Setting up a company in Morocco goes through the Regional Investment Centre (CRI), which brings the formalities together in one place, or through the online company formation platform. The administrative route has become quick: a few days for a standard SARL.
The real choice comes earlier, in the legal status. The auto-entrepreneur scheme is free, requires no capital and has flat-rate taxation – but it is capped by turnover and has no separate legal personality. The SARL protects your personal assets and reassures large corporate clients, at the price of real accounting and reporting obligations.
Documents required
- Negative certificateReserves the company name with the OMPIC
- Signed articles of associationDrafted and legalised
- CNIE of the partnersOr passport for foreign partners
- Tenancy agreement or domiciliation contractProof of the registered office
- Certificate of blocked capitalIssued by the bank, depending on the amount
- Single CRI formBrings together every registration application
The procedure, step by step
- Choose the legal status
Auto-entrepreneur to test an activity; SARL as soon as there is a partner, an investment or institutional clients.
- Obtain the negative certificate
It reserves the name with the OMPIC and is valid only for a limited time.
- Draft and legalise the articles of association
Corporate purpose, capital, management, distribution of shares.
- Pay in the capital
Into a blocked account if the amount requires it; the bank certificate goes into the file.
- Submit the file to the CRI
Entry in the trade register, tax identifier, CNSS affiliation and business tax, all at once.
- Complete the post-formation formalities
Publication in a legal announcements journal and in the Official Bulletin, opening of the definitive account, setting up the accounts.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Drafting too narrow a corporate purpose: every extension of the activity will mean a paid amendment to the articles of association.
- Letting the negative certificate expire and having to start all over again.
- Choosing the auto-entrepreneur status while ignoring the turnover ceiling: exceeding it switches you to another regime part-way through the year.
- Forgetting the reporting obligations after formation. A company with no activity still has to file its returns, failing which penalties build up quietly.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Moroccan living abroad set up a company in Morocco?
Yes, without restriction for most activities. A contribution made in foreign currency and properly declared also opens the right to repatriate dividends and the proceeds of a future sale - a point to settle when the company is formed.
Is there a minimum capital for a SARL?
The legal minimum capital has been abolished and the amount is set freely in the articles of association. In practice, a token capital undermines your credibility with banks and with clients.
Can everything be done online?
The national company formation platform covers most of the route. Some steps - legalising the articles of association, paying in the capital - still involve attending in person, unless you appoint a representative.
Last updated: January 2026 · Indicative estimate - check with the relevant administration.