Establish a company in morocco

Company Formation in Morocco: A Complete Guide for Entrepreneurs and Investors

Company formation in Morocco is attracting more and more Moroccan and foreign entrepreneurs. Thanks to a structured legal framework, competitive tax system, and strategic geographical location, Morocco has become a favorable ground for business development. But before you start, it is essential to understand the steps, the choices to be made, and the mistakes to avoid.

In this article, we offer a complete guide to setting up your company in Morocco under the best conditions, with a focus on the turnkey support offered by Upsilon Maroc.

Why Create a Company in Morocco?

Creating a company in Morocco provides access to a dynamic market, allows for official registration, and offers numerous tax benefits.

Furthermore, many investors are interested in Morocco due to its position as a business hub at the crossroads of Europe and Africa. Morocco also has the advantage of a wide range of international free trade agreements with several countries around the world (USA, Egypt, European Union, Turkey, etc.).

Creating your company in Morocco also gives you the ability to contract with financial institutions, legally recruit, and structure your activities professionally.

The country offers several legal forms to suit every project: SARL, SA, SAS, SCI, auto-entrepreneur, etc. The SARL (Limited Liability Company) remains the most common form for small and medium-sized businesses due to its flexibility and management simplicity.

Key Steps in Company Formation in Morocco

The formation of a company follows a well-defined procedure. Here are the main steps:

1. Choosing the Legal Form: The choice of legal form depends on your activity, the number of partners, and your growth strategy. The SARL is suitable for most cases, while the SA is adapted for large-scale projects or fundraising. The Moroccan landscape has recently been enriched with a new form: the Simplified Joint Stock Company (SAS).

2. Obtaining the Negative Certificate: First, you must ensure that your chosen company name is available. The negative certificate is issued by the OMPIC and allows you to reserve your company's name. This is an essential preliminary step in the creation process.

3. Drafting the Articles of Association: The articles of association define the company's internal operations: share capital, distribution of shares, powers of the managers, company duration, etc. This step must be carried out with rigor to avoid any future disputes.

4. Company Domiciliation: Every company must have a registered office. You can rent premises, use your own address, or opt for a commercial domiciliation solution, particularly with a firm like Upsilon Maroc.

5. Depositing the Share Capital: The share capital must be deposited in a bank account in the name of the company under formation. A certificate of capital deposit is issued by the bank to complete the file. It should be noted that the blocking of capital is not necessary when the company's capital is less than 100,000 Moroccan dirhams.

6. Signing the Articles of Association and Legalizing Documents: Once the articles of association are finalized, they must be signed and legalized, just like the other documents in the creation file. Upsilon Maroc can assist you if you are not a resident in Morocco, allowing you to create your company without travel (or with minimal travel). Our agents can act under a power of attorney to carry out all the formalities.

7. Company Registration: The complete file is submitted to the Regional Investment Center (CRI) or the one-stop-shop, which is responsible for obtaining the following documents: Commercial Register, Tax ID, ICE, CNSS affiliation, business license, etc. Some of these formalities can now be done online; however, the process does not yet include a complete A-to-Z online creation. Some travel by our agents remains necessary.

Why Use a Firm to Create Your Company?

Creating a company in Morocco involves administrative, tax, and legal procedures that can be long and tedious, especially if you are not familiar with local formalities.

This is why many project leaders choose to entrust the creation of their company to a specialized firm like Upsilon Maroc. You save time, reduce the risk of errors, and receive tailor-made support, from drafting the articles of association to domiciliation, capital deposit, and file monitoring.

After the company is created, the chartered accountant can assist you with its accounting, legal, and tax compliance. They also provide support through their tax advisory services.

If you are a foreign or non-resident investor, we also assist you with the formalities at the Exchange Office. This step is important to guarantee the convertibility of your future profits and capital gains from asset sales.

Upsilon Maroc: A Turnkey Service

At Upsilon Maroc, we offer a complete solution for the creation of your company:

• Personalized advice on the appropriate legal form.

• Drafting of articles of association and constituent acts.

• Obtaining the negative certificate.

• Possible domiciliation in our offices in Casablanca.

• Capital deposit and bank account opening.

• File monitoring with the competent administrations.

• Delivery of a complete file ready for operation.

We also intervene in the context of more complex projects: foreign subsidiaries, holding companies, specific arrangements, or partnerships with local partners.

Cost and Timeline to Create a Company in Morocco

The cost primarily depends on publication fees, firm fees, share capital, and the mode of domiciliation. As an indication, an SARL can be created with a budget ranging from 6,000 to 15,000 MAD, depending on the options chosen.

The average time to register a company is 10 to 15 business days if all documents are complete and compliant from the start.

In Summary

Company formation in Morocco is a structured but accessible process, provided you have the right support. By choosing Upsilon Maroc, you ensure a fast, secure, and compliant start, in accordance with local regulations.

Do you have a project in mind? Contact our team to get a personalized quote and start your process without delay. Together, let's turn your idea into a business.