How to write a restaurant invoice in Morocco
Most tables in a restaurant or café leave with a simple bill. A restaurant invoice comes in when a business pays: a team lunch, a seminar dinner, a delegation hosted for the day. Its accountant needs a document in the company's name, with its ICE and the VAT shown apart. This guide covers what to put on it, why restaurants charge 10% VAT rather than 20%, and a business lunch for 25 people you can rebuild in the generator above.
What goes on the lines
A restaurant invoice is short. Pick "Restaurant or café" and the generator gives you three lines to adapt:
- Meals per guest: a set menu or a group menu, with the number of guests as the quantity and the price per person. For à la carte, list the dishes.
- Drinks per unit: coffee, tea, juices, water. One line for all drinks is fine as long as the count is right.
- Extras: pastry platters, a celebration cake, a set-up for a private room, each on its own line.
Put the date of the meal and the number of guests in the description or in the notes: they make the expense easy to justify later.
Which VAT rate: 10%
Selling food or drinks to be consumed on the premises is subject to VAT under article 89-I-9° of the General Tax Code (CGI). Article 99-B-1° then sets a reduced rate of 10%, with the right to deduct the VAT you pay on purchases, for catering ("restauration") and for services provided by café operators. A meal, a coffee and a pastry served at the table all take 10%, and the generator already sets that rate on each line.
VAT is due when you are paid (article 95), so a deposit taken to reserve a group meal carries VAT when you receive it.
Bill, till receipt or invoice?
Article 145-III lets a till receipt ("ticket de caisse") stand in for an invoice when a business sells goods ("produits ou marchandises") to private individuals. The rule is written for sales of goods; how it applies to a meal served at your tables is a point to check with your accountant. In practice, restaurants hand private customers a bill or a till receipt, and issue a full invoice when a business asks for one.
That invoice carries the details of article 145-III, including your IF and TP numbers, the client's ICE, the VAT shown separately and the payment method. The generator has a field for each.
Business clients and group meals
When a company pays, the invoice goes in its name. Article 145-III-4° asks for the client's ICE, and article 146 lets the company deduct the VAT only with a proper invoice in its name. Ask for the company name, address and ICE when the table is booked, not at the till after dessert.
- For a group, agree the menu and the price per person in advance. Switch the generator to "Quote", set a validity date, and turn the quote into an invoice after the meal.
- If a company eats with you often, you can invoice each meal or group the month on one invoice, with each date in the description.
Keep your copies: article 211 asks you to keep invoices for 10 years.
Worked example: a business lunch for 25
A Nador company books lunch for 25 staff after a training day. You agree a full menu at 180 MAD per person; the team also orders 50 hot drinks and juices at 15 MAD each and 3 pastry platters at 200 MAD. Everything is served on the premises, so every line is at 10%. The total before tax is 5,850.00 MAD, the VAT is 585.00 MAD, and the company pays 6,435.00 MAD. Its name, address and ICE go in the client block, and the date of the lunch and the number of guests go in the notes.
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price excl. VAT | VAT | Total excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business lunch, full menu (starter, main, dessert) | 25 | person | 180.00 MAD | 10% | 4,500.00 MAD |
| Hot drinks and juices | 50 | unit | 15.00 MAD | 10% | 750.00 MAD |
| Pastry platter | 3 | unit | 200.00 MAD | 10% | 600.00 MAD |
| Total excl. VAT | 5,850.00 MAD | ||||
| VAT 10% | 585.00 MAD | ||||
| Total incl. VAT | 6,435.00 MAD | ||||
Common mistakes
- Applying 20% out of habit. Meals and drinks served on the premises take 10% under article 99-B-1°.
- Writing only "meals" with a lump sum: the number of guests and the price per person make the invoice credible.
- Leaving out the client's ICE. The company's accountant will send the invoice back and ask for a new one.
- Running two numbering series, one in a notebook and one on the computer. Article 145-III asks for one continuous series, and the generator moves the number on by itself.
Rooms too? See the hotel invoice page. Weddings at the client's venue: the catering page. To reach groups in summer, read what visitors search for in Nador.
Questions
Is VAT on restaurant meals 10% or 20% in Morocco?
It is 10%. Article 99-B-1° of the CGI sets 10% for catering and for café operators, with the right to deduct VAT on purchases.
Is a till receipt enough for a company?
A company needs an invoice in its name, with its ICE, to record and deduct the expense. Issue one whenever a business client asks.
Can I send a quote for a group meal?
Yes. Switch the document to "Quote", list the menu per person and the drinks, set a validity date and send the PDF.