Rules for overlanding in Tunisia

An Italian licence is accepted. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

Carry a Green Card or take out temporary cover at the border. Without a Green Card you must buy short-term insurance on entry; it is sold at the Babouch (Algeria) and Ras Jedir (Libya) land crossings and at the ports of Tunis, Bizerte, Sfax, Sousse and Gabès.

Non-resident travellers can bring in a car, motorcycle, caravan or camper on a circulation permit issued by customs and valid three months. It can be renewed three consecutive times, with road tax due after the first renewal. The vehicle is written into your passport.

You must leave the country with the same vehicle you entered with. If you cannot, theft included, customs demand a payment equal to the vehicle's market value before letting you go. The alternative is to leave it in customs custody: apply to the Direction Centrale des Douanes "Bureau des avantages fiscaux", pay a deposit and hand over the keys and papers, and only you in person can collect it later.

You need a letter of authority from the owner, with the signature authenticated.

The legal limit is 0% and there is no tolerance for drinking and driving.

Helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists and seatbelts are compulsory in the front seats; carrying children in the front is discouraged. A warning triangle is compulsory; if you need to use it, place it 30 m behind the vehicle, visible from 100 m.

The motorways are the A1 Tunis–Hammamet–Sousse–Sfax (270 km), the A3 Tunis–Medjez el Bab–Oued Zarga (66 km) and the A4 Tunis–Bizerte (56 km), with tolls payable in cash. Drive with extreme care outside built-up areas: the yearly accident and fatality rate on Tunisian roads is high. Take particular care travelling at night, above all on secondary roads.

For desert trips the ministry recommends a vehicle suited to the type of road (4x4 jeeps) and reporting your presence at the nearest Tunisian National Guard barracks. Roadside assistance is widely available in towns and much less so on rural and inter-urban roads.

Since 1 January 2025 entry is allowed only with a passport that has at least three months of validity left. No visa is needed for stays of up to 90 days; if you stay longer you must apply for a residence permit through the local police station, giving your reasons.

A serious crash that kills a Tunisian citizen brings an initial "precautionary" arrest of the driver, foreign nationals included, while responsibility is investigated; detention can last from a few days up to two months. Serious offences such as speeding or illegal overtaking can also cost you your licence until the proceedings end and any fine is paid.

At the port of La Goulette, Italian and other European travellers have been refused entry for not holding a hotel voucher. According to several travellers, border officers there did not consider bookings for non-hotel accommodation such as B&Bs or holiday homes, or a statement that you are staying with family or friends, to be enough. Arrive with a valid passport, a return ticket, a hotel voucher and a precise itinerary.

There is no tolerance for using or dealing drugs. Simple possession, even of soft drugs for personal use, carries prison sentences of no less than one year.

Any import or export of currency worth 20,000 Tunisian dinars (about 6,000 euro) or more must be declared to customs, and non-residents who want to take back out more than 5,000 dinars (about 1,500 euro) must declare it on the way in. Exporting Tunisian currency is prohibited in all cases. Keep the receipts from authorised exchange outlets: currency offences are punished severely, with confiscation and possible prison.

Using a civil drone requires prior authorisation from the competent Tunisian authorities; without it the drone can be confiscated and you can be detained by the police. Bringing in professional audiovisual equipment is also subject to authorisation, and journalists must apply for one to bring in professional cameras and to film professionally.

Take extra care during Ramadan. Most Tunisians do not eat, drink (water included) or smoke during the day, so avoid behaviour in public that could look offensive or disrespectful of local customs and traditions.

Homosexuality is punishable by law.

At the border, non-resident visitors get a circulation permit called a "Diptyque", valid for three months; there is no mention of a Carnet de Passages en Douane. The permit can be renewed for a second three-month period once a circulation tax is paid, and a third and, if justified, a fourth three-month extension can be granted through customs. If you are not the vehicle's owner, you need a power of attorney from them with the signature legalised. (Direction Générale des Douanes Tunisiennes — Véhicule)

Your vehicle's international insurance card (Green Card) must show the Tunisia (TN) box not crossed out and be valid on the day you cross the border. If it isn't, you must buy a border insurance contract at the entry customs office, sold for 7, 15 or 30 days. (Direction Générale des Douanes Tunisiennes — Recommandations importantes)