Do Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and citizens of Kazakhstan need a visa to travel to Morocco?

The Kingdom of Morocco is located in northwestern Africa. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. In the south and east, the Moroccan border runs through the Sahara Desert. This country attracts not only with its amazing nature and climate, but also with opportunities for investment, business, study and employment. Entry rules into Morocco are not the same for citizens of different countries. For a short trip, Russians will not need a visa, but residents of other CIS countries will need to obtain one.

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Do Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and citizens of Kazakhstan need a visa to travel to Morocco?

Since 2005, Russians have enjoyed the privilege of visa-free travel in Morocco for up to 90 days. At the border, it is enough to present your passport and completed migration card. The passport must have 2 blank pages and be valid for at least six months after the intended departure. Without a visa, you can visit, travel around the country, receive medical care, but you cannot do business, find a job or study.

Russian Schengen visa holders can travel to Ceuta or Melilla (Spanish enclaves in Morocco) to return the next day and get the opportunity to spend another 90 days in Morocco. It is not recommended to abuse this practice. Moroccan immigration rules are quite liberal and it is better to resolve all issues in the National Security Administration.

Sample of filling out the entry card

Morocco can be reached by air, sea and land, including the caravan routes in the Sahara Desert. At all checkpoints the procedure is the same, regardless of where passport control is carried out: at a land border crossing, at a seaport or at an airport.

Unfortunately, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are not included in the list of visa-free exchange countries with Morocco. Belarusians and Kazakhstanis need to submit documents to the consular section of the Moroccan embassy in Moscow. Ukrainians apply to the embassy in Kyiv, and citizens of Uzbekistan - in Ankara (Turkey).

Having traveled to Morocco, you can visit neighboring countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, and also take a high-speed ferry to Gibraltar (you need a British visa) or to Spain and France (you need a Schengen multiple entry visa). To disembark and then re-board the ferry back to the Moroccan port, you must present tickets for the onward departure from Morocco. However, if a foreigner plans to return to his homeland and confirms this with tickets at passport control, he will not be interfered with.

Russians do not need a transit visa. To cross Morocco, you must ensure that you have an entry permit from a third country. Ukrainians, Belarusians, citizens of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan apply for a transit visa at the consulate.

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What types of visas are there for Morocco?

Visas are issued for up to 90 days and differ only in the purpose of travel:

• transit;
• visiting friends and relatives;
• participation in events;
• employment;
• business trip.

The visa is pasted into the passport, indicating the validity period and category

Applying for a visa at the consulate

There are cases when Russians, along with Belarusians, Ukrainians and Kazakhstanis, go to the consulate for a visa. Even for a stay of less than 90 days, but for the sake of activities that require permission from the authorities of the kingdom.

You can submit documents in person or through a courier and visa service. Registration on average takes one calendar week. Biometrics are not taken, and they are not invited to an interview.

Consular offices issue a visa for a period of no more than 3 months. But after entry you can extend your stay. To do this, no later than 15 days before the expiration of the visa or permitted stay (for Russians), you must submit an application to the nearest branch of the General Directorate of National Security.

All foreigners seeking a Moroccan visa prepare a package of documents:

1. Visa application form.
2. A valid passport with a reserve of 6 months after the expected departure from the country.
3. Copies of the first three pages of the passport.
4. Copies of an internal passport or other document confirming permanent residence in the applicant’s home country. For Russians, a certificate of registration at the place of residence is sufficient.
5. One passport type photo.
6. A health insurance policy valid in Morocco for the entire period of the requested stay.
7. Copies of air tickets in both directions. Based on the dates, the visa period will be determined.
8. Certificates from place of work or study. The manager or chief accountant cannot sign certificates for themselves. They are assured by deputies. Private entrepreneurs provide registration documents and a certificate from the tax office.
9. Confirmation of the purpose of the visit.

Depending on your nationality, there may be additional requirements related to each country's internal regulations. For example, citizens of Uzbekistan need an exit permit sticker, which is pasted into their general passport.

Requirements for photo size and design

The purpose of the visit is documented. For a guest visa, business trips and participation in scientific or creative conferences, an invitation from the Moroccan side is issued (with certification from the police).

Students and schoolchildren receive invitations from educational institutions in the kingdom. Foreigners are accepted into universities, religious schools for the study of Islam and Arabic language courses.

Working resolution

Employment is not high on the list of travel destinations because the unemployment rate in Morocco hovers between 20-25% and foreign workers are discouraged. Mostly narrow specialists are employed in areas such as medicine, information technology, as well as management personnel of transnational companies. The employer must obtain permission to hire a foreign specialist and enter into an employment contract with him. These documents are submitted with the visa package.

Business trip to Morocco

Moroccan authorities encourage foreign investment. There are no restrictions for purchasing real estate. Registration of a business occurs in five stages, but takes only 11 business days and costs approximately $3,000. You can do without opening a new business and buy a ready-made business or take part in a share. For a business visit, you must provide a letter of invitation from Moroccan partners. Or intermediaries who provide services for registering and opening an enterprise. When a business person represents not himself, but a legal entity, he submits a letter of recommendation from his company to the consulate. If the inviting party in Morocco does not guarantee the provision of housing, you must attach a hotel reservation or a real estate rental agreement to the visa package.

A visa with a confirmed purpose can be opened for multiple entries and exits. Its cost will be one and a half times higher, but the period will still remain 90 days, and the extension is within the competence of the National Security Administration.

Features for minors

Children receive their own visa and enter accompanied by their parents. They have the right to entrust accompaniment to another adult by registering a power of attorney with a notary. There is no separate visa fee for children.

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How much does it cost to get a visa?

When submitting documents, a consular fee is paid. Its size for citizens of different countries:

• in Russia - 2095 rubles;
• in Ukraine - 210 hryvnia;
• in Ankara (Turkey), where they accept documents from citizens of Uzbekistan - 30 US dollars.

Moroccan landscapes and the life of local nomads look exotic

Reasons for refusal and further actions

If refusals do occur, it is mainly due to errors in the application form, incorrectly drawn up documents or an incomplete visa package. There is no appeal procedure for one reason - there are practically no refusals. You must correct the deficiencies and reapply.

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Morocco is a hospitable country. Even those who are not eligible for visa-free entry receive permission without experiencing excessive bureaucratic delays. Applying for a visa to Morocco on your own is a rational choice for those for whom time and the geographic proximity of consular offices allow them to do without the services of courier and visa intermediaries.