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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Trade Financing
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Methods of Payment

Local law prohibits the export of foreign currency from Tunisia to pay for imports without first submitting to the bank documents confirming that the merchandise was shipped. Usually, a freight forwarder or Tunisian Customs documentation fulfills this requirement. In past transactions, U.S. exporters have used confirmed irrevocable letters of credit or letters of credit that authorize “payment against documents.” 

For more information about the methods of payment or other trade finance options, please read the Trade Finance Guide.

Banking Systems

The banking sector is composed of 29 banks, 12 of which are publicly traded on the stock market. There are five state-owned banks led by Société Tunisienne de Banque (STB), Banque Nationale Agricole (BNA), and Banque de l’Habitat (BH).  Per the CBT’s 2023 report on banking supervision, state-owned banks collectively represent 36.1% of banking assets, 38.9% of banking sector credits, and 29.2% of banking sector deposits. The CBT insists bank reserves and balance sheets comply with international standards. Banks are working to reduce non-performing loan (NPL) ratios, implement tighter credit risk controls, enhance recovery procedures, and upgrade under-developed IT applications.  

Recent reforms include mandates for financial stability, consumer protection, and emergency liquidity assistance to insolvent banks, as well as the creation of a macro-prudential oversight committee to ensure the banking system’s overall stability.  

Despite these reforms, the banking system remains fragile. According to the CBT banking supervision report, the overall capital adequacy ratio of the banking system, which measures the ratio of banks’ capital to their risk, stood at 14.5% in 2023, over the regulatory requirement of 10%. NPLs rose to 13.6% of total loans by value in 2023. 

Foreign Exchange Controls

The Tunisian dinar is convertible for current-account transactions. Companies or individuals engaging in foreign trade can apply to the CBT for a convertible currency account. Foreign investors may freely repatriate profits and proceeds from the sale of equity, but other transfers may be subject to Central Bank authorization, and delays may occur in repatriation. Most trade-related transactions are conducted through letters of credit or bank transfers without difficulty. 

Royalty payments must be approved by relevant government ministries in consultation with the CBT on a case-by-case basis. Royalty rates reflect the estimated value of the technology involved and the duration of the particular contract. 

U.S. Banks and Local Correspondent Banks

Citibank is the only U.S. bank operating in Tunisia.  It has both onshore and offshore branches, with offices in Tunis and Sfax. The bank’s onshore clients are strictly corporate. 

Most Tunisian banks maintain a correspondent banking relationship with one or more U.S. banks. Several of them also work with Western Union and Moneygram for the transfer of funds into and out of Tunisia

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) offers trade financing solutions and support to U.S. businesses exporting goods and services to Tunisia. 

For additional information, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statements.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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