In short: Speed limits in Morocco are 60 km/h in towns, 100 km/h on main roads and 120 km/h on motorways, unless a sign says less. Fixed and mobile radars are frequent on the airport road, on the first 30 km out of Marrakech towards Essaouira and Ouarzazate, on the A7 motorway and at the entrance of towns such as Chichaoua, Aït Ourir, Tahanaout and Tnine Ourika. Police or gendarmerie checkpoints at town entrances are a normal part of driving: slow down, stop if an officer raises a hand, greet, show your driving licence and the rental contract, and the stop lasts under a minute. Fines for the usual tourist offence, moderate speeding, are paid on the spot in dirhams against an official receipt that you keep; a fixed-radar fine notified later to the car’s owner is deducted from the €800 deposit with the notice as proof. Seat belts, no phone in hand and zero alcohol are the other rules checked.
Speed limits in Morocco are 60 km/h in towns, 100 km/h on main roads and 120 km/h on motorways, radars are frequent on the roads out of Marrakech, and police or gendarmerie checkpoints at the entrance of every town are a normal part of driving. Fines for the usual tourist offence, moderate speeding, are paid on the spot against an official receipt. This guide explains the limits road by road, where the radars stand on each route from Marrakech, exactly what happens at a checkpoint, how fines work during a rental, the other rules officers check, and the few habits that make all of it a thirty-second formality.
Speed limits
| Road | Limit | Where you will meet it |
|---|---|---|
| In towns and villages | 60 km/h (often 40 or 30 near schools and markets) | Marrakech, every village on the Essaouira and Ourika roads |
| Main roads (national and regional) | 100 km/h | N8 to Essaouira, N9 to Ouarzazate, P2017 to Ourika |
| Motorways | 120 km/h | A7 to Casablanca and Agadir |
| Works, tunnels, rain | As signed, often 80 or 60 | The Atlas tunnel on the Agadir motorway, roadworks on the N9 |
Limits drop sharply at the entrance of towns, and that is where the radars stand. The rule that keeps you out of trouble: when houses appear, you are at 60. All our cars have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Google Maps or Waze shows the limit of the road you are on; it is a help, not a guarantee, and the signs win.
Where the radars are
- The airport road and avenue Mohammed VI in Marrakech.
- The first 30 km of the road to Essaouira and of the road to Ouarzazate, on the flat sections.
- The A7 motorway, both directions, with mobile units near the toll plazas and fixed cameras on the straights.
- Entrances of Chichaoua, Aït Ourir, Tahanaout and Tnine Ourika.
Fixed radars flash and the notice reaches the car’s owner later; during a rental, that fine is deducted from your €800 deposit with the notice as proof. Mobile radars are operated by officers who stop you a few hundred metres further on.
| Route from Marrakech | Where to be careful | Limit there |
|---|---|---|
| Airport road, avenue Mohammed VI | Whole length, day and night | 60 km/h |
| N8 to Essaouira | First 30 km after the ring road; entrance of Chichaoua; every village | 100 on the open road, 60 in villages |
| N9 to Ouarzazate | First 30 km; entrance of Aït Ourir; roadworks on the pass | 100, then as signed |
| A7 to Casablanca | Straights, approaches to toll plazas | 120, lower at the plazas |
| A7 to Agadir | Straights, the Atlas tunnel, toll plazas | 120, 80 or 60 as signed |
| P2017 to Ourika | Entrances of Tahanaout road junction and Tnine Ourika | 100, 60 in villages |
| Routes to Imlil and Agafay | Tahanaout; village entrances | 60 in villages |
Checkpoints: what to do
- Slow down when you see the cones, the vehicle or the officers, usually at the town entrance.
- If an officer raises a hand or points, stop on the side, window down, engine on, hands visible.
- Greet (“bonjour”, “salam”), hand over your driving licence and the rental contract when asked. Have them within reach, not in the boot.
- Most stops end there. If you were speeding, the officer shows the reading and the fine.
Officers are used to tourists and generally speak French; English is common near Marrakech and Agadir. Be polite and unhurried; it is a formality. If no one signals you, drive through slowly: a checkpoint is not a compulsory stop unless an officer asks.
| Document | Asked | Where to keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Driving licence (physical card) | Almost always | On you |
| Rental contract | Often | Glovebox, from delivery to return |
| Car registration and insurance papers | Sometimes | In the car, handed over at delivery |
| Passport or ID | Rarely | On you; a copy is usually accepted |
Fines
Road fines in Morocco are set by law in classes according to the offence; moderate speeding, seat belt, phone at the wheel and stop-sign offences are the ones visitors meet. They are paid on the spot in dirhams against an official receipt that shows the offence and the amount. Always ask for the receipt and keep it: it proves the fine is settled, so nothing is deducted from your deposit for it later. Serious offences (heavy speeding, alcohol, no licence) involve the court and the car being held; they are rare for visitors and entirely avoidable.
| How the fine reaches you | Who pays and when | Effect on the deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Stopped by an officer (mobile radar, seat belt, phone, stop sign) | You, on the spot, in dirhams, against an official receipt | None if you keep the receipt |
| Fixed radar, notice sent later to the car’s owner | Deducted from the €800 deposit, notice sent to you | The amount of the fine only |
| Parking on a yellow line or blocking a gate, car towed | Fine plus the tow, deducted from the deposit | The two amounts; call us first to recover the car |
| Serious offence | Court procedure, car may be held | Rare; avoid entirely |
Other rules that get checked
- Seat belts front and rear.
- No phone in hand; a cradle and hands-free are fine. CarPlay and Android Auto in our cars put the map on the screen.
- Zero alcohol at the wheel.
- Children in appropriate seats; the baby seat is free with our rentals, ask for it when booking. See family car rental.
- Headlights on in tunnels and at night; in rain, slow down, the first minutes make the tarmac slippery.
- Overtaking only where the line allows it and with full visibility; on the Tizi n’Tichka, not between Taddert and the pass.
Police or gendarmerie: who stops you where
In towns, the checkpoints are run by the police (Sûreté nationale), in dark blue; outside towns and on the motorways, by the Royal Gendarmerie, in green or khaki. The procedure is the same for both: a signal, a greeting, the licence and the contract, and in most cases a wave to continue. The emergency numbers differ, 19 for the police in towns and 177 for the gendarmerie outside, and both are on the contract you receive at delivery. Officers near Marrakech, Essaouira and Agadir see hundreds of rental cars a week; a foreign licence and a rental contract are the most ordinary documents they handle.
A stop, minute by minute
- Two hundred metres before: cones, a parked vehicle, two or three officers on the roadside. You brake gently to the limit of the place, usually 60 or 40.
- At the officers: one of them looks at the car; if the hand goes up or points to the side, you pull over and lower the window. If not, you pass at walking pace.
- Window down: “bonjour”. The officer asks for the licence, sometimes the contract. You hand both; he reads the name, checks the plate against the contract, hands them back.
- If a radar reading is involved: he shows you the display with the speed and the place, states the class of the offence and the amount, you pay in dirhams and receive the official receipt. Ask for it if it is not offered; keep it in the glovebox.
- Thirty seconds to two minutes, and you are back on the road.
Families, groups and second drivers
- Officers look at seat belts in the back as well as the front, and at children’s seats. The baby or booster seat we fit is free on request when booking; give us the child’s age.
- If the second driver is at the wheel, his or her licence must be in the car and the name on the contract: tell us at delivery, it is free.
- Pets travel in the back; a carrier or a harness avoids a remark.
- Luggage must not block the rear window or exceed the roof; a roof box is not available on our cars.
Two things that do not exist
There is no “tourist fee” at a checkpoint and no fine without a receipt. If an amount is requested, it is a fine of a legal class with an official receipt that shows the offence; ask for the receipt every time, and the exchange stays correct on both sides. Likewise there is no fine for driving a rental car with a foreign licence: licences in Latin characters from the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and most countries are accepted for visitors without an international permit, as explained in driving licences in Morocco.
Motorway tolls and the plazas
The A7 to Casablanca and Agadir is a toll motorway: take a ticket at the entry plaza and pay at the exit, by card or cash. The plazas are where mobile radars often stand, because everyone slows down and then accelerates again; keep to the signed limit for a kilometre on either side. Rest areas with fuel and cafés come every 40 to 60 km; see fuel in Morocco for the stations route by route.
Night, rain and the pass
- Night: checkpoints are still there, often with a torch. Lower your speed earlier, switch to dipped beam when you see them, keep the interior light off until you stop.
- Rain: rare but sudden, especially in autumn and spring; the first minutes are slippery and the limits may be lowered by temporary signs.
- Tizi n’Tichka in winter: gendarmerie posts at Taddert and on the southern side turn cars back when the pass is closed by snow; the closure lasts a few hours. See Marrakech to Ouarzazate.
Five habits that make every stop a formality
- Licence on you, contract in the glovebox, from the moment our agent hands over the car.
- When houses appear, you are at 60; on the airport road, always.
- Slow down at every plaza and every town entrance before you see anything.
- Seat belts for everyone, phone in the cradle, no alcohol.
- If stopped, greet first; if fined, pay against a receipt and keep it.
If you get a fine during the rental
Paid on the spot with a receipt: nothing else to do, keep the receipt until the end of the rental. Received later by post to the car’s owner (fixed radar): we deduct the amount from the deposit and send you the notice. That is the only case where the deposit is used for a fine. Full conditions on the rental conditions page, more on the roads themselves in is it safe to drive in Morocco, and where to leave the car legally in parking in Marrakech.
Frequently asked questions
What is the speed limit on Moroccan motorways?
120 km/h, with lower limits signed in the Atlas tunnel, at toll plazas and in roadworks.
Are there many police checkpoints in Morocco?
Yes, at the entrance of most towns and on main roads. They are routine and take under a minute if you have licence and contract at hand.
How are speeding fines paid?
On the spot in dirhams against an official receipt. Keep it. Fixed-radar fines received later are deducted from the deposit with the notice as proof.
Can I refuse to pay a fine on the spot?
You can contest, but the car may then be held pending the procedure. For a genuine offence, paying against a receipt is the practical choice.
Is there a tolerance above the limit?
Do not count on it. Radars at town entrances are set close to the posted limit.
Do I have to stop at every checkpoint?
Only if an officer signals you. Otherwise slow down and drive through.
Can I pay a fine by card?
On-the-spot fines are paid in dirhams in cash against a receipt; keep some cash in the car.
What happens to a fixed-radar fine after my rental?
The notice reaches us as the car’s owner; we deduct the amount from your €800 deposit and send you the notice. Nothing else is charged.
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