As it turns out, we learnt quite a lot about the clearance process over the 2 months we were in Morocco. Here’s my summary of our time in Tanger, Rabat Bouregreg and Agadir.

In general:
– Every time you arrive and leave a port you have to go through police, customs and port clearance. Be prepared for inspection dogs to go through the boat each time.
– Drones and firearms are banned and must be declared.
– There are no fees. The only things you need are passports, ships papers, insurance certificate and lots of patience and politeness.
– No health declaration needed.
– The marina staff act as your guide/agent through the process.
– For each entry and exit we allowed 3 hours, but it rarely took that long.
– Security at marinas is very good. There is always 24/7 security personnel around and locals are not allowed on to pontoons without permission (we had one instance in Rabat when some local friends had to go through passport control to be allowed on to a foreign vessel!).
– Anchoring over night is generally prohibited, but we did hear of two occassions where boats anchored. One in Essaouira and the other at the entrance to Rabat waiting for the port to open.
– Most contact with port offices/marina bookings etc. is done through WhatsApp. But getting WhatsApp numbers is difficult. It took us ages to find the two we did! (included below).

Tanger:

No contact number, called them on channel 09 and 16 with no response.

Once we approached the marina, staff waved us to the reception pontoon.

Rabat:

Book ahead with the marina management on Whatsapp +212 661 358149. Very helpful.

She also gave us the number for the immigration service (+212537883709), but we didn’t use it.

The port entrance is difficult and closed at night. Time your arrival during daylight hours and with swell <1.5m. The port is closed with higher swell. If in doubt, ask for a pilot (450MAD). You can book this via Hanna at the marina.

On arrival at the marina you are directed onto a reception pontoon to clear customs etc. before being allowed in to the marina. Marina staff act as ‘agents’ and help you through the process.

The marina is very sheltered and despite no locked gates at pontoons, is very safe.

The marina is close to the Salé medina where you can get all sorts of things fixed. Khalid is a mechanic who can direct you to others (electricians etc.) as needed. His phone number is +212666984685.

Agadir:

Book ahead by contacting the marina manager Soufiane, on +212660412202.

Easy port entrance and you can arrive any time. There are customs people operating 24/7.

The marina pontoons are quite short, so we had to anchor in the marina while tied up stern-to, Med style. Swell can be a problem – we had a few uncomfortable days there – but again, very safe.

Final Note:

We had a great time in Morocco, the country is safe, the food is excellent and the people are very friendly. Totally recommend it to other cruisers.

Nigel – SV Novara
https://novara.world/

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising.

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