Speed cameras, gendarmerie and road checks in Morocco: rules and fines

Drive in Morocco for an hour and you will notice the officers by the road: a checkpoint at the edge of town, gendarmes on the national roads, fixed cameras on the way out of built-up areas. Three habits keep things simple: slow down early, keep your papers within reach, and ask for the receipt if you pay a fine.

Photo: Abdeaitali — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Published on 28 January 2026

Police and gendarmerie checkpoints: the slow-down rule
Speed cameras in Morocco: fixed, average-speed and handheld
Fixed fines: what to expect
What if you are fined while driving a rental car?

Police and gendarmerie checkpoints: the slow-down rule

Most towns have a checkpoint where the road comes in, and often another on the way out: a few cones narrowing the lane, a sign announcing the check, one or two officers. Inside towns the National Police (Sûreté nationale) runs it; on the national roads it is the Royal Gendarmerie.

From the sign onwards, slow to walking pace and stop if the officer tells you to. Wait for the hand signal before you pull away. Most of the time you are waved through without anyone looking at your papers. Drive past without slowing down, though, and you will be fined.

Speed cameras in Morocco: fixed, average-speed and handheld

Since 2022 the national road safety agency, NARSA, has been installing more than 550 new-generation cameras in towns, on motorways and on national roads. They record spot speed or average speed over a stretch, and they also catch red-light runners and drivers crossing a solid line.

Off the motorway, gendarmes often work with a handheld speed gun at the entrance to a village, right where the limit drops from 100 to 60 km/h. Slow down at the first town sign, not halfway through the houses. The limits to remember: 120 km/h on motorways, 100 km/h outside built-up areas, 60 km/h in town, sometimes 40 in town centres.

Fixed fines: what to expect

If an officer sees the offence, you can pay the fixed settlement fine on the spot. The officer then gives you a receipt torn from a counterfoil book. Insist on it: without it, you have no proof that you paid.

Law 52-05 (article 219) sets three amounts: 700 dirhams for a first-class offence, 500 for second class and 300 for third class, reduced if you pay at once or within the following days. Running a red light or a stop sign, driving the wrong way down a one-way street, crossing a solid line or going 30 to 50 km/h over the limit are all first-class offences. More than 50 km/h over the limit falls outside this scale: the penalty is far heavier and your licence can be suspended.

What if you are fined while driving a rental car?

Stopped on the spot: you pay the officer, take the receipt, keep your licence and drive on.

Caught by an automatic camera with nobody stopping you: the notice goes to the registered owner, which means the rental agency. The agency passes the fine on to you, often with a handling fee. That fee has to be written into the contract, so ask about it when you collect the keys, before you sign.

Frequently asked questions

Which documents do I have to show at a check?

Your original driving licence, the rental contract, the registration document or a copy, and the car's insurance certificate. Agencies usually keep these papers in the glovebox: check they are there before you leave the car park.

Do police officers and gendarmes speak French?

Yes, the vast majority do. Say hello, stay calm and hand over the papers you are asked for: a routine check is over in a few exchanges.

What is the rule on drink-driving in Morocco?

The legal limit is 0.2 grams of alcohol per litre of blood, or 0.10 milligrams per litre of exhaled air (joint order no. 2707-10, implementing article 183 of law 52-05). A single drink can be enough to go over it, and the penalties are severe. If you are driving, don't drink.

Sources

GOV.UK

Travel.gc.ca

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Written by the Loccor editorial team, the platform connecting travellers with car rental agencies in Morocco.

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