I bank in the UK. If I use my VISA card at an ATM machine in Morocco to withdraw cash, my UK bank charges me more than 5% of the transaction value in transaction and conversion charges. To me, this is unacceptable. In addition, I found the ATM link to the UK to be unreliable at weekends. To boot, the error message that I was always given told me that I did not have enough funds in my account to make the withdrawal. I mean - why not just tell me that the system is down, instead of worrying me in this manner? Very alarming indeed, so I decided to do something about it.
I am an official resident of Morocco, since 2005 and so I decided to start bringing personal cash with me into Morocco and in the past three years have had a mountain of different information given to me by customs officials at both Agadir Al Masira and Marrakesh Al Menara airports.
In 2010, I was stopped by customs officials while exiting through Agadir Al Masira airport and was told that I needed to have a customs declaration form authorised from the point of entry if I wished to re-export any amount of foreign banknotes out of Morocco. "OK," I said. With this official customs declaration, I was told by Agadir customs officers that I would be able to re-export any part of my foreign currency with me on leaving Morocco. So far, so good and so I started to declare my foreign currency every time I arrived in Morocco. For three years, I sometimes took my extra cash back to the UK with me by declaring it on my exit from Morocco and the system seemed to work alright.
On Saturday July 6, 2013, around 6pm, I was leaving Morocco at Marrakesh Al Menara airport and near the exit gate I declared to the young man on customs duty that I had £800 on my person which I was re-exporting to the UK. He told me that I would have to accompany him over to the Customs Entry area of the airport and speak with the customs people there. I said "OK" and went with him, leaving my husband to look after our hand luggage while I went to sort out my paperwork. Going over there alone, as a woman, turned out to be a big mistake on my part.
On arrival at the Customs Entry area, I entered the office there. There were two customs men, one who stood guarding the doorway and another big guy sitting at his desk. I handed him my passport, residents card and £800 cash and told him I was re-exporting my money from Morocco. He told me that I am not allowed to re-export money out of Morocco and that after declaring it upon entry into Morocco, that I must deposit it into my Moroccan bank account:
"Madame, you are not allowed to export foreign currency in cash out of Morocco. You must deposit your cash into your Moroccan bank account when you arrive in Agadir. As a resident, you are just like us (Moroccans) and you are obliged to keep the law in this respect." he told me.
This guy was aggressive and mean looking, not a friendly person by a long chalk. I was shaking inside and became nervous, although I was determined to not let this man see how much he had upset me. I knew that what he had said to me was untrue, but instead of contradicting what he had said to me, which I knew could start a confrontation with him, and possibly give him a reason to confiscate my money, if I did that, I said to him, in French:
"Monsieur, me and my husband are law abiding people. I have been travelling in Morocco since 1979 and me and my husband have lived in Morocco for many years and always try to do everything in a correct manner. Three years ago, the customs officer at Agadir, Al Masira airport told me that I had to declare all cash money on arrival in Morocco and that if I show my customs declaration when I wish to leave Morocco, then I can take my cash out of the country on my person."
The room went silent for a couple of minutes. I sat there wondering what would happen next and was afraid that he was going to confiscate my money. But what could I do? I had responded to his statements and now the ball was in his court. I was also worrying about missing my flight, as I was in that office for the best part of half an hour.
"Take your things and go - and remember what I have told you for next time." he said and so I stood up, went over to his desk, picked up my things and walked out of his office. I was shaking and felt terrible. It seemed like a long walk over to the exit area and my husband looked at me in shock when he saw my face. It took me a couple of hours to get over the stress and I slept it off on the flight to Manchester.
I have written the following article on this subject:
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Please discuss any issues in this forum. Thank you.
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