Rabat - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Normal business attire. Seems less formal than DC though. Locally there’s a range of fashions among Moroccans. Outside of Rabat and major cities it’s best for women to dress more conservatively, i.e., covered shoulders for example. I rarely wore my tank tops and shorts and preferred longer shirts/pants/dresses. - May 2022
There is a wide variety of public dress, but legs are commonly covered by both men and women. - Apr 2018
So far, the only time I will have been formal in almost a year at post is the Marine Corps ball. My husband is in IT, so usually wears khakis and a button-down or polo; most of the rest of the staff seem to wear suits or equivalent for women. In public, while they say to cover shoulders for women and not wear short-shorts, I have seem many a local woman wear these outfits. I have worn tank tops all over the city with no repercussions at all. - Oct 2017
Dress at the embassy is formal. Most Moroccans dress in Western formal or casual wear or traditional Moroccan garb. Conservative dress by women is recommended, not required. - Oct 2017
Business at work, business casual though it is easy to feel under-dressed when visiting a Moroccan home! Moroccan men do not wear short pants in public unless exercising or at the beach. As a rule, women do not show their shoulders or much leg, though this is less of a rule in Rabat and Casa. - Jul 2014
Work is suits or something slightly less depending on your job. In public, most anything goes except for the extremely revealing. I don't think a woman should walk around in a bikini at a restaurant next to the beach, for example, but I've seen plenty of Europeans doing it. - Nov 2011
Business. - Nov 2011
Same as in the States, suits for men, dresses and skirts for women. - Sep 2011
Varies at work from casual to suits. No specific public dress code from what I've seen. - Apr 2010
Work - professional dress (tie for men, slacks, skirts, dresses for women). Public - With the locals you'll see a variety from jeans and shirt to fully covered with only the eyes exposed. Technically you can wear what you normally wear in the U.S. but personally I feel uncomfortable going in public in shorts, skirts above my knees or sleeveless shirts. - Jun 2008
