Heading off to explore the bustling city of Marrakech or try surfing in the windy Essaouira? Read our Moroccan currency guide first.
Yes and no.
The Moroccan dirham is non-convertible which means it is not openly traded on the forex market. You are allowed to take a maximum of 2,000 Moroccan dirham to or from Morocco.
2000 MAD is about £160 which means you will likely need to exchange more when you arrive.
GBP, EUR and USD are all very easy to exchange once there but avoid bringing Scottish or Northern Irish Banknotes as you won’t be able to change them. There is no limit on the amount of foreign cash you can take into Morocco but carrying a large amount can be unsafe.
There is no need to get euros especially for Morocco, if you are coming from the UK, bring GPB. This could be cash or on a prepaid card or bank card.
You can exchange your pounds or euros to dirham at the airport when you land or at a Bureau de Change or hotel at your destination. Try to avoid the airport if possible as the rates are usually much worse. Make sure you keep your transaction receipt to exchange back any leftover notes.
A better option is to withdraw cash from an ATM. Using a prepaid travel card like WeSwap can help you avoid potentially high bank card fees. Prepaid cards also mean you only withdraw what you need which saves you exchanging notes back at the end.
You will find ATMs in towns and cities all over Morocco and may only struggle to locate one when you are in more rural areas.
You can use this tool to find your nearest Mastercard ATM
Popular ATMs and Banks
Pin Number - In Morocco a 4 digit pin required. Your UK or European chip and pin card should work fine.
Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in bigger shops, hotels and restaurants, especially in tourist areas. Amex is less accepted and outside of cities, you may struggle to pay with any card.
It is also common to pay a surcharge when paying with a credit card. This will depend on the establishment but is usually a few percent.
Dynamic Currency Conversion can be confusing and one wrong press on the ATM can cost you unnecessary fees. Read our article on avoiding atm fees.
WeSwap is a prepaid multi-currency card that is a safe and secure way to spend abroad. Top up your account in GBP and then use it for card payments or to withdraw cash at a flat 2% fee.
