Debt Collection Agency Morocco: Code de Commerce & Tribunal de Commerce
Debt Collection Agency Morocco: North Africa's Most Creditor-Friendly System
The Moroccan Advantage
Morocco stands apart from its North African neighbours — its commercial legal system, derived from French civil law, provides foreign creditors with a functional framework that actually works in practice. The Tribunal de Commerce system, established in 1997, handles commercial disputes through specialised judges with business law expertise. For European creditors in particular, Morocco's French-influenced procedures feel familiar — injonction de payer, référé, saisie conservatoire — the vocabulary and logic are recognisable.
Morocco is Africa's 5th-largest economy and a major trade partner for the EU (particularly France and Spain). The Morocco-EU Association Agreement and Morocco's strategic position as a gateway to Sub-Saharan Africa make it a jurisdiction where commercial debt collection expertise has real value.
The Collection Process
Mise en demeure (formal demand). Formal demand citing the contract, outstanding amount, and intérêts de retard (default interest). The mise en demeure should be sent by registered mail (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception) or delivered by huissier de justice (bailiff). This step is legally required before court proceedings and establishes the debtor's default.
Injonction de payer (payment order). For documented, undisputed claims, the creditor can apply for an injonction de payer at the Tribunal de Commerce. The judge reviews the application ex parte (without hearing the debtor) and, if the documentation supports the claim, issues a payment order. The debtor has 15 days from service to file opposition. Timeline: approximately 2-4 weeks to payment order.
Référé (summary proceedings). For urgent claims or claims requiring provisional measures, the président du Tribunal de Commerce can hear the case in référé and order saisie conservatoire (precautionary seizure) of the debtor's assets. This is Morocco's fastest judicial remedy — hearings can be scheduled within days of filing.
Enforcement
Moroccan enforcement is handled by huissiers de justice (bailiffs) who can seize bank accounts (saisie-attribution), movable property (saisie-vente), and real property (saisie immobilière). The enforcement system functions but can be slower than the European equivalent — particularly for real property execution, which requires auction procedures through the court.
Key Parameters
Statute of limitations: 5 years for commercial claims (Article 5 of the Code de Commerce).
Language: Court proceedings in Arabic, with French widely used in commercial courts. Documents in French are generally accepted; other languages require sworn translation.
Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD). The dirham is pegged to a basket of euro and US dollar — providing relative currency stability for European and American creditors.
Morocco's French-influenced commercial court system, injonction de payer procedure, and strategic position make it North Africa's most accessible jurisdiction for international debt collection.
