Meteorite law in Morocco
Meteorites are geological heritage. Since 2020 a decree under the mining law regulates their collection and export, which needs official papers.
Private ownership, export controlled
The rule: Morocco is the world's busiest meteorite market, the source of many of the meteorites named 'Northwest Africa'. In 2014 an update to the mining law said that the collection and export of geological heritage, meaning fossils, minerals and meteorites, would be regulated, and the decree that does so came into force in 2020.
Export: a meteorite leaving Morocco legally should carry papers from the trader, a receipt from the geological authorities and an export certificate from customs. Morocco has also asked for the return of meteorites it considered illegally exported.
For buyers: ask for these documents. Material without them may have left the country unlawfully, or may have come across the border from Algeria, where export is not allowed.
This is general information to help you ask the right questions, not legal advice. Laws change and their details matter, and this summary was last reviewed in 2026. Before you search, buy, sell or export a meteorite, check the current law with the authorities of the country concerned or a qualified lawyer. See meteorite law by country.
Related pages
Glossary: Meteorite ownership, Export rules, Landowner permission, Provenance