How long does a building permit take in Morocco? Review, deadlines and appeals from abroad

By Yassine AT-TARASSI, architect · Updated on 27/10/2026 · Reference texts (6)

You live abroad, your architect has filed the application in Morocco: how long should it take, who holds the file, and what can you do from a distance if nothing happens? This guide follows an application after filing. For the list of documents, see the building permit guide; for online filing, see Rokhas.

Small or major project: which time limit applies?

The category of the application, defined in article 17 and annexes 2 to 4 of the RGC (decree no. 2-18-577 of 2019), sets the time limit, the route and who sits on the review committee.

Investor's trap: a shop on the ground floor of a family house turns a small project into a major one and doubles the time limit. Ask your architect to confirm the category before filing.

Who holds the file, step by step

Order 1839-23 sets the time allowed to each party. When you chase a file from abroad, this table tells you who to ask.

A dated example: planning your trip around the permit

Two fictitious complete applications filed on Monday 2 November 2026. Cautious assumption: we count working days (the RGC expresses step limits in working days: art. 18, 38, 41, 42, 44), excluding weekends and the national holidays of 6 November (Green March) and 18 November (Independence Day).

Indicative calendar computed by CITURBAREA from joint order 1839-23 and the RGC; the date on your filing receipt prevails. A request for amended plans restarts the count.

For a summer visit, the practical lesson is simple: file complete plans at least two to three months before you want work to begin, so that a request for amendments, the tax payment and the site-opening formalities still fit before you arrive. For the full timeline including design, see the building permit guide.

Working days or calendar days?

• Step limits (transmission, review, minutes, notification): working days under the RGC.
• Administrative silence: two months from filing (Law 12-90, art. 48), calendar months.
• Permit validity: one year from issue, or from the end of the two-month silence period (art. 49).
• Court appeal: in principle 60 days from notification of a refusal (Law 41-90, art. 23).

Every count starts from the filing receipt of a complete application (RGC art. 34). Ask your architect to send you a copy the day it is issued.

Following your application from abroad

• Who files: you, your architect or a person you mandate (RGC art. 34). In practice the architect files through the electronic platform provided by joint order 338-20 (Rokhas).
• What to ask for: the filing receipt, the committee minutes (they list each member's opinion), any registered letter requesting changes, and the issued permit with plans stamped "ne varietur" (RGC art. 43).
• Reacting quickly: for a minor reservation the architect has only 5 working days (art. 42). Sign in advance whatever the architect may need, so that the file does not wait for your next trip.
• Through CITURBAREA: CITURBAREA is a digital platform published by HSE DECO; architectural services are provided by Arc Bati Architecture, a licensed firm based in Kénitra, or by another licensed architect chosen on the platform, who reports each step to you there; documents and messages stay in your project space.

Before filing, the two habits that save the most time: request the zoning information certificate (issued in two working days, RGC art. 7) and have the architect check height, setbacks and plot ratio. A missing main document makes the application inadmissible; a missing supplementary document can never justify a refusal (art. 37).

What if…? Situations after filing

Who decides, and whose opinion counts?

Permanent members: province or prefecture, municipality, Urban Agency (RGC art. 22); utilities and telecoms join for major projects. Non-permanent members are limited to administrations whose opinion a text requires (art. 26), such as civil protection (decree 2-92-832, art. 32). The Urban Agency's opinion is binding: the mayor must consult it and comply with its content (art. 39). Law 64-23 (Official Bulletin no. 7533, 10 August 2026) creates regional planning and housing agencies that will take over this role as they are set up.

Tacit approval: can you rely on it?

Under article 48 of Law 12-90, the permit is deemed granted two months after filing if the mayor does not answer. Decree 2-22-141 (2023), implementing Law 55-19, reportedly also lists the building permit among acts where silence means approval, with a certificate from the wali or governor (known from press reports; decree text not reviewed). From abroad, do not rely on it: a tacit permit does not exempt you from the zoning plan, and a bank, notary or the local authority will ask for a document. If the municipality delays, the governor can serve formal notice and act (RGC art. 55; organic law 113-14, art. 76).

Refusal: re-examination or appeal?

Read the minutes first. A technical reason (height, setback, missing document) is usually fastest fixed by refiling corrected plans. The ministry has asked for re-examination of applications without a favourable opinion (circular no. 2168 of 2023). If you consider the refusal unlawful, an action for abuse of power can be brought before the administrative court, in principle within 60 days of notification (Law 41-90, art. 23); a Moroccan lawyer will confirm the deadline for your case.

After the permit: deadlines that keep running

• Pay the construction tax shown on the receipt: see permit fees and taxes.
• Site-opening declaration signed by the architect, filed 48 hours before work starts, plus hoarding and site sign (Law 12-90, art. 54-1).
• Site logbook kept by the architect (art. 54-2); failure is fined 5,000 to 10,000 DH (art. 76).
• Foundations within one year (art. 49); at the end, the occupancy permit.

An architect registered with the Order is a condition of the permit in urban municipalities, delimited centres and their outskirts (Law 12-90, art. 50); for 150 m² of floor area or less, only for the design (art. 54). In rural areas, see the rural building permit. For your budget, see the cost simulator.

Actual practice, one-stop-shop arrangements and locally requested documents may vary by municipality and Urban Agency. Check with them before filing.

Every requirement, article by article, with phase, document and responsible party: regulatory requirements matrix for construction in Morocco (in French, table and CSV).

Frequently asked questions