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Checklist · 8 min readChoose a legal structure for your Moroccan company
Five structures, three real choices for most Agadir founders. Use this checklist to pick the right one before you spend a dirham at the notaire.
The five Moroccan structures at a glance
| Structure | Founders | Min. capital | Liability | Tax regime | Investor-ready? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-entrepreneur | 1 | — | Personal | 1 % / 2 % CPU on turnover | No |
| SARL | 2–50 | MAD 1+ | Limited | IS 17,5 / 20 / 22,75 / 35 % | Yes (with conversion) |
| SARL-AU | 1 | MAD 1+ | Limited | IS 17,5 / 20 / 22,75 / 35 % | Yes (with conversion) |
| SA | 5+ (or 1 SAS) | MAD 300 000 | Limited | IS 17,5 / 20 / 22,75 / 35 % | Yes — preferred for VC |
| SAS | 1+ | MAD 300 000 | Limited | IS 17,5 / 20 / 22,75 / 35 % | Yes — flexible governance |
IS rates are the post-Loi de Finances 2023 phased rates: 20 % below MAD 100M turnover, 35 % above MAD 100M, with a target single rate of 20 % from 2026 onward.
Decision tree
Pick Auto-entrepreneur if…
- You are a solo freelancer (developer, designer, consultant, surf coach, content creator).
- You expect < MAD 500 000 turnover (services) or MAD 2M (trading).
- You want zero set-up cost and a flat 1 % (services) or 0.5 % (commerce) tax.
- You will not raise external equity in the next 12 months.
Pick SARL or SARL-AU if…
- You have one to four co-founders with a clear cap table.
- You will employ people and want limited liability.
- You will apply to Tatwir Startup, Innov Invest or 212 Founders.
- You may convert to SA when you raise a Series A.
Pick SA or SAS if…
- You are raising USD 1M+ from institutional investors.
- You need preferred shares, drag-along, anti-dilution, board governance.
- You plan to go public on the Bourse de Casablanca or list on the new Alternative Market.
- You operate in a regulated sector (banking, insurance, telecoms).
Side-by-side: tax burden on a MAD 1M profit
| Structure | Corporate tax | Net to founder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-entrepreneur (services) | 1 % CPU on MAD 1M = MAD 10 000 | ~ MAD 990 000 | Capped at MAD 500k turnover; over that you must convert. |
| SARL — first MAD 300k profit | 17,5 % = MAD 52 500 | — | Reduced rate for SMEs < MAD 100M turnover. |
| SARL — MAD 1M profit | ~ MAD 200 000 | ~ MAD 800 000 (before dividend tax) | + 13,75 % on dividend distribution. |
| SA — MAD 1M profit | ~ MAD 200 000 | Same as SARL | Investor expectations differ; substance is identical. |
Investor-readiness checklist
- Statuts include a transfer-of-shares clause (préemption, agrément).
- Shareholders’ agreement (pacte d’associés) signed at incorporation.
- Cap table maintained in a single source of truth (Carta, Captable.io or a clean spreadsheet).
- Board (gérance for SARL, Conseil d’Administration for SA) meeting minutes kept on file.
- Annual accounts deposited with OMPIC within 30 days of AGM.
- Beneficial owners declared on the OMPIC register.
- IP assignments signed by every founder, employee and contractor.
Common mistakes Agadir founders make
Choosing auto-entrepreneur to save time. If you intend to raise even MAD 200k of angel money, you will need to dissolve and re-incorporate as SARL — wasting 2–3 months and an extra MAD 5 000.
Setting share capital at MAD 10 000 for a deep-tech SARL. Investors will require an immediate capital increase to MAD 100 000+ before signing a term sheet.
Forgetting to file the beneficial-owner declaration. Since 2021 every Moroccan SARL/SA must declare effective beneficiaries on the OMPIC register; non-filing carries a fine of up to MAD 100 000.
Conversion paths
You are not locked in. Typical evolution:
- Auto-entrepreneur → SARL-AU: when you cross MAD 500k turnover or hire your first employee.
- SARL-AU → SARL: when a co-founder or angel comes in.
- SARL → SA: when you raise a Series A; requires capital increase to MAD 300k and notaire fees ~ MAD 6 000.