Getting the ferry from Algeciras (Spain) to Tanger Med (Morocco) by van. A detailed, all you need to know (incl. Tickets, SIM cards and insurance for driving in Morocco) - October 2023
So, the time has come. The comfortable embrace of Europe is no longer an option.
90 days of travel means it is time to do the 'Schengen shuffle'. We found ourselves in Algeciras with a plan to cross over to Tanger Med, You can go to Ceuta (Spanish Territory within Morocco, much like Gibraltar), Tangier Port (Tangier Ville) or Tanger med from Puerto de Algeciras - we opted for Tanger Med as it was less daunting than coming out into the main city of Tangier!
We had been advised -as I'm sure lots of people researching the possibility of travelling to Morocco by van have been - to use Carlos at "Agence Voyage Ticket Bateaux Tanger" and we were assured he would give the best price etc.
Right up until the day of travel this was our plan - we never questioned it.
However, plans change (frequently for Amy & I), so just as we got ourselves ready to sail, we decided to go and get some quotes from the direct offices located within the port itself (field research if you like).
This is where the "fun" began.
Approaching Algeciras port you'll realise it is HUGE. The signs on the road are hit and miss...you will see signs for "Puerto" and then as you get closer those signs break up to more specific destinations. Follow the signs to Tangier for this crossing.
We did exactly this, but as you drive though the security at the gate (no checks etc. Just a gate), the sign posts all but disappeared. Lots of people looking like they know where they're heading…and us.
Clearly lost and getting too stressed, we decided to give in and just go to Carlos.
Remember that 'security gate' I mentioned? The one that just seemed to be a gate… well it turns out that is the case for entering, but upon exiting you must stop and be searched if you are in a van....A whistle and a waving, shouting man was how we learnt this lesson.
Driving around and around Algeciras centre looking for parking was actually worse than the port so we recomposed ourselves and decided to try once more at the port.
It was much easier this time. See map below:
We realised we made a wrong turn when entering originally which put us miles out.
As you drive in the port, above the road you will see signs. Find one that says "Tickets/Billettes" and just follow them, they will lead to a car park with a barrier. Press the button to get a ticket and miraculously the barrier will open (technical stuff this)
You get 20 minutes of free parking and it's clear through a slightly tinted window where all of the ticket offices are.
A screen on the wall inside shows the next available crossings - We didn't see this at first and just went to a familiar branded representative who pointed at the screen, telling us to go to the operator running for the crossing time you'd like to take (We are blaming the time limit of 20 minutes FREE parking for this oversight)
The next crossing for us was 2pm so, about 2 hours time.
Carlos was quoting people €300 (Disclaimer: this is what we heard, we cannot verify this!) for the crossing that day so when we got told for 2 people and a 6.8m campervan it would be €240 open return (return any time within 12 months) we were more than happy with this!
(To give an idea on the range of cost. A friend of ours boarded the same ferry as us and he was only 1 person and a Volkswagen T4, he paid €180 for an open return.)
You need your PASSPORT AND THE VEHICLE V5. Pay with cash or debit card (we used
visa) and you get given your tickets and a sign to put in your front windscreen (it just says Tanger Med).
From there leave the car park (we were in and out in about 10 minutes so the parking was free). Now just drive to the signs that say "Tangier con Billettes" - Tangier with tickets.
Drive to the security in Hi-Vis and they will check your ticket and guide you to the line to park in. It's a waiting game from here.
We still had 1.5 hours to the crossing and we were the second car to arrive (no need to go so early...the ferries rarely leave on time anyway!). Approximately 45 minutes before boarding you get called through a security gate which is where your passport is checked. That's it. You're through, zero security checks etc. on the Spanish side. Easy right?
Top tip: TAKE A PEN ON THE FERRY WITH YOU.
The ferry we were on was a bit of a maze and the signs may as well not have been there. But you must fill out a form on the ferry and that form must be stamped on board the ferry before you reach Morocco. The form is a basic A5 sheet of paper and can be found on the main desks and bar areas for you to help yourself to. It is a very self explanatory form but note that the ID number at the top
of the form isn't your passport number so don't make that mistake like we did (it made no odds though, it still got stamped fine). However, this is where the top tip comes in: TAKE A PEN ON THE FERRY WITH YOU. Although the sheets are easy to locate, a pen was not so easy!
Once filled out you'll find a small window with somebody who checks your passport and your form, (hopefully) stamps it, and then writes a number in your passport for customs on the Moroccan side.
The ferry arrives in Tanger Med and as you drive down the ramp off the ferry, a customs officer will be there. He looks at your passport, checks you have the number written to show you've had your form stamped and then waves you on with no direction of where to go.
We were second off the boat and the car in front quickly disappeared out of view.
It gets quite confusing and you think you've gone wrong quite soon into this. You drive and do the logical thing, follow the exit signs. But it was exit sign, after exit sign. We were driving and following these for almost 5 minutes. Genuinely questioning if that was it? Was that man at the ramp upon departure the customs? Are we just in Morocco now? What was the fuss all about?
Eventually you do reach the gates of customs.
We arrived at the gate and got greeted with the words "scanner, scanner, scanner"
(I think having a white 2004 slightly aged van that looks commercial from the front caused this as we were the only ones on the whole ferry to have this other than lorries)
The man greeted us at the scanner and asked us to step out the vehicle. He checked the v5 against the passports and then a large scanner reversed over your vehicle. They take what we assume is an x-ray of the vehicle and they sent us on our way. (We had alcohol under the water tank in bottles but nothing was said of this at all)
When you get to the gates a guard will take the passport of whoever the listed owner of the vehicle is and your V5 document and ask you to park on the side of the road. That will be taken away for approximately 30 minutes in our case.
In those 30 minutes, a police officer asked us to open the van front and back...shortly afterwards, a sniffer dog came around and inside the van and we were asked, quite aggressively 2 questions, or rather words in a questioning manner. "Drone?! Pistol?!"
To which our answer was "urm, no"?
To be asked again. "No drone? No pistol"? No.
After that we just waited. A very relaxed atmosphere. People just chatting to people from the ferry. The police, friendly, smiling and inquisitive - no horror stories whatsoever. After 30 minutes our passports were returned and you're given a small card.
Do not lose this card.
We took pictures of it as well. Apparently we will need it if stopped by the police.
You have one last step. Drive past a guard, show him the newly acquired card and it's welcome to Morocco!
As you drive out of the port on your left you see small booths. Here there are ATM's where we got our dirham out from (maximum withdrawal 2000 dirham
per card used - the equivalent of around €200)
The notes will come out in 100's and 200's but the currency exchange booths were happy to break down 400 dirham into smaller notes/ coins
Top tip: the smaller the better...try and get lots of 10 dirham coins and 20 dirham notes - it makes life much easier going forward!
And at the booth at the far end you can buy vehicle insurance from 'Assurance Aux Frontiers' for your travels - note that this is not a green card issued in the same way it would be through your insurance provider, this is a temporary policy covering you in Morocco for the duration of your trip. This is CASH ONLY. They accept euros or dirhams but insurance for 3 months cost 2100 dirham (we could only withdraw 2000 dirham) or €200 and we had no euros with us so if we weren't fortunate enough to have a friend with us to lend us euros until we got out of the port, this would have caused us a big problem!
The prices vary. A couple who we met on the boat and was in front of us in the queue bought a 1 month insurance policy and they paid €97 for one month; we paid €200 for 3 months. But that's about the price to expect. You pay the cash and are given a certificate to take around Morocco with you.
There's also a man there selling Maroc telecom SIM cards. However he didn't look official and we had heard not to use this man as the credit you buy doesn't get loaded onto your account. (Disclaimer: this is hearsay and not our own experiences so cannot verify this)
We had a Spanish SIM card and two British SIM cards. None of which worked in Morocco at all but shops sell the SIM card everywhere (look for the orange/blue "Maroc Telecom" signs outside of shops). We paid 30 dirham (approximately €3) for the SIM itself and 50 dirham (approximately €5) for 5GB of data.
All works fine and will try and top up more when this runs out.
As you drive out of the port the roads are really good. Very quiet, brilliantly level and easy to understand.
We wrote this as we were apprehensive before departing. And although this has been a very long read, we hope it gives you an in detailed idea of what to expect.
Happy travels!
