Morocco · Retire or live on savings
Morocco Own-means residence card
First stay: 10 yrs
Carte d'immatriculation, mention 'visiteur' (Law 02-03 Art. 13)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Own-means residence card is a retire or live on savings route for Morocco. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- First stay
- 10 yrs
Time and long term
RenewalRenewable
The card is valid for 1 to 10 years and can be renewed for the same period, depending on the reasons you give for staying.
Royaume du Maroc, Bulletin Officiel (text); copy hosted on mfa.go.th
Permanent residenceAfter 4 years of residence
After at least four years of uninterrupted, lawful residence you can apply for the longer-term carte de résidence. The decision takes account of your means of living and your intention to settle in Morocco.
Royaume du Maroc, Bulletin Officiel (text); copy hosted on mfa.go.th
What you'll need
What you must show1
- The applicant proves they can live from own resources alone (Art. 13).
Documents1
- A written undertaking not to exercise any professional activity that requires authorisation in Morocco is submitted (Art. 13).
Steps1
- Holders of a long-validity visa of over three months request the card from the General Directorate of National Security to stay longer than three months.
What happens at day 183
How Morocco decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 10 years at first, renewable
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in any period of 365 daysStays in Morocco exceeding 183 days give fiscal domicile; permanent home or centre of economic interests are alternative limbs.
- Foreign-source income
Individuals with fiscal domicile in Morocco are taxed on Moroccan and foreign-source income; the scale is 0% up to MAD 40,000 (≈ $4,120) rising to 37% above MAD 180,000 (≈ $18,500).
All tax rules for Morocco Tax records checked
Full official text
Card issued to a foreigner who proves they can live on their own resources and undertakes not to carry on any regulated professional activity in Morocco; used by retirees and people of independent means. 1
Requirements
- The applicant proves they can live from own resources alone (Art. 13). 1
- A written undertaking not to exercise any professional activity that requires authorisation in Morocco is submitted (Art. 13). 1
- Holders of a long-validity visa of over three months request the card from the General Directorate of National Security to stay longer than three months. 2
Stay
- Card valid 1 to 10 years, renewable (Art. 10).
- First stay: 12 to 120 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Work
No regulated professional activity.
Fine print
The law is cited from a copy of its 2003 French text hosted on a Thai government site; the Moroccan Bulletin Officiel and Ministry of Justice sites could not be reached on 12 October 2026, and amendments after 2003 were not checked.
Official sources
- Loi n° 02-03 relative à l'entrée et au séjour des étrangers au Royaume du Maroc (Dahir n° 1-03-196 du 11 novembre 2003), French text of 2003, copy hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand · Royaume du Maroc, Bulletin Officiel (text); copy hosted on mfa.go.th · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2003-11-20
- Types of granted visas · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Morocco · checked 2026-10-10
Own-means residence card and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own-means residence card | – | 10 yr, renewable | – |
| PR · Financially independent South Africa | Needs assets of ZAR 12M+ ≈ $725k | – | – |
| Retired non-citizen permit Mauritius | Needs income of $2,000+ a month | 10 yr, renewable | No |
| Retiree permanent residence Cabo Verde | – | – | – |
| Class K · Ordinary resident Kenya | Needs income of $24k+ a year | 5 yr, renewable | No |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Own-means residence card?
Card valid 1 to 10 years, renewable (Art.
Can I work on the Own-means residence card?
No regulated professional activity.
Does the Own-means residence card lead to permanent residence in Morocco?
Time on the Own-means residence card counts toward permanent residence in Morocco, which the rules allow after 4 years of residence.
How are Own-means residence card holders taxed in Morocco?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Own-means residence card. The standard rules apply: Individuals with fiscal domicile in Morocco are taxed on Moroccan and foreign-source income; the scale is 0% up to MAD 40,000 (≈ $4,120) rising to 37% above MAD 180,000 (≈ $18,500). Persons without fiscal domicile are taxed on Moroccan-source income.
More in Morocco
Retirement and live-on-savings visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
Ask the AI about this route AI
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 2 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Loi n° 02-03 relative à l'entrée et au séjour des étrangers au Royaume du Maroc (Dahir n° 1-03-196 du 11 novembre 2003), French text of 2003, copy hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand · Royaume du Maroc, Bulletin Officiel (text); copy hosted on mfa.go.th · checked 2026-10-12
- Types of granted visas · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Morocco · checked 2026-10-10
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.