Video · From Morocco
Do You Need the Office des Changes' Permission for a US LLC? (2026)
Can a Moroccan living in Morocco own a US LLC? Morocco's side comes first. Under the Office des Changes' 2026 Instruction, holding assets abroad or opening an account abroad usually needs its authorisation, and shares in a US company and a US bank account are both assets abroad. 4:40 long, published .
Transcript
What the video says
0:00Can a Moroccan resident own a US LLC?
It's evening in Casablanca, and Youssef has his card out. He sells design templates to buyers abroad, and he wants a US company so they can pay him by card. On the American side, that's simple. No social security number, no trip to the US, and nothing that needs him awake in American hours. We're BaseAcross. We set up US companies for founders outside America, so we'll be straight with you. That's only half of it.
In Morocco, owning a company abroad is a question for the Office des Changes first.
0:31Do freelancers in Morocco need a US company?
So, does he need one at all? Not every founder here does. A US company and its US account are assets abroad, and those need the Office des Changes' authorisation. If you freelance for clients abroad, being paid as a freelancer in Morocco may be simpler. Youssef's reason is card payments. The big card processor doesn't serve Morocco, and a US company with a US bank account can apply to it.
It reviews you, and it can decline. So a Wyoming LLC may fit him, but only once he's authorised.
1:02Do you need the Office des Changes' permission?
This is the rule that comes first. Does a Moroccan living in Morocco need the Office des Changes' permission? Usually, yes. Under its rules, holding assets abroad or opening an account abroad needs its authorisation. Shares in a US company count, and so does a US bank account. The routes that don't need it are narrow. For individuals, they cover employee share plans and directors' qualifying shares. A Moroccan company with three years of audited accounts can invest abroad in its own line of business.
And a startup with the A-D-D label, and a firm commitment from foreign funders, has a route of its own.
1:41Wyoming LLC or Delaware C-Corp, an EIN, and paying by card
Once that's settled, the company itself is quick. A Wyoming LLC usually suits an owner-run business selling worldwide. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from investors, and the startup route is built for that case. It needs a registered agent, an address in that state for legal papers, not where you work. Then the EIN, the company's US tax number. Without a social security number or an ITIN, the application goes on a separate IRS form instead of the online tool.
Prices are in US dollars, and paying online from Morocco comes out of your yearly e-commerce allowance. Check what you've used this year.
2:20Which US bank accounts work from Morocco?
Then the bank. Founders who live in Morocco can apply to a US fintech bank, because Morocco isn't on its list of countries it doesn't serve. Its list goes by where you live, and it decides each application. It can decline. A multi-currency account won't give you US account details from Morocco, and another US account asks every owner for a physical US address. Each provider decides for itself.
And opening any account abroad is still a matter for the Office des Changes.
2:50Will Morocco tax you and the US company?
At home, the tax side looks at two things. The first is you. If your permanent home or the centre of your economic interests is in Morocco, or after more than a hundred and eighty-three days here in any three hundred and sixty-five, you're resident. Residents are taxed on income from anywhere, unless a treaty says otherwise. The second is the company.
Companies, wherever they're formed, pay corporate tax on activities carried on in Morocco, and a place of management here can be a permanent establishment. A US company run from Casablanca should have an adviser look at this.
3:27Do you pay US tax, and is there a US–Morocco treaty?
In America, work you do in Morocco generally isn't US income, so a single-owner LLC with no US office or staff often owes no US tax on it. There's a US and Morocco tax treaty in force. It caps US withholding on interest, dividends and royalties, but for a services business it matters less. A single-owner LLC still files a report with the IRS when it has reportable transactions with you. Money you put in or take out can count, even in a year without sales, and missing it is expensive.
It's usually due in the spring, with a form to ask for more time. How your pay is taxed in Morocco is for your adviser.
4:05What to do first, in order
So the order runs like this. Settle the Office des Changes first, with your adviser, and don't fund the company or open the account before then. Then form the company, get the EIN, and apply for the bank. Record every payment between you and the company, and where decisions were made. Put the IRS report and your Moroccan return on one calendar. The full guide, with every source and a checklist for your adviser in English and French, is linked below.
Youssef puts his card away. His first call is to an adviser.
The founder in the video is an example, not a customer. The rules in it were checked when it was made; the guide carries the current sources.
The guide
Costs, documents, timelines and the rules in Morocco, with sources.
Read the guide for MoroccoWatch on YouTube