BUSINESS GUIDE TO MOROCCO 2020 EDITION 1 ABOUT MOROCCO.......................................................................................................................... 8 DOING BUSINESS IN MOROCCO LEGAL FORMS OF COMPANIES.................................................................................................12 STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS...........................................................................................20 FUNDING AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS...................................................................................26 COSTS OF FACTORS OF PRODUCTION.................................................................................55 EMPLOYMENT ABOUT LABOR CODE...................................................................................................................62 SOCIAL FORMALITIES...................................................................................................................70 ENTRY, MOVING IN AND RECRUITMENT OF FOREIGNERS...........................................73 TAX REGIME CORPORATE TAX............................................................................................................................82 INCOME TAX ....................................................................................................................................88 VALUE-ADDED TAX.......................................................................................................................94 REGISTRATION FEES...................................................................................................................103 STAMP DUTY.....................................................................................................................................112 PROFESSIONAL TAX.....................................................................................................................115 HOUSING TAX.................................................................................................................................120 MUNICIPAL SERVICES TAX........................................................................................................123 CONTENTS 2 3 CUSTOMS REGIME CUSTOMS ECONOMIC REGIMES..............................................................................................128 CUSTOMS WAREHOUSES...........................................................................................................143 IMPORT CUSTOMS CLEARANCE PROCEDURES..............................................................145 EXPORT CUSTOMS CLEARANCE PROCEDURES.............................................................150 EXCHANGE RATE REGIME NATURE OF ACCOUNTS.............................................................................................................156 CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS OF FOREIGNERS AND NON-RESIDENTS......................159 RESIDENTS CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS.................................................................................162 CURRENT TRANSACTIONS........................................................................................................165 MOVING IN MOROCCO ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE...............................................................................................174 IMPORTATION OF PERSONAL EFFECTS AND OBJECTS..............................................177 IMPORTATION AND CUSTOMS CLEARANCE OF VEHICLES........................................179 FOREIGN SCHOOLS IN MOROCCO..........................................................................................181 MAIN CUSTOMS AND FISCAL PROVISIONS AMENDING FINANCE ACT N ° 35-20 FOR THE 2020 FINANCIAL YEAR NB: ALTHOUGH ALL NECESSARY EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF THE CONTENT, AMDIE CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR FOR THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED BY USING THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS BUSINESS GUIDE. 4 5 ABOUT MOROCCO 6 7 CURRENCY ABOUT Currency Moroccan Dirham (MAD) MOROCCO 1 US Dollar 9,9350 (2019) GENERAL INFORMATIONS MACRO-ECONOMY Capital Rabat GDP (2018) 1107 billion MAD (118 billion USD) Main cities Casablanca, Fès, Marrakech, Oujda, Agadir, Tangier, Dakhla, Laâyoune GDP/per capita (2018) 31 426MAD/per capita - 3 347 USD/per capita Institutional system Democratic, parliamentary and social Breakdown of GDP (2018) Primary sector 14 % constitutional monarchy Secondary sector 29 % Administrative division 12 regions Tertiary sector 57 % Area 710 850 km2 Inflation rate 1,10 % ( 2018 ) Position North Africa Growth 3 % ( 2018 ) Climate Mediterranean TRADE Time zone GMT+1 Export volume 282 billion MAD – 28 billion USD (2019) Official languages Arabic, Tamazight Import volume 491 billion MAD – 49 billion USD (2019) Commonly used French, English, Spanish languages FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS (FDI) Flow of FDI (2019) 18 billion MAD – 1,8 billion USD POPULATION Population 35.9 million inhabitants SOURCES Density 50.5 inhabitants/km2 • High Commission for Planning (www.hcp.ma) • Ministry of Economy and Finance (www.finances.gov.ma) Active population 12 million inhabitants • Offices des Changes ( Currency exchange office) (www.oc.gov.ma) 8 9 DOING BUSINESS IN MOROCCO 10 11 DOING BUSINESS CHARACTERISTICS • The number of shareholders cannot be less than 5; • Its duration cannot exceed 99 years, extendable one or more times; IN MOROCCO • The minimum capital is 3 million MAD for PLC making public offerings and 300,000 MAD otherwise; • The capital must be fully subscribed; failing this, the company cannot be incorporated; LEGAL FORMS OF COMPANIES • The nominal amount of the share cannot be less than 50 MAD. However, for companies whose securities are listed on the stock exchange, the minimum is set at 10 MAD; • Shares in cash must be paid up upon subscription at least 1/4 of their nominal value THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPANIES IN MOROCCO • Shares in kind are fully paid up when issued; • The shares are only negotiable after the registration of the company in the trade register or the completion of the capital increase; COMPANIES • The company enjoys legal personality as from its registration in the Trade Register; • Its articles of association must be established in writing; • Public limited company (PLC), (Société anonyme) • All its documents and certificates must indicate the company name, immediately • Limited liability company (LLC), (Société à responsabilité limitée) and legibly preceded or followed by the words «public limited company» or the • Partnership limited by shares ( Société en commandite par actions) initials «PLC», the statement of the amount of the share capital and the registered office, as well as the registration number in the trade register; • One or more statutory auditors are responsible for controlling and monitoring the PARTNERSHIPS company’s financial statements; • 2 types of public limited companies depending on the administration and • General partnership, ( Société en nom collectif) management: • Limited partnership, ( Société en commandite simple ) • Joint venture partnership (Undeclared partnership) ( Société en participation) 1. The company with a board of directors : • The board is made up of at least 3 members and at most 12; • The directors are appointed by the ordinary general meeting; These companies are characterized by the predominant aspect of the personal • The board of directors can only validly deliberate if half of the members are factor «intuitu personae». actually present; • The board of directors elects a chairperson (natural person) from among its COMPANIES WITH SPECIAL REGULATIONS members and can dismiss them at any time; • General management is assumed either by the chairperson of the board of • Investment company ( Société d’investissement) directors with the title of chair and chief executive officer or by another natural • Purchasing Cooperative company (Société coopérative d’achat) person appointed by the board of directors and bearing the title of chief executive • Consumer cooperative company ( Société coopérative de consommation) officer; • Mutual insurance company (Société mutualiste) 2. The company with a management board and a supervisory board: PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY (PLC) • The corporate name is preceded or followed by the words “public limited company with a management board and a supervisory board”; DEFINTION • The management board is made up of at most 5 members (natural persons) appointed by the supervisory board, which confers on one of them the capacity The public limited company is a commercial company whose members, called of chairperson; shareholders because of a right represented by a negotiable instrument or share, only bear losses up to the amount of their contributions.. 12 13 • The supervisory board is made up of at least 3 members and at most 12 members • The fixed capital must be fully paid up upon signing of the articles of association; appointed by the articles of association and during the life of the company, by the • The company cannot make a public offering; ordinary general meeting. None of them can be part of the management board; • The chairperson (can be a legal person) is appointed initially by the articles of • The supervisory board elects, from among its members, a chairperson, where association and, then, in the way that these articles of association determine. applicable, a vice-chairperson (natural persons); • The supervisory board can only validly deliberate if half of the members are present LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC) DEFINTION NEW 2019// Dahir No. 1-19-78 of April 26, 2019 promulgating