Morocco Visa: Do You Need a Visa to Come to Marrakech?

Most travellers do not need a visa for Morocco

For a tourist stay of less than 90 days, a great many nationalities are exempt from the Morocco visa, and your passport simply needs to be valid for at least 6 months. We deliberately do not reproduce the list of exempt countries here: it is amended by the Moroccan authorities from time to time, and a list frozen on a hotel page is exactly the kind of thing that sends a traveller to the airport with the wrong information. The complete and up-to-date list is published on the official website of the Moroccan consulate.

Nationalities that do need a visa for Morocco

Some nationalities must obtain a visa before travelling to Morocco. This is the case, among others, for nationals of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and several sub-Saharan African countries — a non-exhaustive list that should be checked officially. Depending on your nationality, two routes exist: an electronic visa (e-Visa) to apply for online on acces-maroc.ma, or a standard consular visa from a Moroccan embassy or consulate. Rules can change: always check your own situation with the Moroccan consulate in your country before planning your trip. One example shows exactly why a frozen list is dangerous: Ivory Coast has required a visa since 1 September 2024, after years of exemption. Any page still listing it as visa-free is sending its readers to the airport with the wrong information — which is why we point you to the consulate rather than to a list of our own.

This table is a summary, not an exhaustive rule: the routes open to you depend on your nationality. Always confirm on the official channels linked above.

Morocco visa requirements for Indians

Indian passport holders normally need a visa to enter Morocco, and proof of accommodation is one of the documents the consulate asks for. If you already hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Canadian visa — or a residence permit in one of those areas — you can often apply for the Moroccan e-Visa instead, which is faster. Check your own case on acces-maroc.ma. Whichever route applies to you, Riad Vendôme issues your accommodation attestation in under 24 hours once your stay is booked.

What a Morocco visa application usually includes

Each consulate sets its own list, but a tourist file for Morocco commonly brings together the same supporting documents. Knowing them in advance saves a lot of back and forth:

• a passport valid at least 6 months beyond your planned departure;
• the completed application form and recent passport photographs;
• a return flight booking and a travel itinerary;
• proof of accommodation for the whole stay — this is the document we issue for you;
• travel insurance covering the period of the trip;
• proof of sufficient funds, typically a recent bank statement.

We do not advise on the rest of the file — that is between you and the consular authority — but we take the accommodation part off your hands entirely: a document issued in your name, matching your real booking dates, ready in under 24 hours. Confirm the exact list of supporting documents with the embassy or consulate handling your application.

Your proof of accommodation from Riad Vendôme for your Morocco visa

If you need a visa, an accommodation attestation is generally one of the documents requested by the consulate. Riad Vendôme, in the Marrakech medina, provides it free of charge and in under 24 hours, once you have booked your stay with us. To issue it we need three pieces of information: your full name exactly as written on your passport, your passport number, and your stay dates. The attestation states your name, your arrival and departure dates, the address and contact details of the riad, and the number of nights and guests. It is a personal document matching a real booking: we do not provide a blank template, and you do not need to go through a paid intermediary to obtain it.

Every attestation we issue contains:

• your full name, spelled exactly as on your passport;
• your passport number;
• your exact arrival and departure dates;
• the number of nights and the number of guests;
• the full address of the riad in the Marrakech medina, 217 Derb El Halfaoui, Dar El Bacha;
• our contact details and the signature of the owner.

We describe the document here, but we do not publish a blank template: a consulate only accepts an attestation issued in your name by the property that is actually hosting you.

Free cancellation booking: your safety net if the visa is refused

Many travellers hesitate to book before they have their visa, for fear of a refusal. For that reason a booking with free cancellation is accepted, and even recommended, for a visa application file: if your visa were refused, you could cancel your booking. That way you build your file with peace of mind. The final decision to grant a visa belongs to the consulate; on our side, we provide a correctly issued proof of accommodation.

How to get your accommodation attestation

1. Book your stay at Riad Vendôme in Marrakech on WhatsApp.
2. Tell us you need an attestation for your visa and send us your full name (as on your passport), your passport number and your stay dates.
3. We issue the accommodation attestation in your name.
4. You receive it in under 24 hours, ready to attach to your visa application.

Can you get a visa on arrival in Morocco? No.

This is the single most costly misunderstanding on this subject, so it deserves a plain answer: Morocco does not issue tourist visas on arrival at the airport. If your nationality requires a visa, it must be obtained before you travel — either through the official online platform when your nationality is eligible for it, or at the Moroccan consulate in your country of residence. A traveller who boards without it is refused entry at the border and sent back at their own expense. Book your flight only once you know which case you are in.

How much does a Morocco visa cost, and how long does it take?

Fees and processing times are set by the Moroccan authorities. They differ from one country to another and vary with the season, which is precisely why we publish no figure here: a fee frozen on a hotel page is out of date within months, and you would plan your trip around a wrong number. The current fees and processing times are given on the Moroccan consulate website and, for the online visa, on acces-maroc.ma. Allow comfortably more time than the stated minimum, particularly between April and August. What we can commit to is our own part of the file: your accommodation attestation is issued in under 24 hours, free of charge, once your stay is booked.

Which documents are checked at the Moroccan border?

On arrival at Marrakech-Menara, the border police check your passport, valid for at least 6 months, and your visa if your nationality needs one. You will be asked where you are staying, and you fill in an entry form with the address of your accommodation — having your booking confirmation and your attestation on your phone makes that moment straightforward. An entry stamp is then placed in your passport for the authorised length of stay; check it before leaving the desk, as it is the stamp that sets your permitted duration, not your ticket. At the riad, we register our guests as every property in Morocco is required to do, which is why we ask for your passport at check-in.

Frequently asked questions about the Morocco tourist visa

Book your stay and request your attestation

Write to us directly on WhatsApp at +212 600 608 608. We reply quickly, and we issue your proof of accommodation in under 24 hours once your stay in the Marrakech medina is booked. You can also see where we are on our riad in the Marrakech medina page, or book direct with the owner.

Riad Vendôme provides the accommodation attestation as a service to its guests. It is one document in your visa application file, not the visa itself: granting the visa is the decision of the Moroccan consulate. Rules can change — always check with the Moroccan consulate in your country before you travel.