Why productions shoot in Morocco
Locations
Morocco packs desert, mountains, a long Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline, historic medinas and modern cities into one country, often a few hours' drive apart. Ouarzazate has long been a base for desert shoots, while Casablanca gives you a contemporary city, studios and the country's main concentration of rental gear and crew.
Light and seasons
Strong natural light is one of the reasons productions come, but conditions change a lot with the season and the region: heat inland in summer, wind on the coast, cold nights in the mountains and the desert. Build that into your schedule and your gear list (diffusion, protective covers, power for remote locations).
Experience and the cash rebate
Morocco shot over MAD 1.2 billion of foreign productions in 2025 and offers a 30 % cash rebate on qualifying spend. That track record means experienced local crews, production-service companies that know the process, and rental houses used to working with international productions.
Shooting permits
Shooting authorisations in Morocco are issued by the CCM (Centre Cinématographique Marocain). Shooting permits and the rebate file must go through a licensed Moroccan production-service company. Gear House is not a production-service company, but we work alongside the main ones and can introduce you.
- Start early. The documents required and the time it takes depend on the project, so ask your production-service company for its checklist as soon as your dates and locations are taking shape.
- Locations. Many places also need the agreement of the owner or the local authorities. A location manager or a fixer / local producer handles this on the ground.
- Drones. We don't offer drones: civil drone use in Morocco requires a specific government authorisation. Ask your production-service company if aerial shots are essential.
- Bringing your own gear. Morocco accepts ATA carnets. We can top up locally whatever you don't fly in.
Shooting permits, locations and CCM authorisations remain the production's responsibility. When in doubt about your case, ask us and we'll point you to the right people.
The 30 % cash rebate
Morocco offers a 30 % cash rebate on qualifying spend for foreign productions. Eligibility, what counts as qualifying spend and the paperwork are set by the CCM and assessed case by case, and the file is prepared by your licensed production-service company. Check the current conditions with them before you budget on it.
What we do on our side: company invoices in MAD (with the EUR/USD equivalent shown) and the documentation your production-service company needs for the CCM cash-rebate file. Export services can be VAT-exempt with the right paperwork; ask us before you confirm so the quote is issued correctly.
Hiring local crew
On Gear House you book crew by name: each profile shows the person's reel, credits, languages and day rate, set by the crew member above the minimum for the role. Add them to the same list as your camera, and we confirm the person and the dates on WhatsApp before you commit. If someone becomes unavailable, we propose an equivalent crew member or remove the line at no cost.
Browse by role: directors of photography, camera operators, focus pullers, gaffers, key grips, sound recordists, DITs and every other role. Need a role nobody is listed in yet? Ask us and we'll find someone.
How a crew day works
- 10-hour day including a one-hour break. Overtime at 1.5× the hourly rate. Half day (up to 5 hours) at 60 %.
- Travel: transport within the crew member's own city is included. When they travel elsewhere in Morocco, a per diem of 300 MAD per day, plus accommodation at cost.
- Languages: we supply English, French and Arabic-speaking crew, and one contact handles your request in any of the three.
- Rates are per day, excluding VAT, and shown on each profile. Your confirmed quote is the reference.
Renting camera, lighting and grip gear
What's available
Our own stock plus partner rental houses and owners across Morocco: if it exists in the country, we can usually get it on your set. Browse cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, sound, monitoring and power and media. Every product page shows the day rate, the 3-day, weekly and monthly rates and the deposit. Short on prep time? Our ready-to-shoot kits go from creator and interview kits up to an ARRI Alexa Mini LF cinema package, tested and cabled before you arrive.
Pickup or delivery
Pick up at our counter, or have it delivered: 400 MAD per trip within the city the gear is in, and from 1 500 MAD anywhere else in Morocco, quoted per job. A technician can travel with cinema packages (crew rates apply), and we can pre-build cameras and run camera tests the day before your call.
ID, deposit and payment
- ID: Moroccan CIN, or passport plus proof of address for visitors. Companies: the signatory's ID and the company's ICE.
- Deposit: about 30 % of the gear's replacement value, by guarantee cheque (never cashed), card pre-authorisation, or bank transfer refunded within 5 working days of return. Companies may replace it with a signed purchase order and ICE, at our discretion.
- Payment: nothing is paid online. You pay at pickup by cash, card on our terminal, bank transfer received beforehand, or company cheque. Established production-service partners can get 30-day terms.
- Condition report: every piece is checked and filmed together at handover and at return, and you get the video.
Insurance and tough conditions
No rental insurance product for audiovisual gear currently exists in Morocco. If your production holds its own equipment policy, send us the certificate before pickup and we note it on the contract; otherwise our standard deposit applies. Shooting in sand, sea, desert or rain? Tell us in the request: we may require protective covers, a technician or a higher deposit.
How days are billed
A rental day runs from pickup to noon the next day. A Saturday pickup with a Monday return before noon counts as one day. Longer rentals cost less per day: 3 days are billed as 2.5, 7 days as 5, and 30 days as 18. The full rules are in our rental terms.
Studios
Not everything happens on location. Our studios page lists cycloramas, sound stages, photo studios and podcast rooms, with their size, power and what's included. Rates are set by each studio, per day, half day or hour. Add the space to the same request as your crew and gear; it's yours once we confirm it on WhatsApp, and overtime, cleaning and house rules are agreed with you before you commit.
Checklist before you shoot
- Production-service company engaged and the CCM authorisation filed for your dates and locations.
- Locations cleared with owners or local authorities where needed.
- Rebate checked: eligibility confirmed with your production-service company, and every invoice kept for the file.
- Crew named and confirmed, with travel days, per diems and accommodation planned whenever crew travel to your location.
- Gear list sent, with ID, deposit method and, if you have one, your equipment-insurance certificate ready.
- Pickup slot or delivery booked, and camera prep or tests scheduled the day before call if you need them.
- Your own gear covered by an ATA carnet if you're flying it in.
- Tough conditions flagged (desert, beach, sea, rain) so we can plan covers and support.
- Media backed up before return: memory cards and drives are formatted 48 hours after return.
How Gear House helps
Gear House is one platform for shooting in Morocco: crew, gear and studios in a single list, sent as one request. You get a reference number and a pre-written WhatsApp message. Within two working hours we come back with availability, swaps if something is out, the final quote and your pickup slot. One contact, one confirmed quote, one invoice, in English, French or Arabic, wherever you shoot in Morocco.
Still have questions? Read the FAQ, see how it works, or how we work with foreign productions.