Ferry to Tangier from Tarifa: What it is really like and important tips

Are you considering to take the ferry across the straight to visit Morocco while you are in Spain? It is a short journey away, so why not, right? As it is not as straightforward as you may think, this is a step by step explanation of the ferry to Tangier from Tarifa. The ride itself (without the procedures before boarding and after disembarking) is around 1 hour. You have to allot a lot of time, and expect much standing and endless queuing.

For the sake of this explanation, it doesnt matter which company you choose as the procedures would be the same for immigration and passport control. I traveled with FRS, so this is the basis of my personal experience of taking the ferry to Tangier and back. I also traveled without a car and not through a tour, in other words it was an independent adventure.

Procedure and process when taking the ferry TO Tangier

You can chose between two companies when taking the ferry to Tangier. It seems that most tourist choose FRS.
Buy you tickets online. It doesn’t seem like they sell out, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
Print your ticket! The ticket you receive has a bar code and all, but this means very little. You need to print the ticket and bring the paper together with your passport.
For the ferry to Tangier city center, the departure port in Spain is in Tarifa. Note! If you book a ferry from the port in Algeciras, you arrive in Tangier Med which is far from the city center of Tangier.
You are supposed to arrive 90 minutes before departure, but if you are not driving this seems to be very flexible. When I went, boarding started 40 minutes before scheduled departure time.
If you plan on driving and leaving your car at the ferry terminal in Tarifa, be early as there is limited parking available and you will most likely need to look for street parking.
When you enter the ferry building, do NOT proceed to the boarding area. You actually need to stand in the ticket line instead, because you need to trade in your paper ticket to receive another ticket for your ferry trip (which includes your return ticket).
You will also be given two forms at the ticket counter, a white one to deliver onboard the ferry to Tangier and a yellow one to deliver when you leave Morocco.
Now you can queue to board. Your ticket will be scanned and one piece of your ticket will be taken by the terminal staff.
Next, your luggage will be scanned at a security check. No need to worry, it is not like in an airport, you just place your whole bag or suitcase on the belt and that is it.
After fetching your bag(s) immigration is next. Your passport will be checked by Spanish immigration officers and you are stamped out of Schengen and Europe. Note! If you only have a single entry Schengen visa, you will not be able to return again to Spain (or Europe) without acquiring a new visa.
You can now board the ferry to Tangier. You will be walking on the same path as the cars will be driving, so be careful.
Leave your big and/or heavy luggage below (same area as the cars park) at the designated area.
Proceed to the second floor (using the left or right stairway) to the seating area.
You will probably notice a long queue inside the ferry. GET IN IT! This is not passengers leaving the vessel, but actually passport control for Morocco. There is no passport control once you arrive in Tangier, so every single person on the ferry will need to stand in line in order to get an entry stamp and deliver the white immigration form. The line will be long and you can not exit the ferry without the stamp. I stood in line 45 minutes of the trip and managed to get my stamp more or less at the same time as the ferry arrived in Tangier.
You will find yourself in a massive queue as it is time to disembark. Watch your steps as you proceed down the steep stairs.
Fetch your luggage where you left it.
Outside the ferry you will find yourself in another queue as terminal staff will check that your passport has the entry stamp (which you got onboard the ferry).
Follow the signs towards the exit.
As you reach the entry to the ferry building itself, you will stand in a final queue. This time for another security scan of your luggage.
You can now exit the building.

Phew! You have now made it to Morocco – well done! Remember there is a 1 hour time difference, so you will have arrived around the same time as you departed the port of Tarifa.

Procedure and process when taking the ferry FROM Tangier

It is time to return and take the ferry from Tangier back to Spain again. This procedure is much more straightforward, but with just as much queuing.

If you have come from Spain with the ferry, you will already have a valid ticket that was given to you at the ticket office in Tarifa. If you start your ferry journey from Tangier, you need to trade your printed ticket into a new type of ferry ticket at the ticket office. You will pass the ferry offices in small booths on the way to the ferry building, so you can not miss it.
Even if you have your ticket, you might want to go into the booth and check that your ferry is still going. I came as far as to the boarding gate and was not informed that my 8 AM ferry was cancelled and that I had to wait for the 10 AM ferry. I was only told when I checked my ticket with some staff there as I saw many other tourists showing their tickets.
To enter the ferry building, you need to show the security guards your ticket and passport. They might explain something to you, but if you do not know French you will not understand much (like what happened to me, and I missed that my ferry was cancelled..)
Proceed upstairs for security check of your luggage and passport control. This is also where you hand over your yellow exit form.
You are now in the waiting area, which is very bare. There is no cafeteria, but there are some vending machines.
If your ferry has been cancelled, you can choose to stay in the waiting area until the next ferry leaves (based on what terminal staff will inform you).
Boarding starts about 30 minutes before departure. A terminal staff will initiate the boarding and you will walk outside the building.
Here you will be waiting in a queue as the cars drive onto the ferry ramp. The line is for terminal staff to check your passport and your ticket.
As you board, you leave your big and/or heavy luggage at the same level as the cars.
Proceed upstairs to the waiting area.
This time there is NO NEED to queue inside the ferry, as immigration will be at the ferry building in Tarifa.
Once the ferry has arrived in Tarifa, remember to collect your luggage as you disembark.
When you enter the ferry building, you need to queue for passport control.
Once you have passed passport control the final step is security check of your luggage.
After completion, you are ready to exit and step into Tarifa!