Morocco eSIM

Morocco lies just 14 km from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar, and that matters for your phone: around Tangier and on the Strait ferries, Spanish networks reach across the water, and a Morocco plan stops working on them. Inland the test changes, and it's finding your riad in a medina where the lanes are too narrow for GPS to be sure where you are.

What a week of data costs in Morocco

Prices for 7 days of data, checked on 3 November 2026. Morocco is outside every European roaming zone, so UK, French and Spanish plans that include Spain or Portugal don't include it. Daily passes charge for each day you use the phone, per phone.

For a family of four on Vodafone or Three, that's £224 for one week; on Verizon, $336. On Telstra or a Spanish SIM, one gigabyte of maps and photos costs thousands, so turn data roaming off on those lines before you land. Orange France customers have the best home deal here, but every phone in the family still buys its own pass.

Landing at Marrakech (RAK), Casablanca (CMN), Agadir (AGA), Fes (FEZ) or Tangier (TNG)

Most holiday flights land at Marrakech Menara (RAK), and Casablanca's Mohammed V (CMN) takes most long-haul flights. Agadir (AGA) serves the southern beach resorts, Fes–Saïss (FEZ) the old imperial city, and Tangier Ibn Battouta (TNG) the north coast. Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate, so you can message your riad or driver from the passport queue.

Visas first. British citizens can visit visa-free for up to 90 days, and the passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you arrive. Check that the officer stamps your passport: the UK Foreign Office says some travellers without an entry stamp have had trouble leaving.

In order: turn on Data Roaming for the kimsim line only, go through passport control, collect your bags and walk out through customs. Operator stands in the arrivals hall sell SIMs, and some travellers have been handed free SIMs that still need a paid top-up. With your eSIM working, you can walk past them. Get dirhams after you land: the dirham is a closed currency and hard to buy abroad.

Into town from Casablanca: the Al Bidaoui train runs from the airport station every hour, from 04:00 to 23:00, to Casa-Voyageurs and Casa-Port. Change at Casa-Voyageurs for trains to Marrakech, Rabat and Fez.

Into the medina from Marrakech or Fes: cars usually can't reach a riad down the narrow lanes, so most drivers drop you at a gate or square and someone from the riad walks you in. Save the riad's WhatsApp number and its nearest gate before you fly.

Networks and coverage

Morocco has three mobile operators. Maroc Telecom, the former state operator, trades as IAM, so your phone may show either name. Orange Maroc was called Méditel until December 2016. inwi, formerly Wana, is the third largest and says its network covers more than 92% of the country.

The regulator, ANRT, licensed 5G to all three in July 2025, and they switched it on together on 7 November 2025. Orange said about 100 cities would have 5G from the start. Outside the cities, expect 4G.

This plan uses Orange Morocco, and your phone shows Orange, not kimsim. Coverage is generally good in the cities, along the coast and on the main roads. Expect gaps in High Atlas valleys, in the gorges, and around the Sahara camps, where some camps have signal and others don't. Thick riad walls also block signal indoors, so the roof terrace is often your best spot.

The networks your plan uses are listed above.

City by city

• Marrakech: the medina's souks are a maze. Drop a pin on your riad and download the city for offline use before you walk in. GPS often drifts between high walls, so learn the nearest gate (bab) or square too.
• Fes: the old medina, Fes el-Bali, is a car-free maze where it's easy to lose your way. A licensed guide helps; the UK Foreign Office says real ones carry an official badge.
• Chefchaouen and the Rif: the blue town is in the mountains, a long road trip from Fes or Tangier. Download maps before the mountain roads.
• The High Atlas and Imlil: the trailhead villages for Toubkal. Signal fades quickly in the valleys. The UK Foreign Office advises hiring a professional guide for Atlas hikes.
• Merzouga and the Sahara: many trips stay a night in a desert camp. Download everything before you leave the last town, and don't count on video calls from the dunes.
• Essaouira and Agadir: the Atlantic coast, with windy beaches at Essaouira and resort hotels at Agadir. Coverage is usually easier here than inland.
• Tangier and the north coast: your phone can see Spain from here. See the ferries below.

Trains, ferries and roads

• Al Boraq, Africa's first high-speed train, opened in November 2018 and links Tangier with Rabat and Casablanca, at up to 320 km/h between Tangier and Kenitra. Ordinary ONCF trains carry on from Casablanca to Marrakech, and from Rabat to Meknes and Fez. Save tickets to your phone before you board.
• Ferries from Spain: boats cross the Strait in as little as 35 minutes, and Europe and Africa are only 14 km apart at the narrowest point. Tarifa sits on the main route to Tangier, and FRS sails between Algeciras and Tanger Med. On board and along the Tangier coast, your phone can switch to a Spanish network. Your kimsim line won't get data there, so choose the network by hand and pick Orange once you're in Morocco. Movistar gives its own customers the same advice for border areas and boats.
• Driving: British drivers need a 1968 International Driving Permit as well as a UK licence. Set your route before the mountain passes, where signal comes and goes.

Apps worth having

• Careem lists Morocco among the 9 countries where you can book a ride. inDrive runs in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakesh, Fez, Agadir, Essaouira, Tangier and more. Bolt lists Marrakesh. The UK Foreign Office warns that some cars booked through ride apps may be unlicensed or uninsured. Set up accounts at home, because sign-up can text a code to your usual number.
• Petit taxis are the small city taxis, and you mostly hail them in the street, not in an app. Ask for the meter or agree the fare first, as the UK Foreign Office advises, and expect the driver to pick up other passengers.
• WhatsApp is how riads, drivers and desert-tour operators usually reach you. Calls in WhatsApp were blocked on Moroccan mobile networks from January 2016 until late October 2016, and we found no current restriction. Keep your WhatsApp number working abroad.
• Maps and translation: download offline maps for each medina, and offline Arabic and French packs.

SIM and phone rules

Since 1 April 2014, Moroccan operators have only been allowed to switch on a prepaid SIM once they hold the buyer's name and ID number, so visitors show a passport. In July 2024 the regulator gave operators three months to identify or cut off the remaining anonymous SIMs. Orange Maroc also sells its lines as an eSIM, in its shops or with a plan from its online shop.

A travel eSIM installed at home skips the counter and the paperwork. It's data only, so your home number stays in the phone for texts and bank codes.

Common mistakes

• Letting your phone pick a Spanish network near Tangier. Data stops on the kimsim line while you're on one. How to choose the network by hand
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. At €12.10 per MB on Movistar or A$3 per MB on Telstra, background updates alone cost a fortune. Why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only
• Crossing to Ceuta or Melilla on a Morocco plan. Both are Spanish cities on Spanish networks. How regional plans work, or see the Spain eSIM.
• Starting the plan on a stop-over. Many routes connect in Madrid, Lisbon or Paris. Keep the kimsim line off until you land in Morocco. If your plan started early
• No way to call for help. In Morocco, dial 190 for police, 150 for an ambulance or fire, and 177 for the gendarmerie. A data-only eSIM can't dial them, so keep your home line on or use a riad phone. Calls and texts on a data-only eSIM

More on Morocco

• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?
• Does WhatsApp work with a travel eSIM? Keep your number
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?

How we put this page together

We checked carriers' roaming price pages in the UK, US, Australia, France and Spain, Orange Maroc's own pages, UK government travel advice and the other sources noted above on 1–3 November 2026. Maroc Telecom's and inwi's websites wouldn't load for us, and T-Mobile's page blocks automated checks, so we read that one from its search listing. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in Morocco ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.