Filming in Morocco in 2026: the Permit, the Certified Partner, the 30% Rebate and Drones

Filming in Morocco follows a simple order: a shooting permit from the Moroccan Cinema Centre, a Moroccan company certified by the CCM as your official local partner, and, if the work is eligible, a 30% cash rebate applied for before the first day. The rules changed in 2025 and 2026, so this guide sticks to what the CCM itself publishes.

The permit and the certified partner

The CCM, the Moroccan Cinema Centre, is the official point of contact for international productions. It issues the shooting permit, which confirms that the project meets the legal, administrative and security requirements of the Kingdom. Its guide for foreign productions advises working with a Moroccan company certified by the CCM, under the international certification in force since 1 September 2026. That company handles the administrative, legal and logistical coordination and acts as your single point of contact with the authorities.

The change comes from Law 18.23 on the film industry, in force since 1 September 2025. Companies licensed under the previous 1999 law had until 31 August 2026 to comply, and the Moroccan press reports two accreditations: a national one, and an international one for executing productions on behalf of foreign producers, valid for five years and renewable. If you are choosing a partner now, ask to see its certificate.

The 30% cash rebate

The CCM reimburses 30% of eligible expenses incurred in Morocco. Eligible works are feature films, feature length docu fiction, TV movies, television drama series, documentaries, docu fiction, and fiction or documentary works made primarily for the internet. Not eligible are animated films, short and medium length films, music videos, advertising, corporate films, reality television, television shows, news reports and recordings of performances.

The application is made before shooting. The CCM gives a preliminary approval within thirty days, subject to the availability of funds, and asks for a deposit equal to 5% of the support requested. The deposit is refunded in full if the project is completed. From the payment of the deposit you have six months to start filming, twelve months from the first day to finish, and three months after the end of filming to submit your supporting documents. Payment is a single bank transfer, within a maximum of 180 days after the commission has validated a complete file.

In return the production credits Morocco's support, lets the CCM use short excerpts to promote the country as a filming destination, and gives the CCM a copy or a viewing link. The earlier joint order also set a minimum shooting time and a minimum local spend. Because the framework was reorganised in 2025 and 2026, check the current terms with the CCM before you budget around the rebate.

Drones

Drones are among the most tightly controlled equipment in Morocco. Importing one needs authorisation and flying one needs authorisation, and press reports describe permission being needed each time and crews having equipment confiscated in restricted areas. For a production the answer is to plan the drone in the permit file from the start, through the certified partner, and to work with a licensed operator on the ground rather than bring your own. Never carry a drone into the country on the strength of an email.

Where to shoot

The CCM describes the country as an open air studio: deserts, mountains, beaches, valleys, forests, two coastlines, medinas, palaces and villages, within a few hours of one another. In 2025 the CCM counted 48 foreign film and television productions shot in Morocco. Ouarzazate has hosted international productions for decades, and its Atlas studio, opened in 1983, was the first in North Africa. A new international film production city with a large soundstage is planned there. Marrakech, the Agafay desert, Erg Chigaga in the south, Essaouira and the Atlantic coast, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Fez and Chefchaouen cover almost every look a script asks for.

What to settle in the first fortnight

Start with your location list, because permits depend on sites: a simple urban location is quicker than a desert, a border area or a sensitive site. Decide early whether the work is eligible for the rebate, because the application comes before shooting. Plan drones and any aircraft in the permit file. Settle casting and extras, local crew and transport to remote sites, and think about accommodation and medical cover where the nearest hospital is hours away. Ramadan changes working hours and availability, so check its dates against your schedule.

How Umnya fits

Umnya is the local partner around a production: locations, casting, crew, logistics, introductions and the permit file prepared with a CCM certified Moroccan producer. We are not the producer of your film. The film production page describes the service, and no amount is published, because each production is budgeted line by line.

Sources: the official CCM guide for shooting and cash rebate in Morocco, and joint order 2117-18 on support for foreign productions.