Porteadoras
Porteadoras, or "carrier women," are workers who move cargo across the border from Ceuta and Melilla into Morocco. A second duty called Biutz exempts anything carried across the border from tariffs, helping create a small, informal trade network. This smuggling is tolerated by both Spanish and Moroccan authorities and is officially called comercio atípico, or atypical trade.
Nearby Moroccans from Nador and Tetouan can enter Melilla and Ceuta without visas. Ceuta and Melilla have lower trade taxes than mainland Spain and are not in the European Customs Union. Every year, more than €1.4 billion worth of goods are carried by porteadoras into Morocco. On a typical day, about 4,000 porteadoras operate in Ceuta and up to 30,000 in Melilla.
The border towns are among the poorer areas of their countries, and smuggling is a big part of their economies. In August 2018, Morocco closed customs near Melilla, affecting both legal trade and smuggling, aiming to boost the port of Nador. In 2020, Morocco closed the borders during COVID-19.
Port readers often work as a last resort, usually widows or wives of disabled men. They carry bales heavier than themselves, a dangerous job with little protection. In 2008, Safia Azizi died after a fall; in 2009 two women died at the Ceuta Biutz crossing during a crowd surge, and four policemen were injured. Calls have been made for safer conditions, weight limits, and more reliable border openings.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:14 (CET).