Every way into Tunisia.

Nationals who are not visa-exempt must obtain an entry visa from a Tunisian embassy or consulate before travelling, as Tunisia's e-visa platform is not yet operational. The visa is issued single-entry or multiple-entry and allows a stay of up to 90 days for tourism, family visit or similar short purposes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal indicates a chancellery fee in the region of EUR 60 for a single-entry and EUR 120 for a multiple-entry short-stay visa, but fees vary by consulate and nationality and processing fees are non-refundable if the visa is refused. Applicants should allow at least 20 days from submission. The visa does not authorise work, study enrolment or residence; stays over 90 days require a temporary residence card.

Processing time

20 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Nationals of a small group of countries that otherwise need a visa may enter Tunisia without one when travelling as part of an official, organised group tour. Eligible nationalities include Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macao, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The exemption applies only to travellers booked through an approved tour operator; a group representative must present a hotel voucher (booking confirmation) to the border authorities on arrival. The stay is for tourism only, does not authorise work, study or residence, and is limited to the duration of the organised programme up to a maximum of 90 days. Travellers must hold a passport valid at least three months from entry.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Nationals of a large number of countries (more than 90, including most EU member states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, the Gulf states and the Maghreb) may enter Tunisia without a visa for tourism or a non-commercial visit. The visa-free stay is up to 90 days for most eligible nationalities, though some are limited to a shorter period; the exact entitlement depends on nationality and any bilateral agreement. Since 1 January 2025 every traveller must hold a passport valid for at least three months from the date of entry. The exemption does not authorise work, study enrolment or residence, and any stay beyond the permitted period requires a temporary residence card from the Ministry of the Interior. Travellers should hold a return or onward ticket and proof of accommodation.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

The transit visa is for visa-required nationals passing through Tunisia en route to a third country. It permits a stay of up to seven days. Applicants must show proof of onward travel to the final destination, including any visa required for that destination. The visa is obtained from a Tunisian embassy or consulate; the chancellery fee varies by consulate and nationality. The transit visa does not authorise work, study or residence in Tunisia.

Processing time

20 days

Max stay

7 days

Validity

90 days

Visa-required nationals travelling to Tunisia for meetings, negotiations, conferences or other short business activity apply for a short-stay visa supported by business documentation. Nationals who are visa-exempt may carry out the same short business activities without a visa for up to 90 days. The visa allows a stay of up to 90 days and is issued single- or multiple-entry. Beyond business documentation (an invitation from a Tunisian company or proof of business relationship), the standard short-stay requirements apply. The visa permits business meetings but not local employment, which requires a work-contract visa approved by the Ministry in charge of employment. The chancellery fee varies by consulate and nationality.

Processing time

20 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Foreign nationals enrolled at a Tunisian university or higher-education institution for more than three consecutive months must obtain a temporary residence card on the basis of their studies. Visa-required nationals first obtain an entry/long-stay visa from a Tunisian consulate; on arrival the student must apply for the residence card at the police station nearest their place of residence, normally within one month of arrival. The card is issued by the Ministry of the Interior after about two to three months, with a provisional card issued in the meantime to keep the student in legal status. The residence card tracks the validity of the supporting documents and may not exceed one year, and is renewed each academic year against a fresh enrolment certificate. Foreign students must show proof of admission, accommodation and means of support.

• Study: Full enrolment at the admitting institution.
• Residency after 5 years

Processing time

90 days

Validity

365 days

Foreign nationals who run their own business or carry on an independent professional activity in Tunisia regularise their stay through a temporary residence card linked to that activity, rather than through a dedicated entrepreneur visa. The applicant first registers the business or commercial activity (subject to any sector authorisations and, for some activities, investment-agency approval), then applies for the temporary residence card at the governorate or local police station of the place of business. Foreigners cannot acquire agricultural land and certain activities are reserved or require authorisation. The residence card validity tracks the supporting documents and may not exceed one year; it is renewable. After five continuous years of residence the holder may qualify for the two-year ordinary residence card. Founders of labelled startups follow the lighter Startup Act route instead.

• Work: Authorises the registered independent activity; not salaried employment for a third party.
• Residency after 5 years

Processing time

90 days

Validity

365 days

Tunisia's Startup Act (Law 2018-20) creates the Startup Label, a merit label granted through the startup.gov.tn portal to a company under Tunisian law that is up to eight years old, employs fewer than 100 people, is majority-owned by individuals, other labelled startups or registered investment funds, and has an innovative, scalable business model. The Label unlocks a package of benefits including corporate-tax exemption, a special foreign-currency account, an enlarged technology card and, for founders, a Startup Grant covering the launch phase and (for public-sector employees) the right to a one-year renewable leave to create the startup. For foreign founders the Label brings administrative facilitation, including exemption from the standard work-contract authorisation required of other foreign employees; founders still regularise their stay through the temporary residence card. The Label itself is granted for the labelled period (up to eight years from creation) rather than being a residence title.

• Work: Founders work in their labelled startup; the Label exempts them from the standard work-contract authorisation.
• Residency after 5 years

Validity

1,825 days

Foreign nationals working for a Tunisian employer need a work contract endorsed by the Ministry in charge of employment (visa du contrat de travail). The employer must obtain authorisation before the worker arrives and must demonstrate that no Tunisian national can fill the position (a labour-market test); recruitment of foreigners is generally capped relative to Tunisian staff. The contract must be drawn up in Arabic (a French translation may be attached) and is typically endorsed for one year, renewable, with the foreign employee normally not permitted to occupy a role for more than a limited number of renewals. Processing takes roughly eleven weeks. Once the work-contract visa is granted, the worker obtains a work/entry visa from the Tunisian consulate (initially around three months, renewable) and, within fifteen days of arrival, applies for a temporary residence card at the governorate. Startups holding the Startup Label benefit from a simplified procedure exempting them from this work-contract authorisation.

• Work: Work for the employer and role named in the endorsed contract; change of employer requires a new endorsement.
• Residency after 5 years

Processing time

77 days

Validity

365 days

Tunisia has no separate statutory intra-corporate transfer permit; an employee assigned from a foreign parent or affiliate to a Tunisian group entity is treated under the general foreign-employment rules and needs a work contract or assignment endorsed by the Ministry in charge of employment. The host entity files the authorisation, supported by proof of the group relationship and the assignment terms. The endorsement is normally for one year, renewable, after which the assignee obtains a work/entry visa from a Tunisian consulate and a temporary residence card at the governorate within fifteen days of arrival. The same labour-market and quota considerations apply as for ordinary work-contract visas; companies in special regimes (offshore/non-resident companies, Startup-Label holders) may benefit from lighter procedures.

• Work: Work for the host group entity under the endorsed assignment.
• Residency after 5 years

Processing time

77 days

Validity

365 days

Tunisia has no dedicated retirement visa, but foreign pensioners who wish to live in the country settle through the general temporary residence card supported by proof of a stable pension and means. Visa-exempt nationals can stay up to 90 days without formality; anyone intending to stay longer must obtain the temporary residence card from the Ministry of the Interior, applying at the governorate or local police station of their place of residence. Retirees must show regular pension payments and sufficient funds to support themselves, plus proof of accommodation (often a lease or a property they own, noting that foreigners cannot buy agricultural land and need authorisation for some purchases). The card validity tracks the supporting documents and may not exceed one year; it is renewable, and after five continuous years the holder may qualify for the two-year ordinary residence card.

• Residency after 5 years

Processing time

90 days

Validity

365 days

Tunisia has no codified EU-style family-reunification permit; family members of a foreigner lawfully residing in Tunisia regularise their stay through individual temporary residence cards on the basis of their relationship to the resident. The sponsoring resident must hold a valid residence card and show that they can accommodate and support the family. Each accompanying relative (typically the spouse and minor children) lodges a residence-card application at the governorate or local police station with proof of the family relationship, the sponsor's residence status, accommodation and means. The card validity tracks the supporting documents and may not exceed one year; it is renewable alongside the sponsor's residence. Spouses of Tunisian citizens and parents of Tunisian children follow their own dedicated, stronger routes to the ordinary residence card.

• Study: Dependants may enrol in education.
• Residency after 5 years
• Family: Covers the spouse and minor children of a lawfully resident foreigner, each on their own card.

Processing time

90 days

Validity

365 days

The foreign spouse of a Tunisian citizen may reside in Tunisia on the basis of the marriage. The spouse first holds a temporary residence card while the marriage is established, and marriage to a Tunisian is one of the categories expressly entitling the holder to the two-year ordinary residence card under Decree 68-198. The marriage must be validly registered in Tunisia, with all foreign civil documents translated into Arabic or French by a sworn translator and lodged in the Tunisian civil files. The application is made at the police station covering the spouse's place of residence with proof of the marriage, accommodation and means. Marriage and residence do not automatically confer Tunisian nationality, which is acquired separately under the Nationality Code subject to its own conditions.

• Work: Residence on the marriage basis generally allows the spouse to reside and work; some employment may still need an endorsed contract.
• Study: Residence supports study.
• Residency: Marriage entitles the holder to the 2-year ordinary residence card; naturalisation is separate under the Nationality Code.
• Family: This route is for the foreign spouse; children's status is handled separately.

Processing time

90 days

Validity

730 days

Under Decree 68-198 of 22 June 1968, any foreigner who stays in Tunisia for more than three consecutive months, or more than six non-consecutive months in a year, must hold a temporary residence card (carte de sejour temporaire). It is the standard in-country residence title underpinning study, work, business, family and retirement stays. The card is issued by the Ministry of the Interior (Direction Generale de la Surete Nationale) on application at the governorate or local police station, with a provisional card issued while it is processed. Its validity matches the validity of the documents on which it is based and cannot exceed one year except by special authorisation, and it does not outlast the validity of the underlying visa; it is renewable. The grounds (study, work, marriage, business, pension) determine the supporting documents required.

• Residency after 5 years

Processing time

90 days

Validity

365 days

The ordinary residence card (carte de sejour ordinaire) under Decree 68-198 is Tunisia's long-term residence title, granted to defined categories: foreigners who have resided continuously in Tunisia for at least five years on temporary cards, foreigners born in Tunisia who have lived there without interruption, foreign spouses of Tunisian citizens, foreign parents of Tunisian children, and foreigners who have rendered appreciable services to the country. It is issued by the Direction Generale de la Surete Nationale and is valid for two years, renewable, giving a more stable residence status than the one-year temporary card. The card records the holder's identity, profession and address; it is withdrawn if the qualifying circumstances cease or an expulsion order is made, after which the holder must leave within eight days. It does not by itself confer Tunisian nationality, which is governed separately by the Nationality Code.

• Work: Holders may reside and generally work in Tunisia; salaried roles may still need an endorsed contract depending on category.
• Study: Residence supports study.
• Residency: This is the long-term residence card (2-year, renewable); naturalisation is governed separately by the Nationality Code.

Processing time

90 days

Validity

730 days