Australians Driving in Morocco 2026: Swap Sides, Drink None

Morocco is one of the great self-drive countries — coast, desert, mountains and ancient cities within a day’s drive of each other. For an Australian visitor the paperwork is light, but one habit needs deliberate unlearning before you turn the first corner.

The verdict for Australian licence holders

The U.S. State Department’s country page for Morocco says “Foreign driver’s licenses are valid for use in Morocco for up to one year.” UK government travel advice, written for British licence holders, asks them for a 1968 IDP and says Morocco no longer accepts the 1949 version, which is the only one Australia issues, since Australia never joined the 1968 convention. The practical answer: drive on your Australian licence, bring the 1949 IDP as a translation in case a rental desk or officer asks, and confirm with the rental company before you book what it requires. Carry your licence and passport at every stop.

The side switch is the thing to respect

Australia drives on the left; Morocco drives on the right. This is the single adjustment most likely to catch you out, and the danger window is your first day — joining a roundabout that now flows the other way, pulling out of a fuel station, or glancing the wrong way at a junction. Spend your first hour on quiet roads rather than in central Marrakesh or Casablanca, and be deliberate at every turn until it stops feeling reversed.

Roads shared with everything

Outside the motorways, Moroccan roads carry a mix you will not see at home: donkeys, carts, pedestrians and cyclists sharing the carriageway, and in the old cities the medinas are simply impassable by car — park outside and walk in. Surfaces vary from excellent to rough, mountain passes can be narrow and unguarded, and night driving brings unlit vehicles. Drive to what you can see, not to the posted limit.

Speeds, alcohol and fines

Limits are 60 km/h in towns, 100 on rural roads and 120 on the motorway. The alcohol limit is a strict 0.02 BAC, lower than most Australian states — treat it as zero. A speeding penalty runs about MAD 300-700 (≈ €28-65), often paid on the spot, so carry some cash. Fuel is around $1.38 a litre, and the police emergency number is 190 (ambulance 150).

Read the full rules on our Morocco driving guide, confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, and estimate any penalty with the Speeding Fine Calculator.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State, Country Information, Morocco (“Foreign driver’s licenses are valid for use in Morocco for up to one year”), last updated July 30, 2026: cadataapi.state.gov
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Morocco, safety and security (“Morocco no longer accepts the 1949 version of the IDP”): gov.uk
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (participants): treaties.un.org
• UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (participants): treaties.un.org