Best Morocco port to enter?

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

Going next weekend for 2 weeks R&R.
I have a green card, my mate does not, so he will need border insurance.
I speak french, neither of us speak spanish.
Can anyone help in our decision of which port to land in?
We want a fast crossing, border insurance and obv some cash!

We were thinkin Tarifa Tangier... but i have heard it is not an easy option for Maroc novices! Any thoughts people? Algeciras - Cueta perhaps? Can he get border insurance in Cueta without having to go to some iffy back street broker?

Any advice VERY gratefully recieved.

 

[Fanum]

the only port you'll easily get insurance and money at is Tangiers.......if you go to Cueta, you can get insurance and cash in Fnideq but it's not easy to find.
at Tangiers, there's a portacabin right outside the port gates for insurance and a line of 5 or 6 bureaux de changes along the exit road.

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

thanks for that info.
I read that there is an insurance and exchange office inside the Cueta port?
Uh-oh.
How does my mate get to the insurance office with his bike if the office is OUTSIDE the gates? Does that mean he needs to walk to it whilst i wait with his bike before trying to enter Morrocco?

 

[Steptoe]

How does my mate get to the insurance office with his bike if the office is OUTSIDE the gates? Does that mean he needs to walk to it whilst i wait with his bike before trying to enter Morrocco?

Mate, it's morocco, no one is going to arrest you, in fact no one really cares if you have insurance, until you have an accident. They let you ride from ceuta to the nearest town to obtain insurance, and i think 75% carry on riding straight past.

 

[Fanum]

thanks for that info.
I read that there is an insurance and exchange office inside the Cueta port?
Uh-oh.
How does my mate get to the insurance office with his bike if the office is OUTSIDE the gates? Does that mean he needs to walk to it whilst i wait with his bike before trying to enter Morrocco?

There used to be both at Cueta, but they closed about 18 months ago.
You can ride out through the gates at Tangiers and park up on the right hand side of the road to get the insurance- you're still within the port itself, but you'll be outside of the customs area.There won't be a problem doing that from anyone official, but if you've got Trippy disease, you could indeed walk over to the insurance office from inside the customs area to get the insurance sorted.

Insurance comes in units of 5 days, 10 days, a month or a year.
don't forget to take your original V5's with you.

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

Thanks fanum and steptoe.
No stranger to travelling in weird and unusual places on the bike, just Morrocco!

Off out there on the Portsmouth ferry to Bilbao if anyone doing same and fancies a beer or ten on the boat!

ALSO up in Kielder Forest off roading tomorrow and Sunday if anyone travelling - camping shakedown to see if anything else falls off my mates new GS800F like last time. Knobblies on, balls tucked away safely in case...

 

[jonnywave]

what insurance

I arrived in Tang port late at night and there was no insurance place open, got my head down in room and just forgot to get any after that. ooops drove down to mali and came back still no insurance for Moroco, did get some for Mauratania and Mali but stopped at millions of checkpoints no one asked to see my insurance. And that was the week when the Dakar had been cancelled, there was increased security and milatary presences, still no insurance requests...

 

[Fanum]

I arrived in Tang port late at night and there was no insurance place open, got my head down in room and just forgot to get any after that. ooops drove down to mali and came back still no insurance for Moroco, did get some for Mauratania and Mali but stopped at millions of checkpoints no one asked to see my insurance. And that was the week when the Dakar had been cancelled, there was increased security and milatary presences, still no insurance requests...

You will only be asked for prof of insurance once you've had an accident....there have been instances where someone with quite a bd injury has been kept at the scene of an accident until they were able to prove they had insurance.

is it worth it?

I don't know what a Moroccan prison is like but TBh I don't want to find out either

 

[Boon]

There is a brilliant tapas bar just up the hill from the marina in Cueta...........

One euro per huge brandy and all the strange nibbles you can throw up later..........Hmmmmm yummy


sorry for the hijack but the brandy was lush .....local stuff .....cant remember the name..............can only just remember sprockling back onto the boat..............

 

[rockchunk]

went to marakesh a few years ago didnt know i needed separate insurance in moroco thought my normal policy would cover me rode about in blisfull ignorance

 

[David motoadventours]

Hello Michael 1150 Adv!
The est port to enter Morocco is the Tanger, in the ferry you can do your passport entrances, so that helps a bit at the border, as you get out of the ferry you have to do again passport control and custums, if you never been in morocco driving a vehicle you have to go to the data base control wich is normaly at the top bilding from the police control, there will be some people traing to help you with identification lavels, there are not police but they will help you to get to the computer room for a few Dhs, normally is a bit extrange that the police ask you for your green cart insurance but I will do to avoid future problems, as Fanum say is a insurance place just after the gates on your right hand side, and fother on some cash machine and check points, hope is helpfull these notes and if you need any help we are base in Estepona and have mechanical assistance and we spaek Spanish,French,German,Cz and Portuguese, also this is our tlf in Spain for any problem crossing the country 0034 652 200 040 or 0034 952 867803 ofice, if you need off road tyres or whant to left some things you don´t whant to carry you could left in our garage base, www.motoadventours.com.
David Sobredo.

 

[Seatownmaster]

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