Travelling to Morocco by ferry, what to expect

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In this post, I discuss our experience of taking the ferry to Morocco. The paperwork required, and how the process works.

As it happened:
  • Arrived at the ferry port at 7.00 am. Tickets checked at the entrance.
  •  Followed signs for those with tickets. Each ferry has an allocated kiosk and staff in high viz direct you to correct queue.
  • Dog passport checked whilst in queue. See separate post for travelling with a pet.
  • At  kiosk paperwork exchanged for ferry tickets, 7.40 am.
  • Passport control, passports stamped.
  • Joined queue for boarding.
  • 8.00 am Boarded the ferry.
  • 8.15 am Engines started.
  • 8.30 am Ferry departed Algeciras.
  • 8.40 am Completed personal information on the immigration entry card provided on the ferry and joined the queue for Moroccan Passport Control. Wait time is approximately 30 minutes.
  • 9.55 am Arrive at Tanger Med.
  • 10.00 am Disembarkment started. Passports checked again as we drove off.
  • Long drive (follow exit signs) to the customs checkpoint. Hand over passports and logbook (V5). 
  • Be prepared to be asked to leave your vehicle and maybe empty out some of the lockers so the sniffer dogs can gain access.
  • 11.40 am Customs officer returned with the D16, vehicle import document.
  • 11.45 am Another check as you exit customs to ensure you have the D16.
  • Before you exit the port there is an area with ATMs, foreign exchange, insurance brokers, and vendors of SIM cards.
  • By the time we had sorted insurance, sim cards, cash, and had some lunch it was approximately 1.00 pm

Documentation

  • Passports
  • Driving Licence
  • International Driving Permit (if you intend to stay longer than 3 months)
  • V5 document
  • Insurance Documents
  • D16 vehicle import document
  • See separate post about travelling with a pet

Ferry Tickets

Ferry tickets are on sale in numerous places. There are many agents selling them on the approach roads to the port towns as well as in places like Tarifa or Algeciras. You can also buy directly at the ports. In fact, there are so many places selling them that shopping around could be somewhat daunting.

We chose to use an agent, Carlos, based in Algeciras. He has been trading for some considerable time and has a good reputation. Maybe occasionally a little more expensive, but the staff are knowledgeable and speak some English, making the whole process a little easier and they are able to answer any questions you may have. We also got cake and wine – a tradition Carlos started when he first began and continues to this day.

The ferry tickets are “open” both ways, meaning that you can travel at any time convenient to you without worrying about being booked onto a specific sailing. For us this was important because we have no idea when we will be returning to the EU.

Algeciras Port

We decided to make an early start. The ferry ticket being an open ticket means it doesn’t matter which one you catch, you aren’t booked on a particular boat at a particular time. However, not really knowing the process and how long it would take we wanted to leave ourselves plenty of time.
 
So aiming for the 8 o’clock sailing we set alarms for 6. It was only about a 15-minute drive to the port from where we were, and having driven it the night before, plus light traffic at that time of the morning meant a simple drive there.
 
We followed the road signs rather than the Sat Navs, although either way is valid. Arriving just after 7 am we joined the queue to go through passport control.
 
Once at the port, the process flows pretty smoothly. You can’t really go wrong as long as you follow the road signs and directions of the officials.
 
Boarding the ferry was an experience. The ferries aren’t all like the ones crossing the Channel where you drive straight on one end and disembark at the destination from the other end of the ferry.
 
Some only have one entry/exit point. Guess which one we got on? We had to reverse onto the ferry and parallel park into quite a tight, narrow space. Those with trailers were finding it quite challenging, and the access ramp is quite steep.
 

The Crossing

The crossing itself was plain sailing. Smooth seas and blue skies. It was a real treat to see Gibraltar from a different perspective, and we were lucky enough to see dolphins, albeit in the distance.

Moroccan passport control is based on the ferry. You collect an immigration entry card, freely available on the ferry. Complete it and take it to the passport control office. It was quiet on our crossing so there was just a small queue and still took 30 minutes, but at busier times there will be more than one officer on duty, and they use a ticket system similar to that used at a supermarket deli counter. Carol tried to do for both of us as Zeus wasn’t allowed inside but I had to go and collect my passport so they could verify it was me.

Moroccan Customs

Once we docked at Tanger Med we disembarked fairly quickly. After another passport check as we left the ferry, it was a bit of a drive to the customs post.
 
Once at customs, there was a bit of a queue before being shown to a parking place. An official took our passports and V5 document, and there we waited.
 
Every vehicle was being inspected thoroughly. Loads were being emptied from the back of the cars and vans. More stuff than you would ever think would fit into a vehicle of that size, and piled on the tarmac to allow the sniffer dogs to do their jobs. Most people were asked to step out of their vehicles and the dogs were allowed inside, although for some reason we weren’t. Maybe we just look honest?
 
This whole process is time-consuming, and there is nothing you can do to hurry it along. All you can do is wait until you are handed your documents back, together with the D16 you need to bring your vehicle into Morocco, and told you may leave. This is a very good reason to get the first ferry across as the queue behind us was rapidly increasing – I imagine in a few hours there would a huge build up. Maybe that’s why there is so much road between the ferry and customs.
 
Just after customs, there is another check to ensure you have your D16.

Past Customs

Once you have passed through customs you are free to leave the port and continue your journey.

However, there is an area, with ample parking, where there is an array of kiosks where you can get insurance, SIM cards, foreign exchange, and ATMs.

Given that Morocco is largely a cash-based economy we availed ourselves of an ATM. We also purchased 3 months insurance (3rd party) for the motorhome and a SIM card (15 euros for 15 Gb).

What you can and can't take into Morocco

What you can take with you:

• Clothes for personal use.

• Tobacco (200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 25 cigars, or 250 grams of loose tobacco).

• Alcoholic drinks (1 l bottle).

• Jewellery, perfumes (150 ml) and toilet water (250 ml).

• Souvenirs, presents whose value should not exceed 2000 DH.

• Camera, camcorder, binoculars, or CD player.

• Tape recorder, radio, TV, camera, typewriter, calculator, portable computer, mobile phone.

• Sport fittings

• Musical instrument

• Bicycle, tandem, bicycle having an auxiliary motor.

 

Prohibited items include:

• Arms and ammunition.

• Drugs

• Books, printed matter, audio and video cassettes, and any other immoral items liable to cause a breach of the peace.

 

Restricted items include:

• Plants

• Endangered species of wild fauna and flora

• Hunting arms and their ammunition

• Medicines (allowable In small quantities for personal use – medical proof (medical certificate, prescription, etc), may be required)

• Drones (will get confiscated at border)

• Currency: you cannot take more than 2000 DH in cash into or out of the country. If you have more than the equivalent of 100,000 DH in any currency with you it must be declared in order to re-export it in part or in full on exit.

 

Make sure you check your local government advice and the advice from the Moroccan Embassy before travelling

 

And that was our experience of taking a ferry to Morocco. It was actually fairly straightforward and logical but took longer than you might expect. Between arriving at Algeciras and leaving Tanger Med took approximately 6 hours so allow plenty of time.

The one thing I would take from the whole experience, however, is that it takes longer than you might expect so allow plenty of time and pack bags of patience.
 

I hope this helps, and happy travels.

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