🇹🇳 Trade Corridor Profile

Tunisia Trade Corridor

Tunisia handles 70% of trade by sea, 55% with the EU — one of the highest-volume MENA corridors. Get compliant fast.

Classify Your Product → Tunisia HS Lookup →
70% of Tunisia trade by sea
55% trade with the EU
19.4% avg MFN tariff
35.2% duty-free tariff lines
Trade Lanes

Know your lane before you ship.

🇹🇳 Tunisia → 🇪🇺 EU
Preferential

Highest-Value Corridor — EU–Tunisia Association Agreement

The EU–Tunisia Association Agreement has been in force since 1998. Industrial goods achieved full duty-free access by 2008. PEM cumulation allows EU materials to be incorporated into Tunisian exports and still qualify for preferential treatment.

Revised Protocol 4 (March 2025): more flexible rules
EU 2025/1459: cut-and-make in Tunisia now confers origin
📄
EUR.1 / EUR-MED Certificate → 0% duty on most industrial goods
🧾
Invoice Declaration → Available for shipments under €6,000
How to get EUR.1: Chamber of Commerce in the exporting country → customs authority stamps → present at Tunisian customs. Typically takes 1–2 business days.
EU–Tunisia Agreement details →
🇹🇳 Tunisia → 🇺🇸 USA
No FTA

Trade on MFN Rates — No Preferential Benefits Available

There is no free trade agreement between Tunisia and the United States. Tunisia–USA trade falls entirely on MFN (Most-Favored Nation) rates, which are significantly higher than EU preferential rates.

Rate typeAverageNotes
Overall MFN 19.4% On all goods
Agricultural 30.3% Food, beverages, tobacco
Non-agricultural 17.6% Manufactured goods
Maximum 200% Some textiles and footwear
US Reciprocal (2025+) 25% On Tunisian-origin goods
⚠️ No preferential tariff benefits available for Tunisia–USA trade. Certificate of origin can only be issued as a non-preferential CO, which does not reduce duty rates.
Non-preferential CO — legalization required (4 steps):
  1. Notarize at Tunisian notary
  2. Authenticate at Tunisian State Secretary
  3. Legalize at US Department of State
  4. Legalize at Tunisian Embassy in Washington

Timeline: 3–6 weeks. Use a freight forwarder or Chamber of Commerce to manage.

Required Documents

Every shipment needs these. Missing one means a hold.

🚢

BESC

Bordereau Électronique de Suivi des Cargaisons

  • Required for all maritime cargo to Tunisia
  • File via BESC 3.0 platform (douane.gov.tn)
  • Must be validated within 5 days of ship departure
  • NVU number must appear on transport document
📋

Fiche de Chargement

Cargo Manifest

  • Package count and description
  • Gross weight (kg)
  • Container numbers and seal IDs
  • Must match BESC declaration
🧾

Commercial Invoice

In French (required)

  • Must include HS code (8-digit Tunisia national extension)
  • CIF value in TND or EUR
  • Country of origin
  • Incoterms 2020 designation
  • Exporter and consignee full details
📄

Certificate of Origin

Three types — use the right one for your market

  • EUR.1 / EUR-MED → Tunisia–EU lane (preferential, 0% duty)
  • Arabic CO → GAFTA markets (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco)
  • Non-preferential CO → USA and general markets (no duty reduction)

Routiply can generate Tunisia COs — go to the classification tool.

📨

TTN Declaration

Tunisia TradeNet — electronic single window

  • All formalities go through Tunisia TradeNet
  • Register at tradenet.com.tn before first shipment
  • Most declarations processed within 24–48h
  • Customs broker recommended for first-time shippers
HS Classification

8-digit+ codes — not EU CN, not US HTS.

Tunisia uses an 8-digit national extension of the global 6-digit HS system. The national digits define your exact duty rate — wrong classification means overpaying or customs holds.

🔍
douane.gov.tn/consultation-tarif-2 Official tariff consultation portal
📊
Tunisia Tariff Web 2025 Full tariff schedule with national extensions
⚠️ Misclassification risk: Using EU Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes or US HTS codes without the Tunisia national extension will misclassify your product and miscalculate duties. Always use Tunisia's official portal.

Tunisia Tariff Summary

Average MFN tariff19.4%
Duty-free lines35.2%
Maximum tariff200%
Customs formality fee3%
VAT (standard)19%
VAT (reduced)13% / 7%
Key Agencies

Who to contact. Where to go.

🚛

Douanes Tunisiennes

Tunisian Customs Authority

📋

Direction du Tarif

HS code rulings and duty classifications

  • +216 71 286 058
  • Handles binding tariff rulings on request
  • Rulings valid 3 years unless regulations change
💻

Tunisia TradeNet

Electronic single window for all trade formalities

  • tradenet.com.tn
  • Register before your first shipment
  • BESC filing, customs declarations, permits
🌍

CEPEX

Export promotion agency

  • cepex.nat.tn
  • Export support, market intelligence, trade missions
  • Useful for new exporters entering the EU market
🏛️

Tunisian Chambers of Commerce

Certificate of origin issuance

  • Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie, Tunis
  • Chambre de Commerce, Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte
  • Issue EUR.1, EUR-MED, and Arabic COs
  • Processing: 1–2 business days
Other Trade Agreements

Beyond the EU — Tunisia has more options.

🇬🇭 Agadir Agreement

Free trade zone with Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. GAFTA — Arab Free Trade Area. Goods of Arab origin can move duty-free across member states. CO: Arabic certificate of origin.

Active

🔶 COMESA

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa — 21 member states. Tunisia is a member. Reduced MFN rates on goods from COMESA partners. Check specific commodity eligibility.

Active

🏔️ EFTA–Tunisia FTA

Free trade agreement with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Industrial goods and processed agricultural products get preferential access. Separate CO required.

Active

🌍 AfCFTA

African Continental Free Trade Area — 54 nations. Tunisia is a signatory. Pan-African origin rules. Still being implemented — check current status with Douanes before relying on it.

Implementing

🌙 Arab Maghreb Union

North African regional bloc (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Mauritania). Despite existence since 1989, intra-Maghreb trade remains limited due to political constraints. Not currently actionable for most traders.

Limited

Start With Your HS Code —
Get the Right Classification First

The right 8-digit Tunisia HS code unlocks every other step: duty rates, required documents, CO eligibility, and more. Routiply classifies your product against the official Tunisia tariff schedule in seconds.

Classify Your Product → Tunisia HS Lookup → See your savings →

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