified in this research.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Morocco liberalized road freight transport for hire in 2000 to 2003. Instead of individual transport licences, a company that carries goods for others enters a special register kept by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, after showing good repute, financial capacity, and professional competence. This is a register-the-company model, broadly similar to the operator licensing used in Europe. Registration attaches to whichever company operates the trucks. A mover that uses its own trucks needs carrier registration directly. A mover that arranges moves in its own name but has the trucking done by another carrier may need registration as a transport commission agent. In that case the carrier’s own registration covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold the registrations that transport requires. Vehicles carry authorization cards and freight manifests tied to the carrier’s registration. Liability for the goods follows the transport provisions of the Code de commerce, and consumers are protected by Law 31-08, with complaints handled through the national consumer portal and consumer protection associations.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Register the business in the commercial register and on the professional tax roll.
2. Where the company operates its own trucks to carry clients’ goods, register in the road freight carrier register with the regional or provincial office of the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, meeting the nationality, good repute, financial capacity, and professional competence conditions.
3. Where the company organizes moves in its own name but has them performed by other carriers, register as a transport commission agent and hold the liability insurance that registration requires.
4. Notify the ministry of any change affecting the registration within one month.

Subcontracted transport

5. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

6. Obtain an authorization card for every truck, trailer, and semi-trailer, declare each vehicle put into or taken out of service, and keep compulsory motor insurance in force for each one.
7. Carry a freight manifest and the required authorization documents on every loaded truck.
8. Ensure every driver holds the correct driving licence category for the vehicle.

Customer practices

9. Use written contracts that state the nature of the move, the collection and delivery terms, the price, and compensation terms.
10. Ensure contracts and consumer-facing practices comply with Law 31-08, including price information, invoices, and the ban on abusive clauses.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Business entered in the commercial registerVerified by DocumentRequired
• Business entered on the professional tax roll (taxe professionnelle)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Entry in the road freight carrier register (national or zone), with the nationality, good repute, financial capacity and professional competence conditions metWhere applicable (mover operates its own trucks to carry goods for hire)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Entry in the transport commission agent registerWhere applicable (mover organizes transport in its own name that other carriers perform)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Liability insurance covering the commission agent activity, with an insurer approved by the Ministry of Economy and FinanceWhere applicable (mover is registered as a transport commission agent)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Changes affecting the registration notified to the ministry within one monthWhere applicable (mover holds a carrier or commission agent registration)Verified by AffirmationRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Authorization card held for every truck, trailer, and semi-trailer operatedWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Each vehicle put into or taken out of service declared to the ministryWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by AffirmationRequired
• Compulsory motor insurance in force for every truckWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Freight manifest and required authorization documents carried on every loaded truckWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by AffirmationRequired
• Every driver holds the correct driving licence category for the vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Customer practices

• Written contracts for carriage state the nature of the move, the collection and delivery terms, the price, and compensationVerified by AffirmationRequired
• Contracts and practices comply with Law 31-08 (information, invoices or receipts, copy of written contract, no abusive clauses)Verified by AffirmationRequired