A month in Tangier

Citizens of EU countries, the UK and the US are on Morocco's list of nationals exempt from an entry visa. The national tourist office gives 90 days as the longest tourist trip, with an extension of another 90 days requested at the nearest police station. UK advice gives the same 90 days, and France's foreign ministry counts three months as 90 days exactly.

A month booked with a hotel, a riad or a guest house remains a tourist stay: the taxe de séjour applies to every night and the registration form applies on arrival. According to the Ministry of the Interior's portal, Law 07-20 extended the tax to flats rented by their owners to tourists, including through online booking platforms.

Morocco has a separate law for residential leases, Law 67-12. Its text could not be checked for this guide, so nothing here covers deposits or notice periods under it.

The city centre suits a month on foot: Place de France and Boulevard Pasteur, the shops and restaurants of the newer city, and the medina under 1 km away beyond the Grand Socco. The medina itself suits a month in a riad or a house, with the car, if there is one, left in a car park.

The Corniche suits a month by the sea, with the main beach and Tanja Marina Bay on the doorstep and the Place des Nations car park, which sells monthly passes, close by. Malabata and Cap Spartel suit a month with a car: by road, Malabata is about 4 km from the Grand Socco and Cap Spartel about 13 km.

On the street, Tanger Parking sells a one-month pass for 400 DH without commitment, which its page presents as suited to visitors and professionals passing through. Its subscriptions cost 200 DH a month for one chosen blue-zone quarter, open to anyone, and 300 DH a month for every blue zone. The 120 DH green-zone subscription is for residents and shop owners of the quarter; ask the operator whether a month's tenancy qualifies.

Underground, the Place des Nations, Iberia and Quartier Administratif car parks sell a monthly pass for 800 DH, and Ligue Arabe for 650 DH. A 24-hour subscription costs 555 to 610.50 DH a month, plus a 100 DH registration fee for new subscribers. The Quartier Administratif sheet adds 20% to subscriptions in June and September and 30% in July and August.

The car parks' internal rules add a limit: a car, on an hourly ticket or a subscription, may not stay more than 30 days, a subscriber's car that has not moved by then pays the reserved-place rate, and after 60 days a car goes to the pound at the user's cost. A flat with its own space removes the question.

Expect to show a passport at check-in and to sign the individual registration form, which the host declares electronically to the police. Hotels, riads and guest houses hold an operating authorisation under Law 80-14, and a homestay in the host's own home needs a five-year authorisation from the local authority. No authorisation scheme for a whole flat rented by its owner was found, so ask the host how the stay is declared.

The tax runs every night. Tangier's own rates were not found, but the national ranges set the bounds: two adults in a 4-star hotel pay between 300 and 600 DH over 30 nights (5 to 10 DH x 2 x 30), and in a guest house between 900 and 1,800 DH (15 to 30 DH x 2 x 30). Children under 12 are exempt.

Airbnb calls a booking of 28 nights or more a monthly stay. The guest pays the first month, then monthly payments follow; a long-term cancellation policy applies, and changes generally need 30 days' notice.

Hotels, riads and guest houses price a month as a run of nights, with the tourist tax on each one. Quub compares and books stays for the dates entered, with prices and availability set by the sellers.

Parking in a green zone. Those places are reserved for subscribers, mainly residents and professionals.

Leaving the car in an underground car park for the whole month without moving it. The rules cap a stay at 30 days, and after 60 days the car goes to the pound.

Budgeting for a car park in summer at spring prices. Two tariff sheets add 20% in June and September and 30% in July and August.

Staying past 90 days. The tourist trip ends at 90 days unless the police grant an extension.

Forgetting the tax on a long hotel stay. It adds up per person and per night.