Close the bank account last, not first
The instinct on leaving a country is to shut everything down at once, and the bank account tends to go early because it feels like the biggest loose end. It is exactly the wrong move.
Almost every other closure ends with a refund or a final bill: the rental deposit, the utility deposits, a telecoms credit, sometimes a tax reimbursement. All of those need somewhere to land. Close the account before they arrive and you have turned a simple transfer into months of correspondence from another continent. Your bank account is the last thing you close, not the first.
The lease and the deposit
Notice periods in Morocco are commonly a month or more, so read the contract early rather than on the day you decide to leave. Give notice in writing and keep proof that it was sent and received.
The deposit is recovered by making it easy to return. Photograph the property at handover, in the same detail you wish you had photographed it when you arrived. Settle every utility bill before the final walkthrough, because an unpaid Lydec invoice is the standard reason a landlord holds part of a deposit back. Hand back every key and remote you were given, including the ones for gates and letterboxes.
Utilities: know which company you actually have
Morocco does not have one national utility for water and electricity, and which company serves you depends entirely on your city. That trips up more people than the closure procedure itself.
Whichever applies, ask for a final meter reading and a closure certificate rather than simply stopping payment. The certificate is what proves the account is settled, and it is what your landlord will want to see before releasing the deposit.
- Casablanca and Mohammedia: Lydec
- Rabat, Sale and Temara: Redal
- Marrakech: RADEEMA
- Tangier and Tetouan: Amendis
- Most other cities: the local regie or ONEE
Telecoms are easier to start than to stop
Internet and mobile contracts with Maroc Telecom, Inwi or Orange usually need to be closed in person at an agency, with your identity document and the contract reference. A phone call rarely finishes the job.
Return the router. It is a small item that generates a surprising amount of follow-up correspondence when it stays in a cupboard, and some contracts bill for it. Get written confirmation of closure, not a verbal assurance.
The order that works
Sequenced properly, the whole thing takes a few weeks of small errands rather than a stressful final fortnight. The sequence below is the one that avoids the common traps.
- Read your lease and give written notice, keeping proof
- Book the move once the departure date is fixed
- Start the change of residence paperwork for your destination
- Close telecoms in person, return the router, get it in writing
- Request final utility readings and closure certificates
- Hand back the property with photographs and all keys
- Recover the deposits
- Close the bank account once every refund has landed
Leave a forwarding arrangement behind
Whatever you close, something will follow you: a late invoice, an administrative letter, a document you did not know you needed. Leaving a trusted local contact and a reliable email address costs nothing and saves a great deal.
The same goes for documents. Scan the lease, the closure certificates, the meter readings and the handover photographs before you fly. Once you are abroad, obtaining a copy of a Moroccan document you never kept is considerably harder than it sounds.