Foreigners can buy, with a few exceptions
Morocco places no general restriction on property purchases by foreigners, apart from a few specific cases such as agricultural land. The only prerequisite is obtaining a Moroccan tax identification number.
The notary sits at the centre of every transaction: they verify the authenticity of the title, ensure there are no encumbrances or disputes, then draft and authenticate the deed of sale.
The steps, in order
Once the price is agreed, a certificate of ownership is requested from the ANCFCC to verify the title. Next comes the preliminary sale agreement (compromis de vente), signed before a notary with a deposit.
The notary carries out due diligence, prepares the final deed, and payment is routed through regulated banking channels. Ownership only truly transfers when the deed is registered with the land registry.
Timeline and costs
For a clean, titled urban plot, expect roughly 4 to 10 weeks from offer to final registration. A complex title or disputed boundaries can stretch this to several months.
On fees: notary around 0.5–1% of the price, legal fees 1–5% (plus VAT), and agency commission typically around 3%.
The one mistake to avoid
Buying a property with an unclear title — and only discovering it when you try to sell — is the single biggest risk for a foreign buyer. The most effective protection is to make payment conditional on a clean title being issued, or to require a bank guarantee.
At Mandala, every property goes through this verification before it is even published.