How do I get and set up a Moroccan SIM card?

The easiest place to get connected is the moment you clear customs. Both Marrakech and Casablanca airports have official kiosks for the three carriers — Maroc Telecom (the best rural coverage), Orange, and inwi — right in the arrivals hall. Bring your passport, because registration is legally required and they will scan it. I tell guests to head straight there before the taxi rank; it takes five minutes and means you can map your way to the riad and message home before you have even left the building.

Ask specifically for a tourist or "internet" bundle rather than just a SIM. A typical package gives you something like 10–20 GB of data plus some local minutes for roughly 50 to 100 dirhams — far more than most people use in two weeks. Say how many days you are staying and the staff will recommend the right one. They will pop the SIM in for you, run the activation USSD code, and confirm you have data before you walk away. That hands-on activation is the part travellers most often get wrong on their own, so let them do it.

A few practical notes from doing this dozens of times. Make sure your phone is unlocked before you fly — a carrier-locked phone simply will not accept the SIM, and there is nothing the kiosk can do about it. Keep your original SIM in the little tray or a pocket so you do not lose it. If your phone supports eSIM, you can instead buy a Morocco eSIM online before you travel (Airalo and similar) and have data the instant you land without queuing — slightly pricier per gigabyte but genuinely convenient. I use eSIM myself now for exactly that reason.

Coverage is strong in every city and along the main roads. The one place it thins out is deep in the desert near the dunes and on remote mountain passes — perfectly normal, and part of the appeal of switching off out there. If you are heading to Merzouga or the High Atlas and want the best chance of a signal, Maroc Telecom edges the others. Top-ups ("recharge") are sold in every corner shop and tabac if you somehow run dry; just hand over cash and tell them your number.