Under the state of emergency, Morocco bent its immigration laws to align with border closures and travel restrictions. Now, non-resident foreigners should prepare to say goodbye.
Rabat –According to Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior, as cited by the US embassy in Morocco, non-resident foreigners who were unable to leave Morocco within the normal 90-day limit will be permitted to exit without penalty until the end of Morocco’s state of emergency on August 10.
Those who do not leave before the specified time may need to go through a legal process of fixing their immigration status and could be subject to fines or imprisonment.
For some, the approaching deadline to leave may present additional problems considering restrictions that bar travelers from entering other countries. However, the news of the country’s exceptional border reopening on July 15 comes as a relief for foreigners who have been waiting for more than four months to return to their home countries.
At this time, foreigners without legal residency status will be unable to return to Morocco until further notice. The government has not yet announced when it will allow tourists or non-residents back into the country.
Morocco’s partial border reopening permits foreigners to leave the country, while only allowing Moroccan citizens, residents, and their family members to enter. While there is no requirement for COVID-19 testing to leave Morocco, travelers should verify the requirements of their destination countries.
Those permitted to travel to Morocco will be required to take a PCR test and a serological test less than 48 hours before departing for Morocco in order to rule out COVID-19 infection.
On March 15, Morocco closed all land, air, and sea borders to curb the spread of COVID-19. Thousands of foreigners unable to leave the country were granted an exceptional visa status. The Moroccan government also honored the residency cards of foreigners that expired during this period.
In less than one month, non-resident foreigners unable to fix their legal status in the country will have to say goodbye to Morocco for the time being.
