Buying in Marrakech
Buying a riad in Marrakech
Yes, a foreigner can buy a riad in Marrakech, with no prior authorisation and no residence permit. The real obstacles lie elsewhere: the property title regime, the traceability of the payment, and the declaration to the Office des Changes within 6 months, which governs your ability to take the money out again when you sell.
- →Registration duty on a built home: 4 % of the price, plus land registry fees and the notary fee.
- →Since 1 July 2026, a 2 % surcharge applies to sales above 300,000 MAD where the payment is not documented in the deed.
- →The number one trap in the medina is not the price, it is the title: many riads are sold with no land title, on a simple melkia.
- →We sell no property and take no commission on a sale. We wrote this because we are asked the question every week.
Every figure carries its official source and date · Verified on
Purchase cost calculator
Price, type of property, payment method: the tool applies the registry rates and shows an honest range rather than a fake total down to the dirham.
Open the calculator →The file, page by page
Buying
Buying as a foreigner
Residential property, farmland, financing, company structures, residence permits: what Moroccan law actually allows.
→Buying
Purchase costs: the real breakdown
Registration duty, land registry, notary, and the July 2026 surcharge on untraceable payments.
→Buying
Titre foncier or melkia
The number one medina trap: what sets a titre foncier apart from a melkia, and how to check before signing.
→Buying
Moving your money: Office des Changes
Getting your money into Morocco to buy, and being able to take it out again one day: the convertibility regime explained with its official sources.
→Buying
Mistakes to avoid when buying
Untraceable payments, an untitled melkia, unresolved inheritance shares, funds handed to an intermediary: the real pitfalls of buying a riad, with their sources.
→Why a riad collection writes about buying
We manage riads and apartments in Marrakech for their owners, directly. We are not an estate agency, we take no commission on a transaction and we have nothing to sell you on this page.
Our guests, though, have been asking us the same thing for years: what does a riad really cost, and what can go wrong. The pages answering that online copy figures from each other, often out of date and never sourced. We preferred to go and read the texts.
Where we could not verify something, we say so instead of filling the gap. That reads less comfortably than a neat round total, but it is the only honest way to treat a subject where a mistake costs tens of thousands of dirhams.
Stay there before you decide
The best way to know whether a neighbourhood suits you is to sleep in it. Our houses are booked directly, with no platform commission.
Évasion Chic, Appartement au Cœur de la Ville
📍 Hivernage, Marrakech 40000
Chic, comfortable one-bedroom in a central pool residence, ideal for couples, city breaks and business stays
Vue d'Exception & Jacuzzi, Majorelle
📍 Quartier Majorelle, Gueliz, Marrakech 40000
Top-floor 130m² apartment with private terrace jacuzzi and uninterrupted views over the Majorelle gardens
⭐ Top pick Riad Dar Maureen
📍 Medina, Marrakech 40000
Private-pool riad deep in the Medina, Superhost rated 4.92
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner buy a riad in Marrakech? +
Yes. A non-resident foreigner buying residential property needs no prior authorisation and no residence permit. The known restriction concerns agricultural land, which falls under a separate regime. Buying grants no right of residence, though: beyond ninety days in the country a residence permit is still required and is applied for separately.
What are the purchase costs of a riad in Marrakech? +
For a built home, registration duty is 4 % of the price. Land registry fees and the notary fee come on top. Since 1 July 2026, an additional 2 % duty applies to sales above 300,000 MAD where the payment is not documented in the deed. Our calculator breaks down each item with its source.
Does My Kasbah sell riads? +
No. My Kasbah is a collection of riads and apartments in Marrakech bookable directly from their owners. We are not an estate agency, we market no property for sale and we take no transaction commission. This file is an information resource, not a sales listing.
A question about a Marrakech neighbourhood?
We know the medina, Gueliz and Hivernage because we work there every day. For a question about the ground, write to us. For a legal question, see a notary.
Message us on WhatsApp