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Written Agreements

According to Morocco's Labor Code, indefinite-term employment contracts don't need to be in writing. Fixed-term contracts must be drawn up in writing, clearly specifying their end date or project completion condition. If the employment contract is concluded in writing, it must be drawn up in two copies, signed by the employee and the employer, and validated by the competent authority.

A written contract must specify the notice period and probationary period. Employers are also required to provide a written statement to employees at the time of hiring that includes information on working time, weekly rests, wages, etc.

While the Labor Code of Morocco does not include any provisions on non-competition clauses applicable after termination of employment, the Court of Cassation has maintained that non-competition clauses can be included in employment contracts if they are justified by the requirement to protect the employer’s interest and are limited in terms of time, geographical area, and scope of activity. Proving a violation of the agreed-upon non-competition clause makes the employee liable to their employer for the damage caused to them as a result of unfair competition. Employers can compensate the employee during the period of restriction.

Oral Agreements

Employment agreements do not need to be in writing to be considered valid. Employment contracts for an indefinite term may be verbal or tacit. The existence of an employment contract can be proved by any means. In the absence of a written contract, employers must provide their employees with a written statement containing job particulars (working hours, weekly rests, wage payment) at the time of hiring.

Implied Agreements

Employment agreements do not need to be in writing to be considered valid. Employment contracts for an indefinite term may be verbal or tacit. The existence of an employment contract can be proved by any means. In the absence of a written contract, employers must provide their employees with a written statement containing job particulars (working hours, weekly rests, wage payment) at the time of hiring.

The Labor Code of Morocco stipulates that the regular hours of work must not exceed 10 hours per day. When employees are needed during periods of unusual activity or intermittent work, the workday can temporarily be extended to 12 hours. There are 44 hours in a workweek (typically 2,288 hours per year) for non-agricultural activities. For agricultural activities, the regular number of hours worked annually is 2,496.

If work is stopped collectively or partly due to an accident or force majeure, daily working hours may be extended to make up for the lost work hours. However, before doing so, employees and trade union representatives (if applicable) must be consulted. It is prohibited to work for more than 30 days in a year to make up for lost hours. Extensions cannot exceed 1 hour per day.

New Year’s Day (January 1), Anniversary of the Independence Manifesto (January 11), Labor Day (May 1), Feast of the Throne (July 30), Anniversary of the Recovery Oued Ed-Dahab (August 14), Anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People (August 20), Youth Day (August 21), Anniversary of the Green March (November 6), Independence Day (November 18), Eid Al-Fitr (date may vary), Eid Al-Adha (date may vary), Hijra New Year (date may vary), Eid Al-Mawlid Annabawi (date may vary).

The length of the probationary period varies according to the type of contract and depends on the category of employees.

For contracts of an indefinite duration:

• Executives - 3 months
• Regular employees - 1.5 months
• Other workers - 15 days

For fixed-term contracts:

• 1 day per workweek up to 2 weeks for contracts of less than 6 months
• 1 month for contracts of more than 6 months.

During probationary period, any party can terminate the employment contract of their own free will without notice or compensation. However, if an employee has worked for a week, and unless the employee committed a serious mistake, the employer has to give a notice of 2 days for daily wage earners and 8 days for monthly wage earners before terminating the employment contract.

Notice Period

After the first week of employment, a notice period is required to terminate the employment contract. If the employee is paid by the day/week/fortnight, only 2 days' notice is required. If the employee is paid monthly, then 8 days' notice is required. When the employee is dismissed after the probationary period's expiry without serious misconduct, the notice period must be at least 8 days.

Termination without notice or before the term of expiry leads to compensation from the responsible party.

Employees are entitled to a daily break of up to 2 hours per day, not exceeding 8 hours per week, during their notice period to search for another job.

Severance Benefits

A permanent employee who has worked for at least 6 months is entitled to receive severance pay upon their dismissal as follows:

• 96 hours of salary for the first five years of service
• 144 hours of salary for the seniority period between the sixth and tenth year
• 192 hours of salary from 11th to 15th year of service
• 240 hours of salary for the service period exceeding 15 years.

Severance pay is increased by 100% for a trade union representative dismissed during their tenure. Employees dismissed for disciplinary issues are not entitled to any severance pay.

Minimum Wage

Morocco's Labor Code sets the minimum wage for different categories of employees. Current minimum wage levels are the following:

• MAD 4,500 (Moroccan dirhams) per month for public sector employees
• MAD 3,046.77 per month for private-sector employees (to be increased by 5% from January 2026)
• MAD 2,255.27 per month for agricultural workers (to be increased by 5% from April 2026)

Wages for domestic workers cannot be less than 60% of the minimum wage for private-sector employees.

Overtime, Holiday & Vacation Pay

Work time exceeding 10 hours per day is counted towards overtime. The maximum number of working hours in a day is 12 hours. Employees earn a salary increase for overtime hours worked according to the following schedule:

• Overtime worked from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM (non-agricultural activities), or 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM (agricultural activities) is reimbursed at an increase of 25%.
• Overtime worked from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM (non-agricultural activities) or 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM (agricultural activities) is reimbursed at an increase of 50%.
• Overtime worked on a weekly rest day is reimbursed at an increase of between 50-100%, even if the rest hours are compensated.

All employees working on a public holiday in Morocco are entitled to 200% of their salary on that day. They may also choose to take a compensatory day off instead. Employees receive their usual wages while on annual leave.

Visas

Morocco offers the following types of visas to visitors:

• Short validity visa - This visa allows a foreign national to enter Morocco for purposes other than immigration. It allows a short uninterrupted stay or several short stays (in the case of multiple entries). It is valid for 90 days.
• Long validity visa - This visa allows a person to stay in Morocco for more than 3 months.
• Transit visa - This visa allows a foreign national traveling to another country to cross Morocco's territory. It can be issued for 1 or 2 transits where each transit's duration does not exceed 72 hours.

Work Permits

Every employer that wants to employ a foreign employee in Morocco must obtain a work visa from the Migrant Employment Service of the Employment Directorate of the Moroccan Ministry of Employment. A work visa is issued for one year but is extendable for an additional one or two years. In addition to this visa, employees also require a residence permit from the Ministry of Civil Service and Administration Modernization.