Documents for travelling to Morocco by ferry

Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs puts it bluntly: to enter Morocco you need a valid passport with more than six months' validity, and the Spanish national identity card does not allow entry. The passport must remain valid for the whole stay.

Spanish citizens do not need a visa to travel as tourists. The maximum stay is six months a year and no more than 90 days in each six-month period. No vaccination is compulsory.

This information comes from the ministry's travel advice for Spanish citizens. If you hold another nationality, check with your consulate or Morocco's: we have not verified the conditions for each country.

On the Tanger Med route, the port says passports are stamped on board during the crossing: find the police desk as soon as you board and do not leave it until the end.

On the way back, since 2026 Spain has applied the European Union's Entry/Exit System, which replaces manual stamping with a digital record including biometric data for travellers from non-EU countries. Spain's Interior Ministry reported that its debut during the 2026 Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE), Spain's summer Strait-crossing operation, went through without major delays, but on peak days it adds time at the checks.

A Spanish minor resident in Spain who travels abroad without their parents or guardians needs an authorisation that is obtained in person at a Policía Nacional station. It is enough for one parent to attend, although the consent of both is required, and you have to bring identity documents and proof of parental authority, for example the family record book (libro de familia).

It is not needed if the minor is travelling with either of their legal representatives. The authorisation is shown at border control, not to the ferry company. Foreign minors resident in Spain are governed by the law of their own country.

The dirham cannot be taken freely out of the country: according to the ministry, travellers are allowed to carry a maximum of 2,000 dirhams. Foreign currency goes in and out without restriction, but it has to be declared from the equivalent of 100,000 dirhams.

In practice: take euros and change them on arrival. At Tanger Med there are six bureaux de change run by Moroccan banks, in the ferry terminal and in the vehicle area.

‘Roam like at home’ only covers the European Union and the European Economic Area. Morocco is outside it: using data on your Spanish tariff can prove very expensive. The options are to switch data off, buy a local SIM or install an eSIM before you leave.

Morocco and Spain are not on the same time. According to the Moroccan press, a decree published in June 2026 returned the country to GMT from 20 September 2026, after years on GMT+1. Ferry timetables are given in the local time of each port: check both times on your ticket before working out connections.

Morocco strictly prohibits bringing in drones or any remote-controlled flying device without an import authorisation: if they are not declared, they are confiscated at customs.

If you are travelling with a car or a pet, the formalities are different and longer: see the car guide and the pets guide.