Riding Morocco

Bringing your bike: ferries and the border

Every crossing from Europe to Morocco with your own bike, shortest first, then what happens at the port, step by step.

The crossings, by time on board

• Tarifa → Tanger Villeabout 1 h
  DFDS (FRS), Baleària, Africa Morocco Link

  DFDS says about 1 hour, the shortest crossing. Aggregators list Baleària and AML on the route; they disagree on weekly sailings (56 to 135), so freq left null. Tanger Ville is the city port, not Tanger Med.
• Algeciras → Ceutaabout 1 h 15
  Baleària

  up to 10 a day (Baleària) Ceuta is Spanish. You enter Morocco by road at the Ceuta land border, then ride on via Fnideq.
• Algeciras → Tanger Medabout 1 h 30
  DFDS (FRS), Baleària, Africa Morocco Link

  at least 11 a day (DFDS) DFDS asks you to be at the port 90 minutes before departure. Some aggregators list 30 to 60 minutes for some operators; operators' own pages say about 1h30.
• Motril → Nador5–6 h

  Booking sites list Naviera Armas on this route; operator not confirmed on an operator site. Nador port is at Beni Ansar; coordinates are those of Beni Ansar town.

• Motril → Al Hoceimaabout 5 h
  Baleària

  weekly (one listing) Baleària gives about 5 h; aggregators about 5h30. Coordinates are Al Hoceima town.
• Almería → Melilla6 h–6 h 30
  Baleària

  5 a week (Baleària) Melilla is Spanish. You enter Morocco by road at the Melilla land border (Beni Ansar).
• Málaga → Tanger Medabout 6 h
  Baleària

  1 a week (Ferryhopper) Duration and frequency from Ferryhopper; not confirmed on Baleària's own page.
• Málaga → Melillaabout 6 h 30
  Baleària, Trasmed

  Baleària says about 6h30 (ship Rusadir); Ferryhopper 6 to 7 h; NetFerry 5 h out, 8h30 back. Melilla is Spanish.
• Almería → Nadorabout 7 h 30
  Baleària

  Baleària: about 7h25 for about 95 nautical miles. Its return-page headline says 5 h, which looks like an error.
• Motril → Tanger Medabout 8 h
  Baleària

  daily (Baleària) Baleària lists a daily sailing (12:00 from Motril). NetFerry says about 7 h; Direct Ferries showed no current crossing. Check before booking.
• Barcelona → Nador27 h–30 h 30
  GNV

  GNV schedule shows 28h45; another GNV page says 27 to 30h25.
• Barcelona → Tanger Med31–37 h
  GNV

  GNV gives 31 to 37 h depending on direction.
• Sète → Nadorabout 40 h
  GNV

  GNV: direct crossing about 39h45.
• Sète → Tanger Medabout 42 h direct
  GNV

  About 48h45 with a Barcelona call. Coordinates are Sète town.
• Genoa → Tanger Med51–55 h direct
  GNV

  53 to 57 h with a technical stop in Barcelona (GNV). Aggregators give 46 to 63 h.

Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish cities: you enter Morocco at their land border, not at the port.

At the border, step by step

1. Board the ferryBe at the port with a valid ticket; DFDS asks for 90 minutes before departure. source
2. Passport checkOn crossings to Tanger Ville and Tanger Med, passport control is often done on board. The police entry/exit form (fiche) was abolished by the DGSN from 16 September 2019; at ports it stayed a little longer while a digital system was set up on ships. source
3. Register the bike at the first boothOn arrival the bike (plate, VIN, make) is entered in the Moroccan system. Riders warn that skipping the first booth can stop you taking the bike out again. FCDO: the authorities record your registration number and will not let you leave without the same vehicle. source
4. Show the registration documentHand customs the original registration (V5C, carte grise) with the temporary import details; riders report getting a small Temporary Vehicle Import Permit card in minutes. Keep it to leave. source
5. Temporary admission of the vehicleADII: a foreign-registered private vehicle may stay at most six months, continuous or split, per calendar year; it cannot be extended or sold to a resident before duties are paid. No official online declaration for tourists was found; older rider posts mention pre-filling form D16 ter. source
6. Riding a bike you do not ownCarry a power of attorney (procuration) from the owner. A 2023 customs circular accepts a non-legalised procuration for a tourism vehicle (written for Moroccans abroad; check it applies to you). source
7. InsuranceFCDO: get a green card from your insurer and carry it; insurance is checked on entry and exit. It covers Morocco only if the MA box is not struck out. If not, buy border insurance at the booths in Tanger Med: one rider paid 967 MAD for a motorcycle for one month (October 2023); a 2022 post says the office was closed on a Sunday night. source
8. LicenceFCDO: UK riders need their UK licence plus the 1968 International Driving Permit; the 1949 IDP is no longer accepted. Rules for other licences were not found in an official source. source
9. LeavingShow the insurance again and hand back or show the temporary import card; the bike must leave with you. source

On the road

• Traffic drives on the right. source
• Speed limits: 60 km/h in towns, 100 km/h outside towns including expressways, 120 km/h on motorways. Some guides cite 40 km/h in some built-up streets and 80 on secondary roads; signs rule. source
• Helmets are compulsory on motorcycles; the 2025 reform of the traffic code adds licence points and possible impoundment for not wearing one. Fine amount not found. source
• Alcohol: legal limit 0.20 g/l of blood (arrêté 2707-10, under article 183 of law 52-05). FCDO says any alcohol found brings a fine and possible prison, so ride with none. source
• On-the-spot (transactional) fines under article 219 of law 52-05: 700 MAD for 1st-class, 500 MAD for 2nd-class and 300 MAD for 3rd-class offences. source
• Police speed checks with radars are frequent; guides report police fining even small excesses. A 2026 guide gives speeding fines from 700 to 2,000 MAD. source
• Fuel on 1 November 2026: diesel about 16.90 MAD a litre, petrol about 15.50 MAD (prices vary by station; diesel is now dearer than petrol). Another report gives Casablanca mid-November at about 16.40 diesel and 14.75 petrol. source
• Motorway tolls (ADM): motorcycles pay the same class 1 toll as cars; riders' clubs asked for a lower class in 2013 and ADM refused. source
• Road conditions (FCDO): roads are poorly lit at night, with pedestrians and animals on them, so the best riding is by day; overloaded lorries overtake where there is no hard shoulder; mountain roads get hazardous in bad weather, and winter brings flash floods. source
• After an accident, fill in a constat amiable signed by both sides; blank forms at insurance booths in Tangier port and tobacconists. Carry insurance, licence and registration at all times. source
• Emergency numbers: police 19 (190 from a mobile per some sources), Royal Gendarmerie (rural roads) 177. Ambulance is given as 15 (CIA, Dutch government) or 150 (UK FCDO); SAMU 141 in another source. source