Last updated on October 15th, 2023.
It’s never great starting a post about the down side of traveling.
However, it’s real, and it happens more often than the majority of travel articles like to publicize.
That said, this is our cautionary tale about driving in Morocco, and being aware of the Moroccan police.
There have been times where I’ve seen the grittier side of police behavior while traveling, though not directly affected. The same can’t be said for our experience in Morocco.
A country full of incredible beauty and scenery, a road trip is a great way to see it all. That is, until you encounter the Moroccan police.
For first-time travelers to Morocco, it’s normal not to know how certain things work. However, after our own experience of driving in Morocco, I want to share what happened to us.
Here are 8 things to know before driving in Morocco, and knowing how to deal with the Moroccan police.
Beware the Moroccan police when driving around Morocco
Hiring a car in Morocco
Unless you know of a good rental car company in Morocco, or through word of mouth, stick to the well-known names.
There’s a certain level of trust involved going with a reputable, and globally recognized, company. And if anything goes wrong, you’ve the safety net of being able to contact a representative once you’re back home.
Listen to the locals
Before beginning our road trip around Morocco, we’d received some sound advice from a local in Marrakech.
A French national we’d met lived in Morocco and knew the country well. He’d also done plenty of road trips and was a sound person to listen to. On advising on Moroccan police if they stopped us, he made it very clear what we had to do:
‘Put MAD 200 (£16; €18; $21) in your passport and hand it to the police. If they’re dodgy, they’ll hand it back empty. If they’re straight and think you’re trying to bribe them, act innocent. Say you forgot to take the money from your passport.’
Neither I or my husband took him seriously at the time. But, we’d soon find out that he was being completely serious.
Know the real cost of the fine
We were first stopped by the police en route from Essaouira to Ait Benhaddou. It would be the first stop of four that day.
To add some context, we were 100% driving below the speed limit of 60mph. This, however, wouldn’t have made any difference.
The officer who stopped us, waved us to pull over holding something in his hand that looked like a megaphone. We later found out that it was a device to check for any speeding cars.
Polite in demeanor, he asked where we were from, and for our passport and car registration details. Taking the Frenchman’s advice, we’d already put MAD 150 (£12; €13; $16) just in case.
Following orders
The officer informed us that the usual fine was MAD 300 (£24; €27; $32). However, if we paid upfront it would be half. We’d later find out that MAD 150 was actually the standard fine.
After around 10 minutes of talking and signing some documents we were free to go. We left with our pockets a little lighter, and with them keeping the receipt. It was our first encounter with the crooked Moroccan police.
Map of Morocco
Illogical speed signs
I’ve nothing positive to write about the speed signs in Morocco.
Many that we passed were illogical and changed within a minute. On one particular road, we were following the recommended speed of 60mph.
Even with no houses in sight, we continued moving at a snail’s pace on the long dusty road.
Out of the blue, a taxi whizzed past us leaving a trail of dust behind them. Clearly, this driver was doing more than 60mph.
None of this mattered however, as we were stopped once again by the Moroccan police.
It was more frustrating the second time around as we could still see the dust clouds from the speeding taxi ahead. As the next officer began to ask us the same questions, I ended up losing my cool.
Speaking up may help
A 360° from my usual calm demeanor, I couldn’t contain my frustrations and confronted the officer.
I pointed out the clearly speeding taxi, to which he gruffly answered something incoherent all the while scowling at me.
Once he’d finished his interrogation, he gave us a warning and shooed us on our way.
It’s a man’s world
Morocco is a conservative country. Women are typically more docile and less likely to speak back, especially to male figures of authority.
Saying that, It was probably not common for a foreign woman, especially someone of color, to speak up.
Should you find yourself in the same situation when driving in Morocco go with your gut feeling.
I’m not encouraging anyone to speak back to the Moroccan police. But, there’s a part of me that thinks that speaking out saved us from getting another fine.
Stick to the highways when driving in Morocco
As much as possible, try sticking to the highways when driving in Morocco.
They’ve some great routes, like Marrakech to Essaouira, and Fes, Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech. The roads are excellent, never busy and more importantly, without any police stops.
Tranquil pay tolls
There are payment tolls, but it’s a small price to pay than having to deal with the stress of corrupt Moroccan police.
There’s one downside when driving on the highways and they come in the form of illogical speed signs. Similar to the signs on the main roads, highway road signs can change at any moment.
We remember driving at 100mph then having to quickly reduce to 80, 60 then 40 all within meters of each other.
It’s enough to make you feel like they’re trying to catch you out. That, or someone at the traffic department of Morocco is having a great laugh at the traveler’s expense.
There are some good apples
If the agenda wasn’t obvious, the majority of Moroccan police that stop you want money.
From all the times we were stopped driving around Morocco, we only met two honest police officers (a unit). They gave us a receipt, didn’t try to make funny small talk, and went through the proper procedure.
Even though we still had to pay a fine, they behaved in the correct manner, were cordial and professional.
Consider hiring a driver
Despite the many mishaps we had with the Moroccan police, we still had an enjoyable time driving in Morocco.
If we’d to do it over again, we’d likely hire a driver.
However, this option is one that also requires researching as it can be a hit or miss experience. You never know what kind of company/driver that you’re going to get.
I’m 80% sure, however, that you won’t have as many run-ins with corrupt police.
Another way of avoiding the police in Morocco altogether is to book a guided tour. You get to see the best sights of the country led by local experts who know it best.
And so over to you. Have you ever driven in Morocco, or are thinking of doing a road trip? Drop me a comment (or a rant) below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I’ve recommended. Thank you for your support.
Like this post? Pin it!
You might also like
- 10 essential tips for first-time travelers to Morocco
- 2 perfect days in Essaouira
- 7 best activities to do in Fes
ABOUT me
Welcome to my site. I'm Lisa, an Italy-based travel and lifestyle blogger behind Following the Rivera. Find out more about me and my story.
We booked a holiday in Morocco for 9 days but leaving after 3 days myself shocked and also my kids of the police abuse for crossing some line or something like that 30 minutes after we rented a car and wanted to go eat, tried to park the car. Well, left hungry and shocked and decided to leave this horrible country. I have been to Asia and Africa before, travel a lot but its the first time, Im actually scared and not just the criminals but police…never coming back here or spend another dime in such an awful place.
I’m so sorry to read about your experience. We stayed the duration of our trip and did enjoy our time in Morocco. But the dodgy police officers we encountered made our trip really difficult