How Can You Set Up in Morocco’s Bouknadel 2 Industrial Zone?

On the supplied legal texts, there is no verified application route for a distinct “Bouknadel 2” industrial zone. The references establish an industrial acceleration zone named Bouknadel in Salé under Decree No. 2.21.957, as amended, but they do not identify a separate second zone, reproduce Decree 2.26.593, or explain how industrial land is allocated. First confirm which zone and decree govern the proposed site. For the established Bouknadel zone, the text provides some location and environmental rules, but not a complete investor-admission procedure.

What the supplied decree establishes

The principal source is “Decree establishing the Bouknadel Industrial Acceleration Zone” (مرسوم بإحداث منطقة التسريع الصناعي لبوقنادل), Decree No. 2.21.957, as amended by Decree No. 2.22.342. The supplied source gives no public URL: it says the URL is unavailable and requires verification.

Article 1 establishes a zone called the Bouknadel Industrial Acceleration Zone in Bouknadel, Salé. Article 2, replaced by Decree No. 2.22.342, describes the land as a plot in the commune of Sidi Abi al-Qandil, Salé, with an area of 28 hectares, 97 ares and 6 centiares. The amended article refers to an attached plan and a list of boundary coordinates. Those details identify the area covered by the decree; they do not show that any particular plot is available to an investor or that the investor has a right to occupy it. (Decree No. 2.21.957, arts. 1–2, as amended by Decree No. 2.22.342; source URL unavailable—requires verification.)

The supplied text identifies the original decree as dated December 2021 and refers to its publication in Official Gazette No. 7054. It identifies the amendment as Decree No. 2.22.342, dated June 2022, published in Official Gazette No. 7100, page 3716. These Gazette references can help locate the official text, but the underlying documents and their complete annexes should be checked before relying on them.

The legal framework—and what it does not answer

The preamble to Decree No. 2.21.957 cites Law No. 19.94 on industrial acceleration zones, as amended, particularly Articles 2 and 3. It also cites Decree No. 2.95.562 implementing that law, particularly Article 2. The preamble records that the National Commission for Industrial Acceleration Zones proposed the decree and that the Government Council deliberated on it in December 2021. These references explain the legal basis presented for creating the Bouknadel zone; the supplied passages do not reproduce the wider laws or explain their full admission rules.

Article 6 assigns implementation of the decree to the Minister of Economy and Finance and the Minister of Industry and Trade, each within their respective responsibilities. That provision does not identify a specific office that receives an investor’s application, decide who allocates land, or set out a review timetable. It is therefore unsafe to treat the named ministries as the investor’s application desk without further confirmation.

The decree does refer to a licence under Article 11 of Law No. 19.94. Its Article 5 says that this licence may not be issued unless the special conditions in Article 13 of that law are met to prevent polluting activities. Because the text of Article 13 has not been supplied, this reference establishes that the conditions matter, but not what they require in a particular project. The supplied passages likewise do not establish tax or customs benefits, eligibility rules for foreign investors, or whether an export commitment is required.

Is “Bouknadel 2” created by Decree 2.26.593?

The supplied legal references do not identify or reproduce Decree 2.26.593. They therefore do not establish whether it exists, whether it is a draft or enacted instrument, whether it has been published, or whether it creates a second zone. It should not be cited as the legal basis for a project on the strength of the keyword alone.

This distinction matters because the supplied Bouknadel decree concerns the zone named in Article 1 and the land described in its amended Article 2. It does not say that it governs a separate “Bouknadel 2” area. Information about the original zone cannot, without a further legal text, establish the boundaries, operator, authorized activities, or land terms of another site.

If a broker, developer, brochure, or public announcement uses the name “Bouknadel 2,” ask for the instrument that establishes that precise zone. The useful evidence is the final decree or other applicable legal text, its Official Gazette reference, and the annexed map or boundary description. Until those are checked, use “Bouknadel 2” as an unverified project label, not as a confirmed legal designation.

A practical sequence for checking a project

The following steps are preparation suggestions, not application requirements established by the supplied decree. The excerpts do not set out a full formal procedure, mandatory forms, filing deadlines, or a definitive list of documents.

1. Confirm the site’s legal identity. Ask the person offering the site to identify the exact zone name, establishing instrument, plot reference, and map. If the answer relies on Decree 2.21.957, compare the proposed plot with the amended Article 2 and its annex; if it relies on Decree 2.26.593, request the published text and Gazette details. This prevents an investor from applying the rules for the original zone to a different location.

2. Confirm that the proposed activity can be considered. Ask for the decree’s provisions listing permitted activities and services and for any applicable implementing decisions. The supplied extracts refer to activities and services in Articles 3 and 4, but do not include those articles. Do not infer that a manufacturing, logistics, consulting, or other service project qualifies merely because it is connected to industry or operates in another Moroccan zone.

3. Ask which authority handles each decision. Obtain written directions identifying the office that receives any application for the Article 11 licence, the body that decides whether the project may establish in the zone, and the person or entity responsible for allocating or contracting for land. The decree’s allocation of implementation responsibilities to two ministers does not answer those operational questions.

4. Obtain the land terms before committing funds. Ask whether a specific plot is actually available and whether the proposed arrangement is a lease, sale, reservation, or another form of occupation. Request the parcel plan and title details, price or pricing method, utility connection arrangements, construction obligations, transfer or subletting restrictions, and any consequences of missing project milestones. These are questions for due diligence; the supplied decree does not establish the answers.

5. Prepare a project note to make the inquiry useful. As a practical aid, describe the products or services, production steps, expected capacity, proposed plot size, inputs, outputs, anticipated workforce, and intended start-up sequence. Explain the project’s financing and market plan at a level that allows the authority or zone contact to understand what is proposed. None of these items is confirmed by the supplied passages as a required form or statutory filing document.

6. Separate informal questions from formal permission. An email, meeting, site visit, or brochure request can help identify the correct process, but should not be treated as the Article 11 licence or as a land-allocation decision. Ask for the formal procedure, the competent decision-maker, and the documents that must be filed. Keep dated copies of answers and submitted materials, and ask how a formal submission will be acknowledged. The supplied text does not specify the filing method or what counts as formal receipt.

Prepare an environmental and technical description

The clearest operational restriction in the supplied decree concerns pollution and harmful materials. Article 5 links issuance of the Article 11 licence to compliance with the special conditions in Article 13 of Law No. 19.94, with the stated aim of avoiding polluting activities. A prospective applicant should therefore be ready to describe the project’s processes and environmental effects when seeking an authoritative assessment. This is a practical preparation step, not a claim that the decree prescribes a particular report or environmental application form.

For that inquiry, it is useful to list raw materials, by-products, waste streams, storage arrangements, and wastewater associated with the proposed activity. Where a material might be classified as hazardous, identify its classification under the applicable rules rather than relying on a commercial description such as “recyclable” or “recoverable.” The decree prohibits bringing into the zone waste classified as hazardous under applicable regulations. It also prohibits materials, whether or not they are waste, that may be harmful or unhealthy or may similarly harm health, animals, plants, water resources, the environment, or quality of life. (Decree No. 2.21.957, art. 5; source URL unavailable—requires verification.)

Article 5 also prohibits direct or indirect discharge of hazardous waste and refers to wastewater associated with the activities or services in Articles 3 and 4. Those two articles are not included in the supplied extracts, and the precise application of the wastewater wording should be checked against the authoritative text. The extract does not provide a complete environmental-permit regime, define every relevant classification, or say that a proposed control measure automatically makes an otherwise prohibited activity acceptable.

Morocco industrial land allocation: what is—and is not—shown

A decree establishing a zone and describing its boundaries is not, on its own, a plot-allocation procedure. The supplied text gives the following limited picture:

Issue	What the supplied text supports	What still needs confirmation
Zone identity	Article 1 names the Bouknadel Industrial Acceleration Zone in Salé.	Whether “Bouknadel 2” is a separate legally established zone.
Land description	Amended Article 2 gives an area and refers to a plan and boundary coordinates.	Which individual plots are available and their current title or contractual status.
Admission	Article 5 refers to a licence under Article 11 of Law No. 19.94 and conditions in Article 13.	Application form, receiving office, decision criteria, and review time.
Land allocation	No allocation method is described in the supplied passages.	Lease or sale terms, allocation criteria, price, construction obligations, and restrictions on transfer.
Tax and customs	No specific benefit or treatment is set out in the supplied extracts.	Any applicable benefit, conditions, duration, or customs procedure.

For a proposed site, the attached boundary plan and coordinates can help check whether land appears to fall inside the area described by the decree. They do not establish availability, ownership, lease rights, or a contract with the zone operator. The supplied extract also renders the land-title identifier incompletely, so it should not be used as a confirmed cadastral reference. Obtain the current parcel identification and contractual offer from a source able to substantiate them.

Hypothetical examples

Example 1: A manufacturer receives a “Bouknadel 2” land offer. The investor has a project summary, a site brochure, and an email from a broker describing a plot as available under a lease. Before signing, the investor should ask for the decree establishing the named zone, the Official Gazette reference, the plan showing the offered parcel, and the party authorized to contract for it. The investor should also ask for the lease draft and written confirmation of the allocation route. The supplied Bouknadel decree supports the existence and boundaries of the original zone, but it cannot establish that a separate Bouknadel 2 exists or that the broker’s plot is available. The brochure and email are useful records of what was represented, not proof of a statutory allocation.

Example 2: A proposed processor expects to bring in material that may be hazardous. The project file describes the material commercially as a recyclable input and includes a process diagram and preliminary waste estimates. The first question is how the material is classified under the applicable regulations and whether it falls within the decree’s prohibition on bringing hazardous waste into the Bouknadel zone. The investor should also obtain an authoritative view on any wastewater associated with the activity and on the conditions connected to Articles 11 and 13 of Law No. 19.94. If the material is legally classified as hazardous waste, Article 5’s stated prohibition is directly relevant. The supplied excerpts do not determine the classification of a particular material or supply the complete legal tests, so a commercial label alone cannot resolve the question.

Example 3: A service company proposes to work inside the zone. Its records describe the service, its connection to industrial tenants, the proposed location, and whether it will handle materials or generate wastewater. Before committing to premises, it should request the full text of Articles 3 and 4 and any decision listing services associated with permitted activities. The supplied extracts refer to those articles but do not reproduce their contents. They therefore do not establish whether this particular service is eligible, or whether the company’s ownership or legal form affects eligibility.

Common mistakes to avoid

A frequent mistake is treating “Bouknadel” and “Bouknadel 2” as interchangeable. The supplied decree establishes a named Bouknadel zone and gives the description of its land; it does not establish the legal relationship between that zone and a separate second site. Use the exact name and legal reference in inquiries and contracts.

Another mistake is relying on a decree number or headline without checking its official text. The keyword Decree 2.26.593 is not supported by the supplied legal references. Do not describe it as enacted, in force, or applicable unless an authoritative source establishes its status and contents.

Investors should also avoid reading a boundary description as evidence of an available plot, or treating a general statement about an industrial zone as proof of tax, customs, export, or foreign-investor benefits. None of those matters is answered by the supplied excerpts. Similarly, the environmental provisions are important but do not amount to a full project-approval checklist; they should not be treated as the only conditions that could apply.

Finally, do not confuse an informal inquiry with a formal authorization. A written response can preserve what an official contact said and help clarify the route, but it should not be assumed to replace the licence mentioned in Article 11 or a land contract. Because the provided text does not set out the application procedure, ask explicitly what act constitutes a formal application and what document constitutes the final decision.

Source limits and closing verification checklist

The legal analysis here is limited to the Arabic excerpts supplied for Decree No. 2.21.957 and its amendment, Decree No. 2.22.342. The principal document is “مرسوم بإحداث منطقة التسريع الصناعي لبوقنادل” (“Decree establishing the Bouknadel Industrial Acceleration Zone”); its supplied URL is unavailable and requires verification. The excerpts identify the original decree with Official Gazette No. 7054 and the amendment with Official Gazette No. 7100, page 3716. Check the official Gazette text and annexes before making a legal or commercial commitment. Articles 3 and 4 are not supplied, and the texts of Law No. 19.94 and Decree No. 2.95.562 are not reproduced. This guide therefore cannot confirm the complete activity rules, licensing process, investor eligibility, or current financial treatment.

Before proceeding, obtain and check:

• The zone-creation instrument. If the proposal concerns Bouknadel 2, request the final legal text and Gazette reference for that exact name; verify the number, publication, amendments, map, and effective status.
• The plot record and offer. Match the proposed parcel to the applicable plan and obtain current title or parcel information, availability, contracting party, and written allocation terms.
• The permitted-activity rules. Obtain the complete applicable decree, including Articles 3 and 4, and any relevant decision on associated services. Ask for a written answer on the proposed activity rather than relying on similarities to another zone.
• The formal application route. Confirm which authority receives the application, which decision is required, what documents and fees apply, and how filing and decision are recorded. The supplied excerpts do not provide those details.
• Environmental and materials treatment. Confirm classifications for any potentially hazardous inputs or waste and obtain advice on the Article 5 restrictions and the conditions referenced in Articles 11 and 13 of Law No. 19.94.
• Any claimed financial or customs benefit. Request the legal provision and eligibility conditions for each claimed benefit. The supplied passages do not establish a tax or customs entitlement.

Sources cited

• Decree establishing the Bouknadel Industrial Acceleration Zone (مرسوم بإحداث منطقة التسريع الصناعي لبوقنادل), Decree No. 2.21.957, including Articles 1, 5 and 6; source URL unavailable—requires verification.
• Decree No. 2.22.342, amending Article 2 of Decree No. 2.21.957; Official Gazette No. 7100, page 3716, as identified in the supplied material; source URL unavailable—requires verification.