Visa Extensions
Should the standard 90-day stay be insufficient, you can apply for an extension or even for residence (a Carte de Sejour), but the latter is difficult to get and usually requires proof of employment. Go to the nearest police headquarters (Préfecture de Police) with your passport, three photos and a letter from your embassy requesting a visa extension on your behalf. Applications can take hours or days, and different police
VISAS FOR NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
Embassies for the following countries are in Rabat - see p462 for address details.
■ Algeria The Morocco-Algeria border remains closed, and Algeria prefers visa applicants to apply in their country of residence.
■ Mali Visas are required for everyone except French nationals and are valid for one month (Dh250), but are renewable inside Mali. Two photographs and a yellow-fever vaccination certificate are required and the visa is usually issued on the spot. Malian visas are available at Malian border posts but by no means count on that if you're crossing at a remote desert crossing.
■ Mauritania Everyone, except nationals of Arab League countries, needs a visa, which is valid for a one-month stay. Get these at the Mauritanian Embassy in Rabat - apply in the morning and pick up in the afternoon the following day. Visas cost Dh200 and you need two photos. It's currently quick and easy to obtain three-day transit visas (extendable in Nouakchott) at the border for €10. Good up-to-date information is available online at www.sahara-overland.com.
■ Tunisia Citizens of EU countries, the USA and Japan can stay up to three months in Tunisia without a visa. Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans can get a three-month visa upon arrival at the airport.
headquarters use slightly different red tape to hold up proceedings.
In practice, most travellers requiring an extension find it easier to head to mainland Spain or even one of the Spanish enclaves in Morocco, and re-enter after a few days. Although this generally presents few problems other than cost, it can leave you to the mercies of individual immigration officers on re-entry, and some travellers have occasionally come unstuck this way.
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