So, you are finally here in Morocco, landing at the beautiful Marrakech Menara airport. There are a few things you need to know for a smooth arrival and departure.
Marrakech Menara airport in Morocco is located in Marrakech city, only 7 km from the main Jemaa el-Fnaa square, and approximately 15-20min drive.
Passport control
Upon landing, your first stop will be passport control. To avoid unnecessary delays, I advise you to walk to the passport control line faster, especially if multiple flights have arrived simultaneously.
The passport control officer will ask you for the name and address of the hotel or riad you are staying in—be ready and have it next to you. He might also ask you to show your boarding pass; the mobile version is fine.
After that, you will get one stamp for entry and another when you exit Morocco. Plus, if it’s your first time coming here, you will get an additional stamp with a special ID number.
Before entering the luggage pick-up place, another police officer will ask you to show the stamp on your passport.
Luggage pick up
If you travel with registered luggage, you can pick up your luggage from the luggage belts right after the passport control; Money exchange points and toilets are next to them. One more stop before leaving the Marrakech airport in Morocco – luggage scan.
Drones
Drones Are Banned in Morocco. If you try to enter Morocco with a drone, it will be confiscated at customs, and they will see it at the luggage scan.
SIM CARDS
That’s it. You can leave the airport, but before leaving the building, you can find Moroccan SIM card seller stands (Maroc Telecom, Inw, and Orange). I suggest buying a local SIM card and asking to activate it on the spot. You can read more about the Internet and SIM cards in Morocco in my post Stay Online in Morocco: SIM cards and Internet.
ATM’s
Close to the SIM card sellers, you can find ATMs; I often recommend that instead of changing money, you take Moroccan dirhams directly from the ATM.
TAXIS
If you need a taxi, head to the taxi ordering counter (next to the exit of arrival) and prepay the fare by card or in cash; the price is fixed depending on your destination. Then, you will receive a receipt stating the taxi number. That’s it – Head to the taxis upstairs, show the ticket and drive to your hotel. You can read more how to reach city center from Marrakech airport in my post How to get from Marrakech airport to the city center.
LEAVING FROM MARRAKECH AIRPORT
It’s advised to be at Marrakech airport 3 hours before the flight. Even if you are leaving Morocco only with hand luggage, you MUST first head to your airline check-in counter and get a stamp on your boarding pass. Then, you will need to pass the luggage scan/control and passport control.
Therefore, leave enough time and arrive at the airport early, as you can get stuck in many lines.
If you fly out of Morocco with a budget airline like Ryanair, you must check in online and print your boarding pass. This is a strange system, and it is only for Ryanair. Statement from Ryanair’s website:
“If you depart from a Moroccan airport, a digital boarding pass will not be accepted. You must carry a physical printout of your boarding pass, and you’ll need to present this boarding pass at the Moroccan airport check-in facility.”
Many other airlines don’t require printing the boarding pass, and are even allowed to check in only at the airport.
