Morocco has no dedicated retirement visa; most retirees enter on a long-stay (type D) visa then apply for a residence card (carte de sejour) within 90 days, showing stable pension income and health cover.
A few things to line up early:
Visa rules change often — treat this as a starting point and confirm the latest official requirements before you plan.
Remember: buying a home and gaining the right to live there are usually separate steps. See how ownership works in Morocco, and what it costs to live there in our cost-of-retiring guide.
Foreign pensions transferred to Morocco in dirhams have long enjoyed a large reduction of around an 80% abatement, and recent reforms move further toward exempting basic pension income for residents. It is a genuinely favourable regime, but confirm your own position with a local adviser.
Expats rely on private clinics in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech and Agadir, where doctors speak French and increasingly some English and care is good value; Rabat's Cheikh Zaid and Marrakech's Clinique du Sud are well regarded. Private insurance runs roughly MAD 500-1,500 (about GBP 40-120) a month depending on age. Generally safe and hospitable with a large established expat community; French is the key second language and English less so outside tourism, driving is on the right, and life is affordable and comfortable for British retirees.
Marrakech for culture and a big expat scene, Agadir for the best year-round sunshine and modern comforts, Essaouira for a breezy artistic coastal town, and Rabat for a calm, green capital.
Thinking seriously about Morocco?
Two honest Brits, a private call, and straight answers — see if a freehold home abroad is a fit for you.
See if you qualify →