People travelling through Tanger Med this summer must have a dated and timed ferry ticket before entering the port. The new rule is part of measures to manage the large number of passengers travelling during Marhaba 2026. Tanger Med has used the system this year for the first time. It is already in place at Tangier City, Tarifa, Nador and Ceuta. Algeciras has also introduced it.
The system is known as a “closed ticket”. It means passengers must arrive at the port according to the date and time on their ferry booking.
Passengers should check their ferry time before leaving for the port. They can confirm or change their booking through their ferry company, including on its website, mobile app or customer service line.
Passengers can also change their booking at rest areas on the Kénitra-Tangier motorway. These include the Tanger Med rest area and the Ain Chouka rest area near Ksar Sghir.
Jaafar Ameyer, director of Tanger Med Central, said: “The closed ticket system was introduced to organize passenger arrivals according to ferry departure times and prevent the capacity of the fleet operating this year from being exceeded, thereby avoiding overcrowding and long waiting times inside the port.”
People without a closed ticket can contact their ferry company to change their travel date and time.
The port authority is also asking travellers to avoid the busiest days, especially Saturdays, Sundays and the last week of August.
Passenger numbers are expected to rise towards the end of the month.
More than 2.74 million Moroccans living abroad had entered the country by early August as part of Marhaba 2026.
Sea crossings accounted for 1.43 million of those arrivals. Tanger Med handled 512,693 passengers, making it the busiest sea entry point.
The port recorded 31,917 passengers and 8,612 vehicles on its busiest day. Average processing time for vehicles leaving the port remained below 15 minutes.
Tanger Med can handle up to seven million passengers and 700,000 trucks a year. It has eight passenger and vehicle berths.
The busiest ferry route remains Algeciras-Tanger Med. Passenger traffic on the Almeria-Nador route has grown by more than 25% this year.
Marhaba is the annual summer operation that helps manage the return of Moroccans living abroad. It involves ports, ferry companies, police, customs and other authorities on both sides of the Mediterranean.
