All-in closing costs in Morocco: the foreign buyer's real envelope
The headline closing stack for a foreign cash buyer of a Moroccan resale property — registration duty 4% (DGI), land conservation ~1% (ANCFCC), notary honoraires on a sliding scale (~1% to 0.25%) + 20% VAT, plus the technical bank FX spread on the FCR wire-in. All-in: roughly 6.5–8.5% of price before any agency commission.
The envelope
For a non-resident cash buyer of a Moroccan resale residential property, all-in closing costs cluster around ~6.5%–8.5% of the purchase price — before any agency commission. The components are below in transaction order, each sourced.
The cost stack (in transaction order)
| # | Item | Rate | Levied by | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Registration duty (droits d'enregistrement) — resale | 4% of price | DGI | | 2 | Registration duty — new-build / VEFA | 4% standard (reduced for social housing) | DGI | | 3 | Land Conservation / titre foncier inscription | 1.0% of price + ~150 MAD certificate | ANCFCC | | 4 | Notary honoraires (regulated sliding scale) | ~1% down to 0.25% (per official Ministry of Justice brackets) | Notary | | 5 | VAT on notary fees | 20% TVA on the honoraire (Finance Act 2023) | DGI | | 6 | Notary disbursements (extracts, certified copies, residual timbre fees) | ~1,500–5,000 MAD per file | Notary | | 7 | Agency commission (market convention, not regulated) | ~2.5% buyer-side common; 2.5–5% total | Market | | 8 | VAT on agency commission | 20% TVA | DGI | | 9 | Office des Changes inbound investment filing | No fee — mandatory via notary/bank | Office des Changes | | 10 | FCR / convertible-MAD account (CCD) wire-in | No tax; bank FX spread applies | Office des Changes regime | | 11 | Bank FX spread on inbound EUR/USD → MAD | ~1.0%–2.0% vs BAM mid + ~100–300 MAD SWIFT receive | Moroccan banks |
Notes on the envelope
- The hard-statutory floor — DGI 4% + ANCFCC ~1% + notary ~1% (+ 20% VAT on the fee) + small disbursements — lands near ~6% before FX. The disbursement and minor timbre fees are now a small line item; the per-page 20 MAD stamp on the deed was abolished by the 2018 Finance Law.
- Add the ~1–2% technical bank spread on the mandatory CCD wire-in and the envelope reaches ~6.5%–8.5%.
- Agency commission is not statutory — whether the buyer carries ~2.5% (plus 20% VAT) materially moves the all-in number and is the single biggest variable. Negotiate it up-front.
- The Office des Changes inbound declaration is free but mandatory — it is the gate that preserves the right to repatriate sale proceeds.
- On exit, a non-resident pays TPI of 20% of the net gain, minimum 3% of sale price — outside the closing envelope but the other half of the round-trip.
The honest ledger
What this proves: the statutory closing stack (DGI registration, ANCFCC inscription, notary tariff + 20% VAT) and the FX/repatriation regime, each mapped to a primary source.
What it does NOT prove: the bank FX spread, agency commission, and notary disbursement ranges are market-indicative, not regulated tariffs — actual quotes vary by bank, ticket size and broker, and should be confirmed with the chosen counterparty before wiring.
*Sourced to DGI, ANCFCC, Office des Changes and the Ministry of Justice notary tariff, and adversarially fact-checked — three corrections applied: VAT on notary fees is 20% (Finance Act 2023), not 10%; the 20 MAD per-page stamp duty was abolished by the 2018 Finance Law; the notary sliding scale is wider (~1% down to 0.25%) than the 0.5–1% mid-range. Analysis, not legal or tax advice — confirm specifics with your Moroccan notaire and bank.*
What is the all-in closing-cost envelope for a foreign buyer in Morocco?
Roughly 6.5%–8.5% of the purchase price, before agency commission. That comes from DGI registration duty (4%), ANCFCC land conservation (~1%), notary honoraires (~1% — sliding scale 1% → 0.25%) plus 20% VAT, minor disbursements, and a ~1–2% bank FX spread on the mandatory FCR wire-in.
What is the registration duty rate?
4% of the purchase price, levied by the DGI on resale and standard new-build (VEFA) residential acquisitions. Reduced rates apply only to specific social-housing programmes.
How are notary fees calculated?
On a regulated sliding scale set by the Ministry of Justice — from about 1% on smaller tickets down to 0.25% on the upper brackets. Notary fees carry 20% VAT (raised from 10% by Finance Act 2023), plus small disbursements for extracts and certified copies.
Did the 20 MAD per-page stamp duty still apply?
No — the per-page mobile stamp on paper documents was abolished by the 2018 Finance Law (effective 1 January 2018). Residual timbre fees are now minor notary disbursements, not a flat 20 MAD per page on the deed.
Is agency commission paid by the buyer or the seller?
It is not statutory — Moroccan practice varies. Buyer-side commission of ~2.5% (plus 20% VAT) is common but negotiable, and the total agency take is typically 2.5–5%. Confirm in writing before signing the compromis de vente, because it can move the all-in envelope by 2–3%.