Guide · Set up a company in Morocco
Set up a company in Morocco
Steps, legal forms, share capital and online procedures: the key points to set up a company in Morocco, from the initial idea to registration.
Steps to set up a company in Morocco
To set up a company in Morocco, founders follow a precise sequence, which OMPIC describes for each legal form. Firstly, the negative certificate reserves the chosen company name. Then, the partners draft and sign the articles of association. When the legal form requires it, they also deposit the share capital in a blocked bank account.
The founders then register the deeds and obtain the business tax registration together with the tax identifier. Next, the company enters the trade register. Finally, it publishes its legal notices and joins the CNSS, the national social security fund.
For a public limited company or a simplified joint-stock company, the file also includes the subscription forms. In addition, it contains the declaration of subscription and payment.
Set up a company in Morocco online
Law 88-17 introduced the electronic creation of companies. Thus, the DirectEntreprise platform, which OMPIC manages, brings the creation procedures together. It notably connects OMPIC, the trade register, the General Tax Directorate, the CNSS and the Official Printing Office.
Authorised professionals, such as notaries, lawyers and accountants, use it on behalf of founders. Moreover, its rollout has covered the whole Kingdom since March 2025.
Which legal form to set up a company in Morocco
The most common forms are the limited liability company (SARL), including the single-member SARL, the public limited company (SA) and the simplified joint-stock company (SAS). Law 19-20 of 2021 introduced the SAS, which can have one or more partners. An activity can also operate as a sole proprietorship or under the auto-entrepreneur status.
The choice therefore depends on the number of partners, the liability sought and the prospects of opening the capital. Indeed, an unsuitable form later complicates the entry of an investor or the transfer of the business.
Minimum share capital and set-up costs
The SARL and the SAS require no minimum share capital. However, the public limited company requires capital of at least 300,000 dirhams. This threshold rises to 3 million dirhams when the company raises funds from the public.
The capital should nevertheless remain consistent with the real needs of the project. Indeed, it shapes the credibility of the company with banks and partners.
Finally, set-up costs vary with the legal form, the capital and the professionals involved. They notably include registration duties, publication fees and, where relevant, fees for drafting the articles of association and for domiciliation.
Points of attention from the outset
The articles of association set the distribution of powers, the rules for transferring shares and the exit conditions for partners. Consequently, standard drafting exposes the company to later deadlocks, especially when partners disagree.
Moreover, certain activities require prior authorisation or approval. Similarly, the choice of registered office and domiciliation entails obligations that the project must anticipate.
A.S Konsult' support to set up a company in Morocco
The firm first works upstream, on the market study, the business model, the business plan and the choice of legal form. Then, it structures the project from a legal and financial standpoint. It also prepares financing and support applications, as part of its MSME support.
Authorised professionals handle the registration formalities, while the firm coordinates their work. When the project involves significant investment, the invest in Morocco page also presents the incentives of the investment charter.
A company project in Morocco, a decision to prepare
Each assignment indeed starts with a preliminary diagnosis that qualifies the need, before any proposal. Moreover, the founder directly leads every assignment.