Tunisia visa and entry requirements: passport required, visa-free stays

Passport required since 1 January 2025

For a tourist trip to Tunisia, visa-exempt nationalities enter with a passport. Until 2024 Tunisia accepted national ID cards from travellers on package holidays; since 1 January 2025 it no longer does, whatever the type of trip. The ONTT (the Tunisian National Tourist Office) announces this on its entry requirements page, and European foreign ministries repeat it.

There is no official Tunisian page setting out, nationality by nationality, the length of stay and passport validity required. The rules below are those your country's foreign ministry publishes for its own citizens.

What depends on your nationality

The visa-free stay, the document required and its validity depend on nationality:

Depending on the ministry, validity requirements range from simply covering the stay to 6 months after entry. Sabaro advises all its travellers to carry a passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of arrival, which meets every one of these rules. If your country's ministry does not state the permitted length of stay, check it with the Tunisian embassy before a long stay.

A few details:

• Beyond the permitted stay. A longer stay requires a visa and a residence card from the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior. Travellers who overstay pay a fine on departure.
• On entry. Make sure your passport is stamped. Border officers may ask for an address in Tunisia, a return or onward ticket, an accommodation booking and, without a package holiday, proof of sufficient funds for the stay.
• Condition of the passport. A damaged passport can cause problems when leaving the country.
• Temporary passports. Depending on nationality, they may be accepted under conditions, for example with a return ticket and sufficient funds: the table above gives the rule for your country. Travel with an ordinary passport if you can.
• Visitor card. Some airports hand out a "non-resident visitor card", to be kept until departure.

Minors and dual nationals

• Minors travelling with one parent. The documents required depend on the child's nationality: the table above gives the rule for your country. A family record book or birth certificate is useful if the child's and parent's surnames differ. Before you go, check France Diplomatiediplomatie.belgium.beDFAE (eda.admin.ch)mae.gouvernement.luGOV.UK (FCDO)ireland.ie (DFA)Auswärtiges AmtRegeringen (UD)Udenrigsministeriet (um.dk)RegjeringenOdyseusz (MSZ)MZV ČRBMEIANederland WereldwijdViaggiare Sicuriexteriores.gob.esPortal das ComunidadesUlkoministeriö (um.fi).
• Children who are also Tunisian. They travel on a Tunisian passport. Some ministries still require an exit authorisation signed by the Tunisian parent before a Tunisian authority; others state that it is officially no longer needed but is still sometimes requested on exit. It is best to have one.
• Adult dual nationals. A dual national who holds Tunisian nationality is treated as Tunisian and is asked for a Tunisian passport.

At the border and at customs

• Money. Importing and exporting dinars is prohibited, and foreign currency above certain amounts must be declared on arrival. The guide Money in Tunisia gives the thresholds and explains how to change dinars back before leaving.
• Drones and devices. Drones, professional audiovisual equipment, walkie-talkies, even toy ones, and smart glasses need prior authorisation; without it they are confiscated on arrival.
• Medicines. Keep them in their original packaging with the prescription. The guide Health in Tunisia covers recommended vaccinations and precautions.
• Antiquities. Exporting them is prohibited without prior authorisation.
• During your stay. Always carry ID or a copy of your passport photo page, including the page with the entry stamp.
• At the hotel. A tourist tax is paid on site: TND 8 per person per night in 3-star hotels, TND 12 in 4- and 5-star hotels, for up to ten nights, according to the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the British foreign ministry).