Health insurance: AMO and complementary cover
Basic health cover, AMO, is compulsory for everyone and is run by public funds. It refunds a share of an official tariff, not of your bill, which is why many households add a complementary policy.
Compulsory by law
At a glance
- Who needs it
- Every resident: employees, civil servants, the self-employed, pensioners, students, and people without income
- Rates
- CNSS refunds 70% of the national reference tariff. Up to 100% for recognised long-term illnesses
- Typical cost
- Employees: 2.26% of gross salary, plus 4.11% paid by the employer. Free under AMO Tadamon
- Key deadline
- Send a refund claim within about 60 days of the first treatment
- Who runs it
- CNSS for most people. CNOPS for the public sector until the transfer planned for early 2027
How health cover works
Health cover in Morocco has two floors.
- The basic floor is AMO, Assurance Maladie Obligatoire. It is compulsory, run by public funds, and financed by contributions or, for households without means, by the State. Since 1 December 2022 the former RAMED card has been replaced by AMO Tadamon, so that everyone is in the same system.
- The second floor is optional. A complementary policy from an insurer, or a mutual society, pays part of what AMO leaves to you.
AMO pays for care. It does not replace lost income: daily allowances for sickness and maternity are separate CNSS benefits for employees.
- Standard refund at CNSS
- 70%of the reference tariff
- Reference tariff, general practitioner
- 80 MAD150 MAD for a specialist
- Minimum contribution period
- 54 daysdeclared in the previous 6 months, for employees
Which AMO scheme are you in?
| Your situation | Scheme | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Private-sector employee | AMO for employees, at CNSS | 2.26% of gross salary. The employer pays 4.11% |
| Public-sector employee | AMO for the public sector, at CNOPS and its mutuals | 2.5% of salary, between 70 and 400 MAD a month. The employer pays the same |
| Self-employed, professional, trader, craftsman, farmer | AMO for non-salaried workers, at CNSS | 6.37% of a flat income set for your profession |
| Auto-entrepreneur | AMO for non-salaried workers, at CNSS | A fixed supplement of 100 to 1,200 MAD a month by turnover bracket, paid each quarter with your tax |
| Household without the means to contribute | AMO Tadamon, at CNSS | Nothing. The State pays the contribution |
| Not working, but able to contribute | AMO Achamil, at CNSS | 144 to 1,164 MAD a month, according to your household's RSU score |
| Pensioner | The AMO of your pension scheme | A contribution deducted from the pension |
| Spouse or child of an insured person | Covered as a dependant | Nothing more |
Dependants are the spouse, children up to 21, unmarried students up to 26 and children with a disability, without age limit.
AMO Tadamon is open to households whose score in the Registre Social Unifié (RSU) is at or below 9.3264284. Register with the RSU first, then apply for AMO.
AMO Achamil is for people who belong to no other scheme. You register and pay on macnss.ma. The monthly contribution has eight levels: 144, 176, 224, 287, 355, 454, 611 or 1,164 MAD.
What AMO reimburses
AMO covers consultations, medicines on the reimbursable list, laboratory tests, radiology, hospital stays, surgery, maternity, dental care, glasses, physiotherapy and medical devices.
| Care | CNSS | CNOPS |
|---|---|---|
| Consultations, tests, radiology | 70% of the reference tariff | 80% of the reference tariff |
| Reimbursable medicines | 70% of the reference price | 70% of the reference price |
| Hospital stay in a private clinic | 70% of the reference tariff | 90% of the reference tariff |
| Hospital stay in a public hospital | Up to 90% for serious or costly illnesses | 100% |
| Recognised long-term illness | 77% to 100% according to the illness | Exemption from all or part of your share |
| Dental prostheses | Capped at 3,000 MAD every two years | According to the tariff schedule |
AMO does not cover cosmetic surgery, spa cures, thalassotherapy, acupuncture, mesotherapy or homeopathy. Work accidents are paid by the employer's insurance, not by AMO.
Who pays a 300 MAD visit to a specialist
Reference tariff: 150 MAD
With AMO onlyYou pay 195 MAD
With a complementary policy that refunds 80% of the restYou pay 39 MAD
- CNSS refunds 70% of the reference tariff: 105 MAD
- Your share of the tariff
- The fee above the tariff, ignored by AMO
- Paid by the complementary policy
Contributions
For a private-sector employee, the AMO contribution is 6.37% of the gross salary, with no ceiling: 2.26% is deducted from the salary and 4.11% is paid by the employer. On a salary of 8,000 MAD that is about 181 MAD a month for the employee and 329 MAD for the employer.
The same payslip carries a second CNSS deduction for pensions and short-term benefits: 4.48% for the employee and 8.98% for the employer, on the salary up to 6,000 MAD.
Check the deductions on a payslip
The self-employed pay 6.37% of a flat income set by decree for each profession, a multiple of the minimum wage. An unpaid contribution suspends the right to refunds, so keep your payments up to date.
Using AMO: claims, direct payment, long-term illness
Ordinary care
- Pay the doctor, the laboratory or the pharmacy.
- Have the care sheet (feuille de soins) filled in, signed and stamped by each of them. Keep prescriptions and the price labels from medicine boxes.
- Send the file to your fund within about 60 days of the first treatment. CNSS accepts files at its branches and at partner collection points.
- The refund arrives by bank transfer. Follow it in your account on macnss.ma.
Hospital and costly care
Before admission, the hospital or clinic asks your fund for a prior agreement, the prise en charge. The fund then pays its share directly and you pay only your own share, plus any fee above the reference tariff. Ask for a written estimate first.
Long-term illnesses
Diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, kidney failure and other serious or chronic illnesses are on an official list of affections de longue durée (ALD). Your doctor fills in a request, the fund's medical service decides, and your share of the cost of treating that illness is then reduced or cancelled. Renew the recognition when it expires.
If a refund is refused or looks too low, write to your fund first. If the answer does not satisfy you, you can refer the matter to ANAM.
Why people add complementary cover
Three gaps explain most of what households pay out of pocket.
- Fees above the tariff. Private doctors and clinics often charge two or three times the reference tariff. AMO ignores the difference.
- The share left to you. Even at the tariff, 30% stays with a CNSS member.
- Poorly covered items. Dental prostheses, glasses and some devices have low ceilings.
A complementary policy refunds part of these amounts, usually a percentage of what remains after AMO, within yearly ceilings.
Choosing a complementary policy
| Option | How it works | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Group contract through your employer | The employer negotiates one contract for all staff and often pays part of the premium | Usually the cheapest, with no medical questionnaire. Ask what happens if you leave the company |
| Individual contract with an insurer | You choose a formula and answer a health questionnaire | Waiting periods, age limits for joining, and premiums that rise with age |
| Mutual society | Non-profit body for a sector or a profession. There are 28 in Morocco | Membership is tied to your employer or profession |
Indicative prices for an individual contract start at about 150 MAD a month for one adult and reach 1,500 MAD for international cover.
Prepare a quote request for complementary cover
What to compare
- The refund rate, often 80% to 95%, and whether it applies to the real cost or only to the reference tariff
- The yearly ceiling per person, for example 50,000 to 100,000 MAD, and the sub-limits for dental care, glasses and maternity
- Waiting periods, for example 3 months in general and 9 months for maternity
- Whether illnesses you already have are excluded, and for how long
- The network of clinics where the insurer pays directly
- The age up to which you can join, and how the premium changes after 60
- Whether your spouse and children are included, and at what price
Care abroad and foreigners
- Travelling abroad. AMO pays abroad only for unforeseen emergencies during a temporary stay, on the basis of Moroccan tariffs, or for treatment that is unavailable in Morocco and approved in advance. For any trip, see Travel and assistance.
- Foreign residents. A foreigner employed in Morocco is registered with CNSS and covered by AMO like any other employee. Residents who do not work need private or international cover: see foreign residents and visitors.
- Moroccans living abroad. Your foreign cover may or may not apply during a stay in Morocco: see health care during your stay.
Questions
I lost my job. Am I still covered?
Your rights continue for up to six months after you stop meeting the conditions. Before that period ends, register with the RSU and move to AMO Tadamon or AMO Achamil, or join your spouse's cover as a dependant.
My employer has not declared me to CNSS. What can I do?
Check your declared days on macnss.ma. If months are missing, ask the employer in writing to regularise, then report the matter to CNSS or to the labour inspectorate. Declaration is the employer's legal duty and the unpaid contributions are owed by the employer.
Are my parents covered through my AMO?
No. Dependants are the spouse and children. Parents without cover of their own register with the RSU for AMO Tadamon or AMO Achamil.
Can I have AMO and a private policy at the same time?
Yes. AMO pays first, then the complementary policy pays on what remains. Together they never refund more than you spent.
Does AMO pay my salary when I am ill?
No. For employees, CNSS pays separate daily allowances: two thirds of the reference salary from the fourth day of sick leave, for up to 52 weeks, and 14 weeks of maternity leave. Conditions on prior contributions apply.
Where can I find the reference tariff or check that a medicine is reimbursable?
ANAM publishes the national reference tariffs and the guide of reimbursable medicines. Your pharmacist can also tell you.
Is giving birth covered?
Yes. Pregnancy follow-up and delivery are covered on the basis of the reference tariffs. In a private clinic, the fees above those tariffs stay with you unless a complementary policy pays them.