When does a foreigner need a residence card in Morocco?

After 90 days. Every foreigner over 18 staying longer must hold a registration card or a resident card (Law 02-03, arts. 6 and 9).

How long is a Moroccan registration card valid?

From 1 to 10 years depending on the reason for the stay, renewable for the same period (art. 10).

Who can get a Moroccan resident card?

A foreigner with at least 4 years of continuous lawful residence, and directly the foreign spouse of a Moroccan and other cases listed in art. 17.

Where do you apply for a residence card in Morocco?

At the national police (Sûreté nationale) or Royal Gendarmerie office responsible for your place of residence; the DGSN decides.

Residence card in Morocco for foreigners: registration card, resident card and visa extension

Wadifa Info · updated 28 October 2026 · Also in French and Arabic

In short: every foreigner over 18 staying more than 90 days in Morocco needs a registration card (carte d'immatriculation, 1 to 10 years, renewable) or a resident card (carte de résidence, after 4 years of lawful residence, or directly for the spouse of a Moroccan and other cases). Applications, renewals and visa extensions are filed with the national police (Sûreté nationale) or the Royal Gendarmerie where you live; the DGSN decides.

Who needs a residence permit?

Under Law 02-03 on the entry and stay of foreigners, the two residence permits are the registration card and the resident card (art. 5). Every foreigner over 18 staying in Morocco must hold one of them (art. 6). Exempt: foreigners staying 90 days at most with a valid travel document, and members of diplomatic and consular missions and their families (art. 9).

The registration card

It allows a stay of 1 to 10 years, renewable for the same period depending on the reason for the stay (art. 10). It is marked "visitor" (own resources, no activity requiring authorisation), "student" (studies and sufficient means) or with the authorised professional activity (art. 13): see the work permit for foreign employees. The application receipt stands in for the card in the meantime (art. 8); a long-stay visa (over three months) may be required (art. 15).

The resident card

It may be granted to a foreigner proving at least 4 years of continuous lawful residence, taking into account resources and intention to settle (art. 16). Subject to lawful entry and stay, it is granted in particular to: the foreign spouse of a Moroccan national, the foreign child of a Moroccan mother in the cases provided, foreign dependent ascendants of a Moroccan, the spouse and minor children of a resident-card holder, refugees and their families, and foreigners habitually resident for more than 15 years or lawfully resident for more than 10 years (art. 17). It lapses after more than two years outside Morocco (art. 18).

Where to apply

The application or renewal is filed with the national police or Royal Gendarmerie services responsible for your place of residence. After review, the file is sent electronically to the DGSN (national police headquarters), which decides and prints the card; it is handed over against a signed record. The DGSN page does not publish the list of documents: ask the competent office. Issue, renewal and duplicates are subject to stamp duty (art. 7). Any change of address must be declared (arts. 10 and 18).

Visa extension and exceptional stay permit

Visa extension: apply to the police or gendarmerie where you live; the file goes to the DGSN and, if accepted, the extension is stamped in the passport.
Exceptional stay permit: for visa-exempt foreigners who must stay beyond 90 days because of force majeure; same procedure, stamped in the passport.
Staying beyond the visa's validity, or more than three months without a visa, without a registration card exposes you to removal to the border (art. 21).

Foreign students and lost cards

Students get a registration card marked "student" if they study in Morocco with sufficient means (art. 13) and apply like other foreigners. The DGSN publishes no student-specific document list (checked on 11 October 2026): ask the competent office and your institution's student services.
Lost card: apply to the competent police office with copies of your identity documents for a certificate of loss, then request a duplicate, subject to stamp duty like issue and renewal (art. 7).

Certificates, refusals and appeals

The police or gendarmerie issue a certificate of residence for administrative use, a certificate of residence for a nationality application (more than 5 years of residence) and a certificate of final departure. If a card is refused or withdrawn, the foreigner must leave within 15 days (art. 11) and may appeal to the president of the administrative court, as urgent-applications judge, within 15 days of notification (art. 20). Driving here for more than a year? See exchanging a foreign driving licence.

Sources

Law 02-03 on the entry and stay of foreigners in Morocco (Dahir 1-03-196, Bulletin officiel No. 5162 of 20 November 2003, copy on sgg.gov.ma) and the services-for-foreigners pages on dgsn.gov.ma (residence permits, visa extension, exceptional stay permit, residence and final-departure certificates), read on 28 September and 11 October 2026. Article numbers refer to Law 02-03; the English wording is our translation. The competent authority is the national police or the Royal Gendarmerie.

Information only, not legal advice. Reuse with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Corrections: [email protected].