Established companies expanding to MoroccoSetting up in Morocco
For companies with an established business, we coordinate setting up a Moroccan subsidiary, relocating the team and running it long-term, all from a single point of contact.
Get a quoteCommon needs & challenges
When an established company expands abroad, the concern is not only registering the company but moving money in and out in compliance, keeping the paperwork consistent across both countries, relocating the team and running the operation long-term. These are the problems these clients meet most often.
Capital cannot leave China until the ODI filing is done
Investing through a Chinese company means first completing the NDRC and commerce filings and the bank foreign exchange registration, usually 1 to 3 months. Until the filing is done, the money cannot leave in compliance and the whole Morocco plan slips. We coordinate a professional firm in China to handle it and build the two-country schedule back from there.
Capital must come in through a bank and be properly declared
Share capital has to arrive in convertible currency through a bank from abroad, be declared as required and leave you with the bank's exchange record. If it is not declared properly when it comes in, sending profits and capital back later can be affected. Before you fund the company we confirm the process with the bank and the accountant so it is right the first time.
Sending profit back needs tax paid, with a dividend withholding tax
For a compliant investment there is in principle no ceiling on sending profits and capital back, but you first complete the annual accounts, the dividend resolution and local tax, and pay a withholding tax on dividends. The rate depends on the rules for the year and on the China-Morocco tax treaty, so build it into your projections early.
The paperwork must match across both countries, with apostille and sworn translation
The parent company's business licence, articles and board resolutions must be apostilled in China and translated into French by a sworn translator, and their content must match the ODI filing, or either country can send the file back for correction. We check the documents in advance and coordinate the apostille and the translation.
Staff are relocated one person at a time, and the timelines add up
Every manager and engineer you send over needs a work permit and a residence card, and the more people, the longer the overall timeline. Companies in certain locations such as Casablanca Finance City can use a simplified route, though eligibility should be confirmed first. We arrange people in batches around your arrival plan and follow each case through.
Long-term operations need reliable local partners
Running a subsidiary over the long term depends on local accountants, lawyers and other professional firms, whose credentials, compliance and reliability vary, and screening and monitoring them yourself is costly and risky. We are based locally and know the reputations, so we select them for you and keep oversight over the long term.
Why Saroutt
Our Morocco team is on the ground
This is not remote paperwork. We have a team based in Morocco who know the local processes, offices and pace, and run things in person for you.
Everything in Chinese, fewer detours
From China to landing in Morocco, we work with you in Chinese; the complex French and Arabic documents and procedures are on us.
We know the local way things are done, not just the rules
Behind every step are local conventions and the way things actually get done: who to approach, how to raise it, where things stall. We know the practice, not just the procedure, so you avoid the mistakes newcomers make.
A real local network
Banks, licensed lawyers and accountants, notaries and sworn translators, zones, landlords and suppliers: we have reliable local relationships, so you don't start from scratch.
We negotiate in the local language
Leases, prices, and dealings with offices and partners: we argue your case in person in Darija and French, so language never costs you.
One all-in price, official fees included
The quote is spelled out once, it includes official fees, and it does not creep as long as the scope stays the same.
How we typically help
- Subsidiary setup and structure, whether a SARL, a SARL AU or an SA
- ODI filing and moving capital out in compliance
- Bringing capital into Morocco through a bank and declaring it
- Relocating your team, work permits and residence
- Housing and settling in for your relocated team
- Long term accounting, filings and compliance, managed for you
- Every plan is tailored to your situation, not a fixed package
FAQ
- Can profits and capital be sent back to China?
- Yes. Where the investment came in through a bank from abroad and was properly declared, profits and capital can in principle be sent back. Before distributing, you complete the annual accounts, the shareholders' resolution and local tax, including the dividend withholding tax, and the Moroccan foreign exchange rules and the rate in force for the year apply.
- How long before capital can leave China?
- Investing through a Chinese company means first completing the outbound investment, or ODI, filing and the bank foreign exchange step at home, usually 1 to 3 months, after which the capital can be sent. Investing in a personal name has its own foreign exchange requirements, so ask early. We can coordinate a professional firm in China to handle it.
- Can we own the company 100%?
- Yes. Most sectors in Morocco allow full foreign ownership, as a single shareholder company, the SARL AU, or a limited company with several foreign shareholders. A few areas, such as agricultural land, are restricted, and the applicable rules govern.
Start shaping your plan
Fill in a short questionnaire and we will reply within 24 hours on business days with a suggested plan and an exact quote.
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