How to write a car rental invoice in Morocco
A car rental invoice in Morocco has to do two jobs. It is a tax document, so it carries the details every invoice needs under article 145 of the General Tax Code (CGI). It is also the paper trail of a contract: which car, for how long, how many kilometres, and what happened to the deposit. This guide covers both, with the VAT rate that applies to rental agencies in 2026 and a worked example you can rebuild in the generator above.
What goes on the lines
Most rental invoices have three kinds of line, and the generator fills them in when you pick "Car rental":
- The rental itself, in days: the model, the plate number and the dates from pick-up to return. One line per car if a client takes several.
- Extras billed per day: excess waiver (extra insurance that lowers what the client pays after damage), child seat, second driver, GPS.
- Flat fees: delivery and pick-up at Nador Al Aroui airport or a hotel, one-way drop-off in another city, cleaning when the car comes back very dirty.
Fuel is usually not invoiced: the car leaves full and comes back full. If you refill it yourself, add a line for the fuel at the price you charge.
Which VAT rate: 20%
Renting out a car is a "louage de choses", hiring out a thing, which article 89-I-10°-b makes subject to VAT. No reduced rate in article 99-B covers it, so it takes the normal rate of 20% (article 99-A). The 10% rate that hotels and road transport enjoy does not extend to car hire, even when the car is rented to a tourist.
The taxable amount is the gross rental price (article 96-7°). By default VAT becomes due when you are paid (article 95), so an advance taken to hold a booking already carries VAT on the part received.
Contract details worth printing
None of these is required by the tax code, but they settle most disputes and clients' accountants expect them:
- the rental contract number, so the invoice and the contract point to each other;
- make, model and plate number;
- pick-up and return date and time, and the place for each;
- mileage out and mileage in, and the fuel level at both ends;
- the driver's name and licence number, and any second driver.
The "Notes" box under the lines is the right place for these. For a business client, add its ICE: article 145-III-4° requires the client's identifier, and without it the company cannot deduct the expense.
The deposit is not a sale
The security deposit (caution), whether a cheque, a card hold or cash, is returned when the car comes back in good shape. It is not a price, so it does not belong on the invoice as a line. Write it in the notes ("deposit of 5,000 MAD returned on ..."). If part of it is kept for damage or missing equipment, invoice that part as its own line, with a short description of the damage, on the date you keep it.
Worked example: a 3-day hire
A client lands at Nador Al Aroui and takes a Dacia Logan for three days at 350 MAD a day, with the excess waiver at 60 MAD a day and airport delivery at 150 MAD. Everything is at 20%. The total before tax is 1,380.00 MAD, the VAT is 276.00 MAD, and the client pays 1,656.00 MAD. The 5,000 MAD deposit is noted at the bottom, not added to the total.
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price excl. VAT | VAT | Total excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dacia Logan hire, 12-345-A-6, 3 days | 3 | day | 350.00 MAD | 20% | 1,050.00 MAD |
| Excess waiver | 3 | day | 60.00 MAD | 20% | 180.00 MAD |
| Delivery to Nador Al Aroui airport | 1 | flat fee | 150.00 MAD | 20% | 150.00 MAD |
| Total excl. VAT | 1,380.00 MAD | ||||
| VAT 20% | 276.00 MAD | ||||
| Total incl. VAT | 1,656.00 MAD | ||||
Common mistakes
- Adding the deposit to the total, then "refunding" it: your turnover and VAT end up wrong.
- Using 10% because the client is a tourist. The reduced rate covers hotels and restaurants, not car hire.
- Leaving out the dates and the plate: an invoice for "car rental, 3 days" is hard to defend if a fine or damage claim turns up later.
- Restarting numbering each season. Article 145-III asks for one continuous series; the generator moves the number on by itself.
Running a garage as well? The garage invoice page has the lines for repairs. To bill a long-term rental to a company each month, make one invoice per month with the period in the description.
Questions
Is VAT on car rental 10% or 20% in Morocco?
It is 20%, the normal rate of article 99-A. The 10% rate applies to hotels, restaurants and road transport, not to renting out a car.
Should the deposit appear on the invoice?
Not as a line. Mention it in the notes. If you keep part of it for damage, invoice that amount separately.
Can I use this as a rental quote?
Yes. Switch the document to "Quote", set a validity date and send it as a PDF; when the client confirms, turn it into an invoice.
What if the client is a company?
Add its name, address and ICE in the client block. The company needs these details to record and deduct the expense.