We entered Morocco in December 2024 to stay a few months to travel around. Here you’ll find which Moroccan SIM card to buy, how to get one at a shop, and how to set up an eSIM before you arrive so you’re never offline or lost.

Which SIM Card in Morocco Should I Choose?

Inwi. If you’re one person traveling to Morocco, want to get a Moroccan SIM card quickly, and don’t want to deal with too much hassle topping it up, Inwi is the best SIM card. You get a little more data for the same price as the other providers. If you’re arriving by airplane at Fes, Marrakech, or other major airports, you might even receive a free promotional Inwi SIM card (without balance). But feel free to keep reading to find out why we recommend this SIM card.

Just remember you need to bring your passport when purchasing a SIM card in Morocco.

Moroccan eSIM Before Crossing the Spanish-Moroccan Border

While still in Melilla, Spain, Jonas and I thought about how to get from Melilla to Nador. The bus ride on the Moroccan side of the border would be without internet, so I encouraged him to book an eSIM package. Since we didn’t know (yet) how difficult or easy it is to buy a SIM card in Morocco, he got a 1GB package with Choukran for €8 for one week in case we couldn’t buy a SIM card during our two days in Nador.

Jonas activated the eSIM right after crossing the border, which worked very well. Though it was rather expensive, he used only eSIM in Morocco until he got a physical SIM card in Fes. If you’re staying in Morocco for just one week, just get an eSIM and save your time and energy. Unless you’re a big data user and do live streams and such, then it’s already worth it to go to a shop and get a Moroccan SIM card.

Moroccan SIM Card Options: Inwi, Maroc Telecom, Orange

There are three telecom providers in Morocco: Inwi, Maroc Telecom, and Orange. When researching a Moroccan SIM card before coming to Morocco, none of them were particularly competitively priced. Since we intend to travel quite remotely through Morocco and also hitchhike, another important factor for us was coverage.

The coverage differences between Inwi, Maroc Telecom, and Orange are minimal in the northern provinces of Morocco. But Orange seems like a bad choice when it comes to the disputed Western Sahara – which has de facto been Morocco since the 90s. Specifically, the area between Dakhla and the Mauritanian border. So that leaves two providers.

In the end, we decided to spread the risk and go for both Inwi and Maroc Telecom. I picked up an Inwi SIM card in Nador and Jonas waited a few more days until Fes to get his Maroc Telecom SIM since he still had data on his eSIM.

Purchasing an Inwi SIM Card in Nador

On our first full day in Morocco, we left the WiFI zone at our accommodation in Nador. After lunch, we walked to the mapped Inwi store, which said it was closed between 13:00 – 16:00, but that was not true. It’s this Inwi location (coordinates: 35.17681202696436, -2.9263962923749625).

We went in and waited for the previous customer to be done. Another colleague came out and helped us. Jonas asked in French for a carte SIM and pointed at the plan he pre-selected: 11GB and 1 hour of calls for 50 MAD per month called Max d’internet.

The man asked for a passport. I handed over my passport and he began the process by first making a copy of its ID page. He then went into his flow of filling in whatever form he was dealing with, without asking us any questions. It just took a while. Meanwhile, some other customers had entered the Inwi Telecom shop and one of them was speaking Dutch on the phone. Funny.

It got serious when he returned my passport, grabbed a SIM card from the stack, and started filling in those details. He then handed it over to me. Jonas gave me a pin to open the SIM card tray of my phone, and I put it in. The Inwi staff would have also helped with that had we come less prepared.

Once it was up, I typed in the 0000 SIM card pin and unlocked it. Jonas then tried to see if the balance was on and if the mobile data was working with USSD code *120# and then chose option 1 and option 1 again. It was uncertain, so at some point, the guy asked for my phone to make it work. After that, all the bars for phone reception were up and it looked good. Now all we had to do was pay. The guy said €5 in French, and Jonas asked if he could pay by bank card, which was a no. So he paid 50 Moroccan Dirhams in cash. We thanked them and left the shop.

The same evening, we already used my Inwi phone number by adding it to Glovo to order food in Nador. This worked well and our food arrived with two missed calls.

However, a month later, we found out they sold us a 50Dh/month contract post-paid package instead of just a pre-paid SIM card without a contract. We contemplated going back to an Inwi store and asking them to change this, or to even buy a new Inwi SIM with Jonas’ passport. But in practice, all this meant was that at the end of the month they asked me to pay for the next month. We opted instead to top-up this SIM with scratch cards from kiosks just for data.

If you manage to get a simple pre-paid SIM, recharging it at the end of the month can be done on their website. In theory! We never managed, probably because of our foreign bank cards. If you have a card that works, you can also recharge in the Inwi app (Google Play + App Store). We could never make this work and always had to buy scratch cards to top up. This app also shows you how much data you’ve used during the month without needing to memorize USSD codes. It’s only in French and Arabic, but most of it is understandable from the home screen once you’ve made an account with just your phone number and a password.

Topping-up your SIM card with scratch cards is also not as simple as it seems. Because you immediately have to put the money in an internet bundle, or else it will automatically become minutes for calling. We bought a 50Dh recharge scratch card valued at 10GB of internet in 2025. Once scratched, it reveals a 16-digit code. To get it into the internet bundle, use the following USSD code:

*120*20*RECHARGECODE*3#

And voilà! You have 10GB of new data that will last you 30 days.

Note: if you recharge before your old internet package expires, you get to keep the leftovers, which will be added to your recharge. If you forget to recharge on time, it will expire as indicated.

Buying a Maroc Telecom in Fes

A few days after arriving in Morocco, we walked out of the medina of Fes to buy a Maroc Telecom SIM card for Jonas. We found an agency nearby the Bab Boujloud, at this location. This office was much more official-looking and much bigger than the Inwi store. The only working staff member was on his phone for a long time before it was our turn.

We asked for a SIM card and the man repeatedly made sure we were asking for a prepayé (prepaid) SIM card. That’s correct. He asked for our documents and started working on our request. Jonas had forgotten to bring his passport, so we registered it in my name again.

After a few minutes, we received a Maroc Telecom SIM card. Jonas put it in his phone and immediately activated it. We paid 120 Dirhams for his SIM card with 15GB of data plus 20 Dirhams of calling balance, which is double the price from the Inwi SIM but with only 50% more data. Then the man told us a long story about his brother who lives in Germany before we could tick off this errand.

To check your balance, just get the Maroc Telecom app (see below). Because the only other way is to call a number and then a voice tells you your balance in French and charges you the price of one Moroccan bread for the displeasure.

A month later, we recharged it by top-up scratch card and USSD code. We entered *555*RECHARGECODE*3# to top up. This top-up code was only 14 digits long. A scratch card of 50 Dirhams gives you 7.5GB for 30 days.

Note: if you recharge before your old internet package expires, you get to keep the leftovers, which will be added to your recharge. If you forget to recharge on time, it will expire as indicated.

Moroccan SIM Card FAQ + Internet Freedom

Should I buy a Moroccan SIM card at the airport?

Though we didn’t arrive in Morocco by airplane, most people will. My research shows no disadvantage to getting a SIM card at the airport. Some providers such as Inwi hand out free SIM cards to tourists at the airport as a form of promotion. These SIM cards come without any balance or internet packages, so before you leave the airport, you would still need to visit their shop in the terminal to activate it.

Where can I buy a Moroccan SIM card?

At any telecom store in any town. Just look up the address and opening times of an agence on Google Maps before you come to Morocco and then go in and ask for it. It’s easy. All cities have multiple locations. Smaller villages often also have at least one telecom shop.

Should I download the app of my Moroccan provider?

Generally, yes. I think it helps to have an overview of how much internet you’ve used during your travels in Morocco, without awkwardly handling USSD codes.

My Inwi app for Android devices on Google Play – My Inwi app for Apple devices on the App Store
Mon Espace Maroc Telecom app for Google Play – Mon Espace Maroc Telecom app for Apple
Orange Morocco app on Google Play – Orange Morocco app on the App Store

How can I top-up my Moroccan SIM card?

At the telecom stores or kiosks, you can buy scratch top-up cards. Just tell them your provider (Inwi) and the desired value of your top-up (50 Dirhams, valid for 30 days). The more French you speak, the easier this is. But you can also just grab a bill of 50Dh to show you want a recharge for this value. If you’re in a populated area, just ask at any store and they’ll point you at the nearest shop where you can buy a top-up card. Moroccans are very helpful when you’re looking for specific things.

How can I check my balance and remaining data?

Either write down the USSD codes while in the telecom shop when purchasing your Moroccan SIM card or get the app of your provider. The latter doesn’t require you to memorize silly numbers.

Tell me more about the Western Sahara and staying online

We didn’t have to change a thing. While hitchhiking into Western Sahara (between Tarfaya and Laayoune), there was no noticeable change. Also the long hitchhiking day from Laayoune to Dakhla went without a hiccup in service. Only when we traveled towards the Guerguerat border with Mauritania, we noticed a difference. Inwi lost out by a little bit compared to Maroc Telecom in that remote area.

How can I keep my Moroccan SIM card between visits to Morocco?

Since Morocco is a strategic country to wait out your out-of-Schengen days, it might make sense to keep your Moroccan SIM card activated.

In general, the rule is that your Moroccan SIM card stays valid for 1 year after the last top-up. For people doing the Schengen shuffle (i.e. 90 days in, 90 days out), this should be enough time. Morocco especially makes sense as a winter escape.

Is the internet blocked or monitored in Morocco?

As of 2025, there are no restrictions or internet filtering happening in Morocco. All social media websites are accessible. While potential internet censorship would be targeted at Moroccans themselves, I wouldn’t go around posting about the King or the status of Western Sahara in-country.

Should I download a VPN before going to Morocco?

Yes, you should have a VPN while traveling in Morocco. Though Morocco doesn’t block websites themselves, foreign websites might block traffic coming from Morocco. This means that if you need to access your non-Moroccan banking website, you might not get through until you turn on your VPN. Even less vital websites might for some reason block traffic from Morocco. So if you click a website and at first it seems like it’s not working, try turning on your VPN to see if that solves the issue.

I have used different VPNs over my 10+ years of traveling that are very similar. However, NordVPN is much more affordable than the other providers—especially if you get the yearly or two-year plan. I have the Basic two-year plan which comes down to €4/month. If you want to try NordVPN, you can sign up via this link and get 3 months for free. It’s a referral link, so if you sign up I might, might, receive a commission from NordVPN for pointing you in their direction.

Helpful post? Consider buying me a Moroccan mint tea!

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