Buying property in Morocco from abroad: a guide for MRE and foreigners

Moroccans living abroad (MRE) buy exactly like residents. Foreigners can also freely buy property in urban areas: flat, villa, riad, shop or building plot. The big exception is agricultural land outside urban boundaries: a foreigner cannot acquire it unless they obtain a certificate of non-agricultural use (attestation de vocation non agricole, VNA) for a non-agricultural investment project. Collective and habous land also follow special rules.

A property sale must be made by authentic deed, in practice before a notary or adouls (Article 4 of Law 39-08, tightened in 2026 by Law 41-25). When buying remotely, choose your own notary rather than the seller’s. The notary checks the title, drafts the preliminary contract and the deed, receives the funds in their account, pays the taxes and registers the sale at the land registry.

If you cannot travel, a relative can sign for you with a power of attorney (procuration, وكالة). A power of attorney to buy or sell property must itself be an authentic deed, in practice made by a notary or adouls (a rule set in 2017 by Law 69-16 and tightened in 2026 by Law 41-25): a simple certified signature is not enough. From abroad it can be made at a Moroccan consulate or before a local notary with an apostille or legalisation; ask your Moroccan notary first which form they accept.

Make the power of attorney precise: the property (address, title number), maximum price, power to pay and sign, and a limited duration.

Under Office des changes (exchange control) rules, an investment funded in foreign currency gives the right, on resale, to transfer the sale proceeds and the capital gain abroad, after tax. You still have to be able to prove it:

• bring the money from abroad by bank transfer, into a foreign-currency or convertible-dirham account, or straight into the notary’s account;
• keep the transfer advices and bank certificates linking that currency to the purchase, together with the deed;
• avoid paying from an ordinary dirham account, in cash, or “on the side” abroad: the paper trail would be lost.

Moroccan banks offer loans designed for MRE, based on income earned abroad, with a mortgage on the titre foncier and insurance. Expect to provide employment contracts, payslips and bank statements from your country of residence, and often a larger down payment. For non-resident foreigners a loan is possible but less common. Get an agreement in principle before paying any deposit.

• Live video viewing (not a pre-recorded clip), asking to see the street, entrance, meters and the view from the windows. Better still: send a relative you trust.
• Compare the name on the ownership certificate with the seller’s ID card.
• Never wire a deposit to a private person, a “middleman” or a money-transfer service: only to the notary’s account, after a signed preliminary contract.
• Off-plan, check the developer and the building permit, and that the sale is a proper off-plan contract (VEFA) at a notary, with payments staged as the work progresses.

Buying costs are the same as for residents (about 7% of the price for a titled home). Rent from a Moroccan property is taxable in Morocco, and resale is subject to capital gains tax, with possible exemptions under conditions. An MRE of Moroccan nationality can also get Daam Sakane aid for a new home.