Permanent return to Morocco: retirement, CNSS and health coverage

Retour au Maroc : retraite, CNSS et couverture maladie

Your French or Belgian pension follows you everywhere, including Morocco. For France, you simply need to notify your main fund — CNAV or AGIRC-ARRCO depending on your case — of your change of address, and provide a life certificate endorsed by the Moroccan authorities or the consulate each year. On the Belgian side, the Office National des Pensions (ONP) handles updating your file with your new Moroccan address.

If you contributed to the CNSS before leaving, your rights are not lost. A major reform that came into force on 1 May 2025 lowers the minimum contribution threshold to qualify for an old-age pension: 1,320 days are now sufficient, compared with 3,240 previously. This measure is retroactive to 1 January 2023. Between 1,320 and 3,239 days contributed, the estimated minimum pension ranges from 600 to 1,000 dirhams per month, with AMO included. Beyond 3,240 days, the replacement rate is 50% of the average salary over the last 96 months. If the threshold is not met, the CNSS reimburses employee contributions. Applications are made via the Taawydaty portal or at an agency.

Bilateral social security agreements signed with France, Belgium, Spain or the Netherlands allow you to combine your insurance periods. Five years contributed in France and five years in Morocco add up to reach the eligibility thresholds in both countries. It is your foreign pension fund that must be asked to trigger this totalisation.

On the health front, returning to Morocco ends your affiliation to the foreign scheme, except under specific agreements. You must register without delay to avoid any gap in coverage. Three options exist: AMO managed by the CNSS for private-sector retirees, RAMED for modest incomes, or private international insurance for broader needs. AMO is integrated into the CNSS pension from 1,320 days of contributions.

On the tax side, becoming a Moroccan resident makes your foreign pension taxable in Morocco under the progressive income tax scale. The Franco-Moroccan tax treaty specifies, however, that private pensions are taxed in the country of residence — therefore Morocco — while public pensions remain taxed in France. The situation varies depending on the treaties and the nature of the pension.

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