Can foreigners buy a riad in Morocco?

Short answer: a foreigner can buy a riad in Morocco on the same terms as a Moroccan. No prior authorisation, no residency requirement. The only restriction applies to agricultural land, which rules out nothing in the medina.

It is the question we are asked most often, and the answer is simple. Moroccan law does not prevent a foreigner, resident or not, from buying urban property: a house, an apartment, a riad, a shop or a building plot. The purchase is signed before a notary or before adouls, exactly as for a Moroccan buyer.

What the law allows

• Buying in your own name, alone or with others, without being resident in Morocco.
• Buying through a Moroccan company (usually an SARL), including one wholly owned by foreigners.
• Running the property as a guesthouse or renting it out, subject to the permits required for tourist accommodation.
• Selling, and transferring the sale proceeds abroad when the purchase was funded in foreign currency.

The one real restriction: agricultural land

Agricultural land outside urban boundaries cannot be acquired by a foreign individual. This rule does not concern the Marrakech medina, which is an urban area. It can, however, apply to a property in the Palmeraie or along the Ourika road: have the notary check it for any plot outside the city.

What to settle before signing

1. The type of title

In the medina, many houses are still held under a melkia, the traditional deed drawn up by adouls, rather than a registered land title. A foreigner can buy a melkia property, but the legal certainty is not the same. Our guide on melkia and land titles explains the difference and how to convert one into the other.

2. Where the money comes from and how it travels

If you buy with money from abroad, route it through a Moroccan bank and keep the proof of its conversion into dirhams. That paperwork is what will let you take your capital back out when you sell. The notary will also check the source of funds under anti-money-laundering rules.

3. How you hold the property

Own name, joint purchase or company: the choice affects tax on rental income, resale and inheritance. Make it with a notary and an accountant before the preliminary contract, not after.

What buying does not give you

Owning property in Morocco does not, by itself, give you a right of residence. Entry and residency rules depend on your nationality and situation, regardless of the property. Likewise, inheritance of Moroccan property may follow rules different from those of your home country: ask the notary about it from the start.

Documents to prepare

• A valid passport (and residence card if you live in Morocco).
• Proof of address and, for a company, its articles and trade register extract.
• Bank statements showing the source of funds.
• A bank account in Morocco to receive the funds and pay the notary.

This guide describes the general framework in force in 2026. It does not replace advice from a notary, who alone can validate a particular situation.