Opening a guest house in Morocco: the real checklist

Since 2025, the main implementing regulations have been published. And fines can reach 500,000 DH. Here is the route, step by step.

Riad or guest house? Choose your category first

Law 80-14 classes both as tourist accommodation establishments (Art. 3). What sets them apart:

Sources: Law 80-14, Art. 3; Decree 2-22-867, annex (BO, the Official Bulletin, No. 7462 bis of 04/12/2025); Decree 2-23-441, Art. 1.

Homestay accommodation, for its part, falls under a different and much lighter regime, reserved for the host’s own home.

The route, in eight steps

1. A property with no grey areas. Clear land status, and a tourist use compatible with the planning rules for the area (see the difference between melkia and land title).

2. A legal structure. Operating as a sole trader or through a company, commercial register, Common Business Identifier (ICE) and registration with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS): the official form asks for all of them (Order 987-24).

3. A compliant project. If you build, alter or convert, the building regulations for tourist establishments apply: capacity, minimum floor areas by category (Decree 2-22-867). The tourism application will then require the certificate of conformity for the works (Decree 2-23-441, Art. 3).

If your establishment is already authorised and operating, the building regulations apply only in the event of alteration or extension (Decree 2-22-867, Art. 5). For the new grading standards, the Ministry of Tourism announced a 24-month transition period in June 2025.

4. The application, online. It is filed electronically with the Regional Investment Centre (CRI): for Marrakech, the CRI Marrakech-Safi. It serves as an application for both provisional grading and an operating authorisation (Decree 2-23-441, Art. 3).

5. The review. The CRI forwards the file to the governor, who consults the civil protection service among others, and to the Tourism representative, who carries out a site visit. A unified regional committee then rules on it (Arts. 4 to 7). Deadlines set by the decree: 2 days for forwarding, 14 days for opinions. Deadlines checked against the official Arabic text (BO No. 7219); the decree does not specify whether these are working days.

6. Insurance, then authorisation. No authorisation without insurance against fire, theft of guests’ belongings and civil liability (Law 80-14, Arts. 5 and 16). The governor then signs the authorisation (Decree 2-23-441, Art. 8).

7. Opening. To be declared within 60 days (Law 80-14, Art. 6).

8. Final grading. A regional committee inspects the establishment. The grading is valid for 7 years, then 5 years at each renewal, to be applied for 3 months before expiry (Decree 2-23-441, Arts. 22 and 28).

Then, day to day

• Declare guest arrivals online every day, and keep their registration forms for one year (Law 80-14, Arts. 36 to 38). The procedures for this declaration are set by Decree No. 2-15-865. In June 2024 the Ministry of Tourism announced that the online declaration system was operational (TelQuel, 13/06/2024).

• Display prices and the official plaque; issue itemised invoices; honour confirmed bookings (Art. 17).
• Declare a manager, report any vacancy within the week and fill it within three months (Art. 15).
• Display the grading actually obtained everywhere, including online (Arts. 12 and 14).

The cost of improvising

Penalties are doubled for a repeat offence within five years (Art. 50), and the mitigating circumstances of the Penal Code do not apply to fines (Art. 49).

Five avoidable mistakes

1. Buying before checking that tourism activity is permitted in the area.
2. Opening online bookings before obtaining authorisation.
3. Designing rooms without looking at the minimum floor areas for the target category.
4. Displaying stars you do not have.
5. Letting the grading renewal date slip by.

A successful guest house begins with a well-prepared file. The patio and the orange trees will come later, and they will last longer.