Moving Pets to Morocco

Moving Pets to Morocco: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Moving to Morocco with a dog or cat is manageable, but it requires more coordination than many destinations — particularly around the import permit, health certificate timing, and customs clearance process in Casablanca. Here is a practical overview of what is involved.

Getting Your Pet to Morocco: Routing and Airline Considerations

The main port of entry for pets arriving in Morocco is Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN). Routing options from the US vary depending on available pet-safe cargo programs at the time of your move. If your routing includes a transit through any European Union country — Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, or similar — your pet will need an EU transit health certificate in addition to the standard health certificate for Morocco. The transit certificate follows the same format as if the EU country were the final destination, so it adds a preparation step that affects both your timeline and your vet's paperwork load.

PetRelocation selects routing based on what is available and appropriate at the time of booking. Reach out to discuss what makes sense for your specific move.

Customs Clearance in Casablanca

Customs clearance in Casablanca is one of the more involved parts of this move. Officials are not always available to clear incoming animals immediately, and a waiting period of up to 48 hours after landing is possible — not a formal quarantine in the medical sense, but a practical reality of how customs processing works at CMN. In our experience handling Morocco relocations, we have frequently been able to clear pets the day they arrive, but you should build flexibility into your plans rather than counting on same-day release.

Working through a local customs agent is strongly recommended. If you are using an agent, a power of attorney is required. For our clients, this is prepared by our Morocco-based agent upon the pet's arrival at CMN. The document needs to be signed by the pet owner, which means the owner must be physically present in Morocco at the time of arrival and available to sign when the agent makes contact — timing which is not always predictable. Flights into Casablanca typically land late at night, so clearance usually begins the following morning.

What Morocco Requires for Pet Import

The following requirements apply to dogs and cats traveling from the United States. All steps must be completed in the US before travel.

ISO-compatible microchip — must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. If implanted after, the vaccination does not count for travel purposes.
Rabies vaccination — must be current and administered after the microchip. Verify exact timing requirements with your USDA-accredited veterinarian against the current APHIS health certificate for Morocco, as timing windows are specific.
Core vaccinations:
- Dogs: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo, Parvovirus)
- Cats: FVRCP
Import permit — obtained from the Government of Veterinary Services in Morocco before travel. Requires a current residential address in Morocco, valid ID, rabies certificate, and vaccination records.
International Health Certificate — issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian within 5 business days of export. Must be endorsed by APHIS within 3 calendar days of export. A final physical exam (the Addendum, page 4) must be completed by the same veterinarian within 24 hours of departure. The certificate is only valid when all four pages are complete and only for 3 calendar days after APHIS endorsement. All four steps must be coordinated carefully.

If You Plan to Return to the US with Your Dog

Morocco is classified as a high-risk country for dog rabies under CDC regulations. If there is any possibility you will return to the US with your dog, the Certification of US-Issued Rabies Vaccination form must be completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA before your dog leaves the United States. This form cannot be issued retroactively. Dogs returning from high-risk countries without this documentation face serious re-entry complications. This applies to US-vaccinated dogs — plan ahead before departure, not after you are already in Morocco.

Cats are not subject to CDC import requirements and are not affected by Morocco's high-risk classification on the return trip.

Planning Timeline

Between the import permit application, vaccination sequencing, health certificate timing, and APHIS endorsement process, Morocco moves require more lead time than most. Start the process at least 8–12 weeks before your intended travel date, earlier if your pet does not yet have a current rabies vaccination or microchip.

Moving Pets to Morocco