Morocco's free zones, now industrial acceleration zones, offer a customs and tax regime tailored to export activities: Tanger Free Zone and Tanger Med, Atlantic Free Zone in Kenitra, Midparc in Nouaceur for aerospace, Technopolis in Salé. They make sense if the activity is mainly export-oriented.
Morocco's industrial acceleration zones (ZAI, formerly free zones) anchor the country's export industry: automotive around Tangier and Kénitra, aeronautics at Midparc (Nouaceur), and diversified export platforms.
What you gain inside
- Corporate tax at 15% after the start-up period — the specific ZAI regime;
- Customs freedom — inputs enter without duties for transformation and re-export;
- Simplified procedures — single window, exchange facilities;
- Ecosystem — suppliers, logistics and skills concentrated on site.
The conditions
The model is built for export-oriented activity: sales to the local market remain possible only within limits and under normal duties. Admission goes through the zone operator with a business plan; buildings are mostly leased from the operator, sometimes built on leased land. Weigh the commitment against a classic implantation — for many mixed local/export profiles, an ordinary zone plus customs economic regimes achieves 80% of the benefit with more freedom.
Where
Tanger Free Zone / Tanger Automotive City (automotive, Europe at 14 km), Atlantic Free Zone Kénitra (automotive corridor), Midparc (aeronautics, medical), and regional platforms. Outside the zones, the whole market remains open — see warehouses for sale and Investment Charter support.
Frequently asked questions
What is an industrial acceleration zone?
The official name of Morocco's free zones: a delimited area with a specific customs and tax regime, designed for export-oriented activities.
What are Morocco's main free zones?
Tanger Free Zone / Gzenaya next to Tanger Med, Atlantic Free Zone in Kenitra (automotive), Midparc in Nouaceur (aerospace), Technopolis in Salé, Nador West Med and Jorf Lasfar.
Is a free zone suitable for domestic sales?
No: if you mainly sell in Morocco, the regime's constraints often outweigh its benefits; a classic industrial zone will be more relevant and cheaper.
How to set up in a free zone?
File with the zone's managing body (project, investment, jobs), obtain approval, choose the building (rented module or plot to build), then set up the regime's customs procedures.
Sources and verification
- Law on industrial acceleration zones and DGI — 15% IS regime
- TMSA / MedZ and zone operators — admission conditions
- ADII — customs status of ZAI
- AMDIE — investor guidance
Regulations evolve: have your situation confirmed by the competent authority or an advisor (lawyer, notary, accountant) before any commitment.
Last updated: 1 August 2026 — Hangar Maroc.