Moving to the UK from Morocco: Guide

Visiting: a Visitor Visa, Not an Electronic Travel Authorisation

Morocco is on the Home Office visa national list, so Moroccan citizens need a Standard Visitor visa for a short trip. The £20 electronic travel authorisation is for people who are not visa nationals, and it is not an option on a Moroccan passport. A 6-month Standard Visitor visa costs £135, and longer-validity visitor visas cost £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years. A decision usually takes 3 weeks. A visitor visa does not let you work, study long term, or move to the UK.

Visa Routes for Moroccan Citizens

• Student visa. £558, and a decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK. See the student visa guide.
• Skilled Worker visa. Requires a licensed sponsor, a job at degree level (level 6 of the regulated qualifications framework) for a new application, and a salary of at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Some applicants qualify at the lower £33,400 threshold. A job on the Immigration Salary List uses that lower threshold and a lower fee, but the full going rate for the job still applies. See the salary threshold guide.
• Family visa. The sponsoring partner normally needs an income of at least £29,000 a year. A decision usually takes 12 weeks from outside the UK. See the spouse visa guide.
• Graduate route. 2 years after a UK degree, or 3 years after a PhD. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027 the standard length falls to 18 months. See the Graduate route guide.

Morocco is not a Commonwealth country and is not on the Youth Mobility Scheme list, so neither the UK Ancestry route nor the Youth Mobility Scheme is open on a Moroccan passport.

Document Requirements

• Valid Moroccan passport.
• Tuberculosis test. Needed if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more and have lived in Morocco, or another listed country, for 6 months or more. Morocco has clinics approved by the Home Office; a test at any other clinic will not be accepted. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray. GOV.UK publishes no price, because each clinic sets its own fee.
• English language test. Needed for most work, study and family routes. Morocco is not on the majority English-speaking list. A degree taught in English can be used instead of a test if UK ENIC confirms it is equivalent to a UK degree.
• Casier judiciaire. Not needed for every route. The Home Office asks for a police certificate for Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker applications in certain jobs, mostly in healthcare, education, therapy and social services, and for some other routes. Where it is needed, apply for bulletin no. 3 from the Ministry of Justice or the court of first instance for your place of birth. Check the GOV.UK criminal records checks guidance for how to apply from Morocco.
• Certified translation. Arabic and French documents must be provided with a full translation into English.

What It Costs

UK visa fees are set in pounds sterling and are the same wherever you apply from.

• Standard Visitor visa: £135 for 6 months
• Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK: £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for more than 3 years
• Student visa: £558
• Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year, or £776 a year for students, their dependants and under-18s
• Settlement: £3,226 for each person
• British citizenship: £1,709 to apply plus a £130 ceremony fee, £1,839 in total
• English test and tuberculosis test: GOV.UK publishes no price for either. Test providers and approved clinics set their own fees.

See our UK visa fees guide.

What the Healthcare Surcharge Buys

Paying the immigration health surcharge does not make the National Health Service free. It puts you on the same footing as a UK resident, so you then pay what a resident pays. In England that means £9.90 for each prescription item and dental charges of £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10 depending on the treatment. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

After Arrival

• Set up or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and check your online immigration status. There is no card to collect: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. To prove your status to an employer or a landlord you generate a share code, which lasts 90 days
• Apply for a National Insurance number
• Register with a GP
• Open a UK bank account
• Understand the immigration health surcharge

Path to Settlement

Most work and family routes lead to settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, after 5 years. It costs £3,226 for each person and a decision usually takes up to 6 months. After 12 months with settlement you can apply for British citizenship for £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee.

Morocco allows dual citizenship, and Moroccan nationality is not lost by acquiring another. That is a question for the Moroccan authorities, not the Home Office, and nothing in UK law stops you applying.

Next Steps

For official information, visit the British Embassy Rabat and the GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa page.

Questions and answers