Retiring in Agadir

Hi everyone! I’m planning to retire in Agadir in 2026, preferably in a furnished rental not too far from the souk and the sea. I’ll be bringing my two African grey parrots and two cats. I’d like to know what formalities I need to take care of, and if I transfer my pension to Agadir, which bank would you recommend? What about health insurance? Is the healthcare system good there? I’ll have around 2000 € in retirement income. Do you know of any rental agencies that work with French expats? Any advice would be greatly appreciated—I’m planning to visit for a week next year to check things out. Thanks in advance for your tips!

Best regards, Lorraine

Hi Lorraine,

Here’s what you need to bring your cats to Morocco:

To bring a domestic carnivore into Morocco from the European Union, you’ll need:

Electronic identification (or a readable tattoo done before July 3, 2011) Passport (EU regulations) Valid rabies vaccination (vaccination rules as prescribed by the producing laboratory**) Health certificate issued by an official veterinarian in the country of origin within 24 hours before loading (template** provided by the Moroccan ONSSA) (fillable PDF template available from French veterinary services *). Rabies titer test done at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, mandatory for travel if the animal isn’t staying in Morocco permanently**, and mandatory for returning to the European Union (see the page "Rabies titer test for returning to the European Union"). https://www.consulat.ma/fr/introduction-des-animaux-de-compagnie

For your parrots, I’m not sure. You might want to contact the Ministry of Agriculture: https://www.agriculture.gov.ma/fr/accueil

With a 2000 € pension, you can live comfortably in Morocco.

In my humble opinion, there’s no need to look for a real estate agency that “works with French people.” The best approach is to come to Agadir, explore the neighborhoods, and find one you like. You can check out Avito or Maroc Annonces for real estate listings: https://www.avito.ma/ https://www.marocannonces.com/

If you search on your own, you’ll find men running small offices or "Samsarts," who act as real estate agents. Sometimes there’s a set of keys in front of the office, and sometimes they don’t even have an office. They’re much cheaper than real estate agencies and often know everything that’s for sale or rent. For banking, there’s BMCE, BMCI, and personally, I use Attijariwafa. You can pay all your bills online—internet, phone, etc. Online purchases and transfers are also very straightforward. Pet food, vet visits, etc.—I often pay with an instant transfer. If you want to receive your pension in a Moroccan account, you’ll likely need to open a convertible dirham account. https://www.attijariwafabank.com/fr/services-du-groupe For health insurance, I’m not sure—I don’t have any and never have. But the best option might be to subscribe to insurance for French people living abroad.

“Is the healthcare good?” There are plenty of good doctors. Have a great day.

Thank you so much for your tips! I still have 18 months before retirement, but it’s best to plan ahead and know as much as possible. Have a great day! Best, Lorraine 🙂🙂🙂