Moving Pets to Morocco

How to Arrange Pet Travel to Morocco

If you're moving with pets to Morocco, it helps to be prepared for the slower pace of the culture. While some of the ways of doing business can be frustrating, ultimately having accurate expectations can make for a smoother transition for both you and your pets.

What airlines fly pets to Morocco?

Currently the only pet-safe airline that can provide pet shipments into Morocco is Lufthansa Airlines. Lufthansa's hub, the airport Animal Lounge, is in Frankfurt, so all pets going to Casablanca must first transit through Germany. The main port of entry in Morocco is Casablanca (airport code: CMN).

Customs clearance in Casablanca is a relatively jumbled affair, as customs officials are not always available to immediately clear incoming animals. To compensate for this, Moroccan officials state that a 48-hour “quarantine period” is sometimes imposed, when in actuality, it’s typically a matter of customs taking that amount of time to clear the pets.

During our past pet relocations to Morocco, we have been able to lift that waiting period and pets can usually be cleared the day they arrive, but it is always wise be aware that a potential 48-hour wait after the flight lands might be in the cards.

A power of attorney is needed if you are working with a customs agent in Morocco to clear your pets (which we highly recommend). For our clients, the power of attorney is put together by our agent in Morocco upon a pet’s arrival at CMN and this power of attorney needs to be signed by the owner of the pet. This means that the pet owner must physically be present in Morocco at the time of their pet’s arrival and be available to sign the power of attorney when our agent contacts them. The power of attorney is not necessarily ready right when the pet lands, so the pet owner needs to be fairly flexible in their times of availability. Flights into Casablanca typically arrive late at night, so customs clearance usually doesn’t begin until the following morning.

What is required to import pets to Morocco (from the United States)?

The pet import requirements for Morocco are fairly straightforward. Your pet will need:

• ISO-Compatible Microchip
• Rabies Vaccination - at least 4 weeks old from the date of departure. It can be a 1, 2 or 3 year vaccine but it must be current (i.e. it should not have expired).
• Current Annual Vaccinations:
  • Dogs: DHLP or DHLPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo, Leptospirosis)
  • Cats: FVRCP
• Import Permit - Obtained from the Government of Veterinary Services in Morocco (requires a current residential address, ID, rabies certificate and vaccination record)
• International Health Certificate - Form 7001 (endorsed by the USDA)