Tunisia Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in tunisia, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

Tunisian consumers are gradually becoming aware of their right to expect that the goods they purchase meet certain standards, such as for safety.  Products available on the flourishing parallel market in Tunisia often do not meet acceptable safety standards.

Standards

Tunisia is currently embracing ISO 9001 standards.  The National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property (INNORPI) is responsible for establishing national standards and has instituted ISO 14000 certification procedures.  Many firms in the industrial sector have already achieved ISO 9001 certification.

Testing, Inspection and Certification

The Tunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC) is the national accreditation agency.  TUNAC evaluates and accredits conformity assessment bodies (i.e., laboratories and inspection and certification bodies) in accordance with relevant national and international standards. 

TUNAC has mutual recognition agreements with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) for the accreditation of laboratories for analysis, testing, and calibration.

TUNAC is also a signatory of the mutual recognition agreements with the International Accreditation Forum and the EA for the accreditation of certification bodies for quality and environmental management systems.

International testing laboratories and agencies, including those from the United States, are allowed to operate in the market.

Publication of Technical Regulations

INNORPI is responsible for publishing and coordinating the creation of norms and standards and information relating to these, as well as developing general technical regulation programs.

Contact Information

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify to the WTO proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade.  

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. 

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by World Trade Organization (WTO) Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and does not require registration unless the user wishes to receive customized e-mail alerts.  Use it to browse notifications on past as well as new draft and updated product regulations, food safety and animal and plant health standards and regulations, find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees, locate information on SPS/TBT Enquiry Points and notification authorities, and to follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest. 

Notify U.S., operated and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 2003 to distribute and provide access to notifications (and associated draft texts) made under the WTO TBT Agreement for US stakeholders, has reached its end of life. Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates a national TBT (and an SPS) Enquiry Point.  National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat.  All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point.  Refer to the comment guidance at https://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/guidance/guidance.cfm for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.

Contacts in the U.S.

  • For general information email: Standards@trade.gov
  • Middle East and North Africa: Anthony Quinn – Senior International Trade Specialist, OSIP Team Lead

Anthony.Quinn@trade.gov / 202.482.8120

Contacts in Tunisia

  • Tunisian Accreditation Council (Conseil National d’Accreditation – TUNAC)

Address: 8, Rue de l’Assistance par la Rue Alain Savary,

Cité EL Khadhra 1003 Tunis, Tunisia

Tel: +216 71 806 431 / +216 71 806 916

Fax: +216 71 809 407

Email: tunac@tunac.tn 

  • The National Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property (Institut National de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle – INNORPI)

Address headquarters in Tunis:  Rue 8451 n° 8 par la rue Alain Savary,

BP 57 – Cité El Khadra – 1003 Tunis – Tunisia

Tel: +216 71 806 758 / Fax:  +216 71 807 071
Email: contact@innorpi.tn  

Address Sfax Regional Center:  1, rue Bejaya 3000 Sfax - Tunisia
Tel:  +216 74 298 223 / Fax:  +216 74 211 356