A trade agreement does not lower your duties automatically. To pay a preferential rate, your goods must originate in a partner country under that agreement’s rules — and you must be able to prove it at clearance. Get this right and the saving can be the whole customs duty. Get it wrong and you pay the full rate, or face a recovery claim later.
Morocco’s main trade agreements
| Agreement | Partners | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| Association Agreement | European Union | Signed 1996, in force 1 March 2000; free trade area for industrial goods completed in 2012 |
| Free Trade Agreement | EFTA (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) | In force since 1999 |
| Free Trade Agreement | United States | In force since 1 January 2006 |
| Free Trade Agreement | Turkey | In force since 2006 |
| Agadir Agreement | Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia | Signed 2004, implemented from 2007, with diagonal cumulation |
| Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) | Arab League members | In force since 2005 |
| Association Agreement | United Kingdom | Applies since 1 January 2021, after Brexit |
| African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) | African Union members | Signed 2018, in force since 2019 |
Morocco also has agreements with the United Arab Emirates and other partners, and has been a WTO member since 1995.
What "origin" means
Origin is not the country the goods were shipped from, nor the nationality of the seller. Each agreement contains rules of origin that define when a product counts as originating: either wholly obtained in the partner country, or sufficiently processed there (for example, a change of tariff heading or a maximum share of non-originating materials). A product made in China and resold by a distributor in Spain is not of EU origin.
The proof of origin
- EU, EFTA, Turkey and other pan-Euro-Mediterranean partners: generally a movement certificate EUR.1 or, for smaller consignments or approved exporters, an origin declaration on the invoice.
- United States: the agreement relies on the importer’s claim based on the exporter’s knowledge and supporting documents rather than a certificate stamped by an authority.
- Agadir, GAFTA, AfCFTA: certificates of origin under each agreement’s own model.
Moroccan customs has digitalised requests for certificates of origin for exporters, which reduces the paperwork on the Moroccan side.
Direct transport: the trap with transshipment
Most agreements require goods to be transported directly between the partner countries, or through a third country only under customs control without further processing. If your goods are unpacked, relabelled or stored outside customs control on the way, the preference can be lost. Keep the through bill of lading or transit documents.
Practical checklist for importers
- Ask your supplier, at the quotation stage, whether the goods qualify for preferential origin under the relevant agreement.
- Get the proof of origin issued before shipment and check it against the invoice (description, quantities, invoice number).
- Compare the preferential rate with the normal rate for your HS code to measure the saving.
- Keep the documents: customs can verify origin after clearance.
We can check this for you
Our customs team verifies origin documents before arrival and applies the preferential rate when the conditions are met. For exporters, we help prepare the certificates your buyers need. Send us your shipment details.
