Morocco Tyre (Tire) Rules 2026: Atlas Snow, No Winter Law

Morocco sets no winter tyre rule, but High Atlas passes close for snow each winter. The tread floor is 1.6 mm. A UK driver needs a 1968 IDP, since the 1949 IDP is not accepted, and the Algerian land border remains closed.

For the permit itself, see the international driving permit guide.

Tyre Law Summary for Morocco

The Atlas is a winter mountain range

Anyone who pictures Morocco as uniformly hot has not driven the N9 in January. The High Atlas rises well above 4,000 metres, and the roads that cross it are high enough to be genuine winter roads:

• Tizi n’Tichka, around 2,260 metres on the Marrakesh to Ouarzazate route, is the main crossing and the one that closes.
• Tizi n’Test, to the west, is narrower, more exposed and less forgiving.
• Oukaimeden, above Marrakesh, is a ski resort — which settles the question of whether it snows here.
• Ifrane and the Michlifen area in the Middle Atlas hold snow through much of the winter.

Because there is no seasonal rule, the management is done by closure. Passes are shut or restricted during heavy snowfall and reopened when they are cleared, announced road by road rather than by calendar. Chains are sold near the passes for exactly this reason, and carrying a set for a winter crossing is the sensible precaution the law does not impose.

And then the south

The same set of tyres may spend the next week on Saharan routes where the surface temperature is punishing and the hazard is drifting sand rather than ice.

Two habits cover it. Set pressures cold, from the door sticker, because desert heat lifts running pressure far above the morning reading. And on soft sand, drop 0.2 to 0.3 bar for traction and put it back before returning to tarmac, because running under-inflated at speed on a hot road is how sidewalls fail.

The borders, including two with the EU

• Algeria: to the east. The land border has been closed since 1994, so there is no through route east by road.
• Mauritania: to the south, beyond Western Sahara, on the Atlantic route through the Guerguerat crossing. No winter tyre season; tread floor 1.6 mm.
• Spain: at Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish cities on the African coast. These are land borders with the European Union, and Spanish and EU rules begin at the gate — including a prohibition on studded tyres.

For speed limits, licence requirements and equipment rules, see the Driving in Morocco guide.

Hire Car Tyres in Morocco: Atlas Snow and Cover

Morocco has no winter tyre rule, so a hire car will normally carry ordinary tyres even though Atlas passes close under snow. For Ifrane, the Middle Atlas or a High Atlas crossing, ask the desk for chains and tyres with good tread, and have them written on the contract. Check the spare and tools before leaving a city, and read the waiver for tyre and wheel exclusions. Passes close on snowfall, not dates, so check conditions before the climb.

IDP for UK Drivers in Morocco

UK drivers need a 1968-convention International Driving Permit, because the 1949 version is not accepted by Morocco, according to the UK FCDO. Licences are valid for up to 12 months of stay. Carry the IDP with your UK licence at all times. The international driving permit guide explains how to obtain one before you travel.