Morocco’s Customs Deny Imposing New Taxes on Gifts, Cash

Recent news reports indicating that Morocco’s customs authorities (ADII) are adding a new round of tariffs on travelers bringing gifts and cash upon entering Morocco are “unfounded.”

Rabat – Recent news reports indicating that Morocco’s customs authorities (ADII) are adding a new round of tariffs on travelers bringing gifts and cash upon entering Morocco are “unfounded.”

Speaking to Moroccan news outlet Le360, Nizar Nasr, an official at the ADII, said that “nothing has changed since the 2012 decree setting the legal framework that travelers must comply with at border crossings (airports, ports, land crossing points).”

Nizar insisted that “there is no new update and that no instruction has been given on this subject.”

Last week, some local media in Morocco reported that the ADII is establishing a new customs protocol on gifts and cash carried by travelers upon entry to Morocco.

Under the 2012 customs decree, travelers are prohibited from carrying gifts with a value exceeding MAD 2,000 ($183). The threshold is set at MAD 20,000 ($1,830) for members of the Moroccan community abroad.

According to Nizar, the current customs laws are applied with a great degree of flexibility. “Customs has never taxed a person for exceeding this threshold with 200 or 300 dirhams,” he said.

The ADII went on to explain that Morocco’s customs regulations adhere to international best practices while remaining flexible.

The policy of not allowing more than MAD 2,000 (in national currency) –$182– in cash goes back a long way, well before the 2012 decree, and serves a specific purpose, the ADII official told the media.

Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib outlawed the export and import of the dirham. The MAD 2,000 ($182) threshold is in place in case travelers decide to keep some extra cash in Morocco’s currency for when they return to cover expenses like transportation and parking.

Regarding the rule dictating that travelers should notify authorities in case they were carrying cash equivalent to or exceeding MAD 100,000 ($9,123), the official maintained that it is part of Morocco’s effort to stop money laundering and terrorist financing.