On a map, Morocco looks like it should be a quick drive. Cross the Strait, head up through Spain and France, and you are at the Channel. So people are often surprised that we treat it as a sea route. The reason is customs: Morocco is outside the EU, and a car leaving it is an export, wherever it goes next.
That sounds like a complication. In practice it just means doing things in the right order. This guide covers the route, the paperwork, the work at our end and the tax.
- Port
- Tanger Med
- Guide shipping price
- From £3,575
- Transit time
- Usually 4 to 8 weeks
- Steering
- Left-hand drive
- Import tax
- 20% VAT + 10% duty
Shipping from Tanger Med
Our route from Morocco runs from Tanger Med, the port complex on the Strait of Gibraltar about 40 km north-east of Tangier. It is run by the Tanger Med Port Authority and has container terminals, dedicated vehicle terminals and a separate passenger and RoRo port. The old city port, Tanger Ville, now handles cruise ships, pleasure craft and fishing boats, so cars go from Tanger Med. There is more on our Tanger Med port page.
We collect from your address or dealer in Morocco and truck the car to the port. Depending on its value, we quote for open or enclosed transport, so say on the quote form if you want enclosed.
Container or RoRo
Cars from Morocco travel in a shared container, a dedicated container or by RoRo. A shared container splits the cost with other customers' cars. A dedicated container is yours alone. RoRo means the car is driven on and off the ship, so it has to run.
A container keeps the car sealed for the voyage, and it comes to our yard to be unloaded by our own team. Our guide to container, RoRo or air covers the trade-offs.
Our published band for this route is usually 4 to 8 weeks, and your quote gives a realistic estimate for the sailing your car is booked on. Your normal car insurance will not cover the car at sea, so we recommend our marine insurance, which covers it up to its full value if it is damaged or lost in transit.
What about driving it through Spain
Some people would rather put the car on a ferry across the Strait and bring it up through Europe by road. In some cases that may be possible, but it is not our standard route. The car would cross into the EU at Spain, so it deals with EU customs on the way as well as UK customs at the end.
If that is what you have in mind, ask us before you book anything, and we will tell you whether it makes sense for your car. Our guide to importing a car from Europe covers how the road side works once a car is in the EU.
Leaving Morocco
A Moroccan car needs clearing for export and its registration dealing with before it sails. The steps depend on the car and your situation, so we confirm what applies when we quote.
There is one trap worth knowing about if you drove a car into Morocco from abroad. UK government travel advice says the authorities record your registration number when you drive in, and anyone who tries to leave without the same vehicle will be detained and refused exit. So if you are hoping to fly home and ship the car after you, talk to us first, before you plan around it.
Your Morocco paperwork
0 of 5 done
From Tanger Med to your drive
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Before it sails
Collection and export
We collect the car, take it to Tanger Med and get it loaded, by container or RoRo.
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4 to 8 weeks
At sea
The car sails out through the Strait and north to the UK.
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On arrival
Customs
As HMRC CDS authorised agents, we make the customs entry ourselves.
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At our site
Changes and testing
Our team makes the left-hand drive changes and tests the car on our own IVA or MOT lane.
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Within 10 working days
Registration
Our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register the car and fit your UK plates.
Left-hand drive changes
Morocco drives on the right, so its cars are left-hand drive. That is fine for UK roads once the car is registered, after a few changes:
- Headlights adjusted or replaced so they dip for driving on the left
- A speedometer reading in mph, on cars under 10 years old
- A rear fog light, where the car does not have a suitable one
Our guides to left-hand drive cars in the UK and speedometer and headlight conversions explain the work.
A car under 10 years old then takes an IVA test. A car between 10 and 40 years old takes an MOT, and a car over 40 years old needs no MOT. Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and we run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, with the DVSA visiting weekly, so the car is changed and tested on one site. The IVA test explained guide covers the test.
Import tax from Morocco
Morocco is outside the EU, so a car bought there normally pays 20% import VAT and 10% import duty. Both are worked out on the price of the car plus the transport, with VAT on top of the duty. If the invoice is more than 3 months old, a recent valuation is used instead.
A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. If you are moving to the UK after more than 12 months abroad, with a car you have owned for more than 6, Transfer of Residence can make it tax and duty free, with HMRC approval before the car arrives. A car that was registered in the UK before may also come back tax free with its UK purchase invoice and old V5C, as our guide to bringing a UK car back home explains.
Keep the old UK paperwork. If the car started life in the UK, the original purchase invoice and V5C are what make a tax-free return possible. Find them before the car goes to the port.
What it costs
Morocco falls under our rest-of-world guide rather than Europe. As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping starts from around £3,575. That is shipping only. It excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work. Your quote prices your actual car and route.
See our shipping costs page for how the figures are built, or the Morocco country page. If the car is just across the water in Gibraltar instead, our guide to shipping a car from Gibraltar covers that route.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to ship a car from Morocco to the UK?
Our published band is usually 4 to 8 weeks, and your quote gives an estimate for the actual sailing. Registration is within 10 working days once the car has passed its test.
Which port do cars ship from in Morocco?
Tanger Med, on the Strait of Gibraltar north-east of Tangier. The old Tangier city port no longer handles cars.
Can I drive my car from Morocco to the UK through Spain?
Possibly, but it is not our standard route. The car would enter the EU at Spain and deal with EU customs as well as UK customs, so ask us before you plan it.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Morocco to the UK?
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping from the rest of the world starts from around £3,575. That excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work.
Do I pay import tax on a car from Morocco?
Usually 20% import VAT and 10% duty, because Morocco is outside the EU. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty, and Transfer of Residence can make it tax free.
Send us the car's details on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from Morocco to your drive.
