Arriving at Marrakech Menara Airport: Passport Control, Cash, SIM and the Way Out

This Marrakech airport arrivals guide follows the route in order: passport control, baggage reclaim, a customs scan, then an arrivals hall with ATMs, exchange desks and SIM kiosks before the exit. Allow 30 to 75 minutes from landing to the kerb at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), longer when several flights land together. The medina is then 6 km and about 15 minutes away by car.

Key facts before you land

Passport control: how long does it take?

Passport control is the slow part. On a quiet morning you may be through in 10 minutes. When three or four flights from Europe land within the same half hour, which happens most afternoons and on weekend evenings, queues of 45 minutes to an hour are normal. Walk briskly from the aircraft: every plane-load ahead of you adds time.

Have your passport open and know the name and address of your first accommodation, because the officer may ask for it, along with your occupation. Write the riad's address in your phone notes before you fly. At the time of writing the paper landing card is no longer handed out, but procedures change, so follow the staff's instructions.

Citizens of the UK, the EU, the US and many other countries currently enter Morocco without a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Rules depend on your passport. Check official sources before you travel.

Baggage reclaim and customs

Baggage belts are directly behind the passport booths. Because the queue is slow, bags have often arrived before you. Free trolleys are usually available.

Before the exit, all luggage goes through a customs scanner, hand baggage included. It takes two or three minutes. Drones are restricted in Morocco and are regularly held at this point, so leave yours at home unless you have authorisation.

Cash: dirhams, ATMs and exchange desks

The dirham is a closed currency. You cannot usually buy it at home, and you may only bring in or take out a small amount, so most travellers get their first dirhams here.

• ATMs: several bank machines stand in the arrivals hall after customs. Many cap a withdrawal at around 2,000 MAD, and some charge a fee of roughly 30 to 35 MAD for foreign cards. If the screen offers to charge your card in your home currency, decline and choose dirhams.
• Exchange desks: counters operate in the baggage hall and in arrivals. Rates at airports are rarely the best in town. Change a small amount if you need to, and keep the receipt.
• Small notes: machines often give 200 MAD notes. Break one at a café in the hall. Taxi drivers and porters rarely have change.

How much to withdraw depends on your onward plan. A taxi from the rank is paid in dirhams, and our guide to Marrakech airport taxi fares gives the amounts to expect. If a driver from us is meeting you, cash is not urgent: the fixed fare is paid on arrival in euros, pounds, dollars or dirhams.

SIM card or eSIM at the airport

Morocco's three operators, Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi, have kiosks in the arrivals hall. You need your passport to register the SIM, and staff will install and activate it for you. Airport tourist packs with a large data allowance are often sold for about 100 to 200 MAD. The same operators sell smaller, cheaper bundles in their shops in Gueliz. Kiosks may be closed for very late arrivals.

An eSIM bought before departure connects as soon as you land, which helps if you need to message your riad or driver from the passport queue. Either way, mobile data is worth having in the medina, where lanes are hard to follow without a map.

The way out: where drivers, taxis and the bus wait

Automatic doors lead from the arrivals hall to the forecourt. Only passengers may enter the terminal, so everyone meeting a flight stands outside.

• Pre-booked drivers wait at the arrivals exit, holding name signs. Look for your own name, not a company logo. Our drivers send their name and number on WhatsApp before pickup.
• Taxis queue at the rank on the forecourt, beside a board showing the regulated fares.
• Bus 19 stops on the forecourt and runs to Jemaa el-Fna and Gueliz during the day and evening.

Men offering "taxi, taxi" or a hand with your trolley near the doors are not officials. A polite "no thank you" is enough. The differences between the three options are set out in our comparison of ways to get from the airport to the city centre.

Arriving with a transfer booked

If you would rather skip the rank, book ahead. The driver follows your flight, so a delay or a long passport queue costs nothing extra. A private transfer from Marrakech airport to the medina costs a fixed €15 per sedan, €20 per minivan and €35 per minibus. Child seats are free on request, and you can send your flight number through the booking form or by WhatsApp.

Staying in the old town? Car access stops at the gates, so read how drop-offs near a riad work before you land.