When expanding your fintech or digital product into Morocco, one thing you can’t afford to overlook is fraud prevention.

In 2023 alone, Morocco reported a 31% rise in money laundering and terrorism financing cases. Thousands of suspicious transaction reports were flagged. With financial crime levels this high, your platform is exposed from the moment users begin signing up.

KYC, or Know Your Customer, is how you verify users, stay compliant, and protect your business. KYC in Morocco is more than just a legal requirement; it helps you reduce fraud, ensures you avoid costly compliance issues, and secures a smooth path to market. 

In this article, I’ll guide you through:

• What the KYC process looks like in Morocco
• How to stay compliant under AML and eKYC regulations
• What you need to onboard users safely
• Key KYC challenges in Morocco
• Digital tools to simplify user verification

KYC Requirements and AML Compliance in Morocco

KYC processes in Morocco are governed by Law No. 12-18 on Anti-Money Laundering, amended in 2021, and further supported by the Central Bank’s regulatory circulars and the National Financial Intelligence Authority (UTRF) guidelines.

This AML law is the foundation of Morocco’s efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. It requires all regulated businesses to implement risk-based customer due diligence procedures to detect and prevent illicit financial activity.

Who Must Comply With Morocco’s AML Laws?

Morocco’s KYC and AML requirements apply to a broad range of regulated industries. If your business operates in any of the categories below, compliance is mandatory:

• Banks and other financial institutions
• Fintech companies and digital payment providers
• Insurance firms and brokers
• Telecom operators offering mobile money or financial services
• Forex bureaus and remittance service providers
• Accountants, legal practitioners, casinos, real estate agents, and other designated non‑financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs)

What Happens If You Don’t Comply?

Non-compliance with KYC and AML laws in Morocco can come with major consequences such as:

• Regulatory sanctions, including fines up to MAD 3 million and potential suspension or withdrawal of licenses by Bank Al‑Maghrib or UTRF

• Criminal liability, including imprisonment from two to five years for willful non-compliance under Law 12‑18

• Loss of reputation and customer trust, leading to reduced partnerships and investor interest

             Non-compliance can slow down your growth and expose your business to regulatory risks. With tools like Dojah, you can simplify compliance checks and verify your customers in Morocco faster.

Requirements for KYC in Morocco and Accepted Documents

KYC obligations in Morocco vary depending on the type of customer and service provided. To stay compliant with Morocco’s AML framework, here are the key documents financial institutions should collect:

Proof of Identity

 Customers must provide a valid, government-issued ID. Accepted options include:

• Moroccan National Identity Card (CIN)
• Passport (for citizens and foreign nationals)
• Moroccan Driver’s License
• Residency card or foreign national ID

Proof of Address

To verify a customer’s residential address, request recent documents such as:

• Utility bills or recent bank account statements
• Residence certificate issued by local authorities
• Rental agreement or property title deed

Company Verification Documents (for legal entities)

When onboarding a business or legal entity, request:

• Trade register extract (Registre de Commerce) or certificate of incorporation
• Tax Identification Number (Identifiant Fiscal)
• Proof of company address (e.g., lease, utility bill)
• List of company directors and authorized signatories

Additional Documentation for Foreign Nationals

 For non-resident or foreign customers, also request:

• Valid residency card or permit
• Passport identification page and visa or entry stamp

KYC Reviews and Record Retention

All documents must be reviewed for accuracy and legitimacy. Customer information like address, job title, and risk level should be updated periodically. Regulated entities are required to store KYC records for at least ten years after the business relationship ends. Many institutions also rely on biometric verification or e-KYC tools to strengthen the onboarding process.

How KYC Works in Morocco: A Step‑by‑Step Guide

These are the key steps to stay compliant and onboard customers securely if you operate a fintech or digital business in Morocco:

Step 1: Identity Capture

Start by collecting the customer’s Moroccan National ID Card (CIN) or passport. Capture important details like full name, date of birth, ID number, and address. These documents are the primary forms of identity accepted by financial institutions and fintech platforms in Morocco.

Step 2: Biometric or Remote Verification

Verify the customer’s identity using biometrics such as face recognition (selfie) or fingerprint. This confirms the person matches the ID provided and helps prevent identity fraud. Digital platforms in Morocco also use e-KYC tools like liveness detection and OCR scanning.

Step 3: Customer Profile Confirmation

Auto-fill the customer profile with data from the ID. If there are any mismatches in details like name or address, prompt the customer to correct them using an approved method before continuing with onboarding.

Step 4: Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Risk Screening

Screen customers against local and international watchlists, including UTRF alerts, PEP databases, and global sanctions lists. If the customer is considered high risk, conduct enhanced due diligence by collecting additional information such as source of funds, occupation, and transaction purpose.

Step 5: Onboarding Approval and Monitoring Setup

Once verification is successful and the risk level is acceptable, approve the customer profile. If not, escalate or decline onboarding. Set up transaction monitoring based on the user’s risk level to detect unusual activity and remain compliant.

Step 6: Special Cases 

For low-risk or low-value accounts like mobile wallets, apply a simplified process. For foreign nationals, use passport data and verify visa or entry stamp. Agents handling small-value services can also follow lighter KYC flows in line with local risk guidelines. 

                   Want to make your KYC process easier? Use Dojah for seamless verification and faster onboarding.  Learn more about how to get started. 

Digital / eKYC Trends in Morocco

Morocco’s government has launched key initiatives under its Digital Morocco 2030 strategy to upgrade public services and roll out a biometric-based national digital ID system.

Since 2020, Morocco has introduced a next-generation electronic national identity card (CNIe) equipped with biometric and NFC technology. In 2024, the Trust Platform for secure digital identity verification expanded to over 30 public and private entities.

Paper-based ID checks and manual onboarding are being phased out in favor of real-time digital verification. You can now authenticate users remotely using the CNIe and Morocco’s national Trusted Third Party platform.

The country is also digitizing its civil registry in a MAD 194 million project. Over 38 million birth and death records dating back to 1915 are being moved into a centralized database that supports real-time identity validation.

What this means for you: identity capture, biometric face-matching, and automated screening are becoming the new onboarding standard. It’s faster, secure, and more scalable.

As Morocco continues to build its digital ID and eKYC infrastructure, now is the time to plug into this shift. You’ll need to explore tools that will help you onboard customers securely, reduce fraud risk, and align with future AML compliance trends.

Common Challenges of KYC in Morocco

If you're expanding your fintech or digital business  into Morocco, here are some of the KYC challenges you’ll likely deal with:

1. Inconsistent digital access

While internet access is decent in cities like Casablanca and Rabat, many rural areas still face poor connectivity. Beyond that, a lot of users, especially older or low-income ones, are not fully comfortable using mobile-first services. This can slow down your digital onboarding flow.

2.   Tiered KYC limits often exclude the underbanked

Morocco’s KYC structure allows tiered onboarding, but it still depends on the user presenting proper ID. Many informal workers or rural users either do not have one or find it hard to renew, which limits how far they can go with your product.

3.  Disconnected KYC and identity data systems

Banks, telecoms, and fintechs often do not share or sync data efficiently. This lack of collaboration creates duplicate verifications, errors, and longer onboarding times. It also increases your fraud risk since identity checks are not centralized.

4.  e-ID app issues during onboarding

Although Morocco has an e-ID app tied to the national identity card (CNIe), users often complain about poor UX and technical glitches. Many cannot get it to work or do not trust it, which disrupts onboarding if you're relying on this as a primary method.

5.  Compliance pressure as you scale

Keeping up with evolving KYC rules in Morocco isn’t just a one-time setup. You may need to adopt new tools, train local teams, and stay updated on changes to national ID policies or onboarding requirements. If you’re a growing fintech or digital business, staying compliant can quickly become time-consuming and resource-heavy.

Simplify KYC in Morocco and Save Time with Dojah

KYC in Morocco can be a real challenge without the right tools or a clear setup. You might deal with manual checks, repeated ID requests, or slow approvals that frustrate users and hold back your growth. And with Morocco’s KYC rules constantly evolving, staying compliant can demand more time and resources than expected.

That’s where Dojah steps in. Dojah helps you stay compliant without losing speed, users, or sleep.

With Dojah, you can:

• Verify Morocco IDs instantly, using facial recognition and liveness checks connected directly to the government database.
• Make onboarding faster with  AI-powered document checks and automated AML screening.
• Get started quickly with easy-to-use APIs and low-code tools, so your developers don’t get stuck setting everything up.

Our KYC solutions are fast, localized, easy to integrate, and trusted by top African businesses.

👉  See how Dojah helped Cleva power safe international payments across Africa.

Dojah offered us a seamless verification service via phone number data extraction that made our customer onboarding and verification process effortless. We’ve seen a clear boost in productivity since partnering with them.
 — Joseph Okoroafor, Head of Marketing & Communications, WellaHealth

 

👉 Book a demo to get started today.

Frequently Asked Questions About KYC in Morocco

What is the KYC process in Morocco?
You’ll need to collect a customer’s national ID or passport, verify it, run AML checks, and store the data in line with Morocco’s data protection laws and Bank Al-Maghrib guidelines.

Can I run KYC checks online in Morocco?
Yes, depending on your tools. Some platforms support facial recognition, document uploads, or biometrics. Access to official data is still limited.

How long does KYC onboarding take?
With digital tools, it can take seconds. Manual reviews or missing documents may slow things down.

What are the main KYC challenges for fintechs in Morocco?
Fintechs deal with scattered data, changing regulations, and a large population without formal IDs, making verification harder.

Do I need a local license to onboard users in Morocco?
Yes. You must be licensed by Bank Al-Maghrib or another financial regulator and follow local KYC/AML rules.

How can I verify a Moroccan ID online?
There’s no public portal yet, but some KYC providers support document-based and biometric checks.

Is there a central KYC portal in Morocco?
Not at the moment. Most checks rely on private integrations or manual processes.

How can Dojah help with KYC in Morocco?
Dojah lets you verify IDs, run biometrics, screen for AML risks, and onboard users faster through one API built for African markets.