VISA REQUIREMENTS AND GENERAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF BEFORE VISITING TUNISIA

Tunisia, a country in North Africa, has access to the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Sahara Desert. When it comes to tourism, the country offers countless attractions, including archaeological sites, ancient ruins, as well as golden, sunny beaches.

More than eight million people visit Tunisia annually.

However, before planning a trip to Tunisia, you must find out what the visa and other requirements for Tunisia are. This information piece tells you more about what you need to know about those visa requirements and the process to obtain a visa.

Visa requirements are always subject to change without prior notice. Rather check the country’s official website or enquire from a reputable travelling agency or tour operator like MoAfrika Tours what the latest updates or changes to the requirements for a Tunisian visa application may be.

VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR VISITING TUNISIA

A visa is authorised and issued upon application by a representative of Tunisia’s embassy, mission or consulate after it has been determined that you are eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose.

Visitors holding passports from countries that are classified as ‘exempt’ do not need to apply for a visa prior to arriving in Tunisia. Instead, they are issued with a short-stay visa at the point of entry for a period of time relevant to the status of the visitor’s country.

COUNTRIES EXEMPTED AND COUNTRIES THAT NEED VISAS

You need to apply for a Tunisia visa unless you are from one of the following countries. If you are from one of these countries, you can travel to Tunisia visa-free for stays of up to 90 days: An EU Member State (excluding Cyprus), Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Canada (citizens are allowed to stay visa-free for up to 4 months ), Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Hong Kong, Honduras, Iceland, India, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico      , Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Niger       North, Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States of America and Vatican City.

German citizens are allowed to stay visa-free for up to 4 months. Citizens of Bulgaria can only stay for up to two months, whereas Greece nationals may not exceed a one-month stay.

Nationals of the following countries travelling as part of an organised tour and have a hotel voucher, are also excluded from Tunisia tourist visas: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macao, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Diplomatic passport holders of the following countries are also exempt from Tunisia short-stay visas: China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Syria, Ukraine and Vietnam.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF VISAS

Two main types of Tunisian visas are granted, Tunisia short-stay visas for stays of up to 90 days and Tunisia long-stay visas for stays longer than 90 days.

Tunisian short-stay visa

A Tunisia short-stay visa is issued for any purpose which does not require a traveller to stay in Tunisia for longer than 90 days. A holder of such a visa cannot take gainful employment, it is only issued for tourism, business or social visits.

The Tunisian Return Visa is issued to Tunisian permanent residence permit holders who want to leave Tunisian territory for longer than six months. If you have a permanent residence permit for the country and you stay out of Tunisia for longer than six months without having obtained a Return Visa beforehand, you will lose your resident status.

Persons living in Tunisia on a temporary residence permit must obtain an Exit Visa before leaving the country. The Tunisian General Directorate of National Security is in charge of issuing the exit visa.

You need a Tunisia transit visa if you are a visa-required national and will enter Tunisian territory en route to a third country. The Tunisian Transit Visa allows the holder to be in Tunisia for a maximum of seven days. The traveller must show proof of his or her onward travel, such as a travel ticket to a third destination and a visa for that country if one is required.

Travellers that are exempt from a Tunisia transit visa are those from a visa-exempt country (as outlined above), those changing planes on a Tunisian airport but not leaving the international/transit area of the airport, and those travelling by water, but not leaving the ship.

Tunisia long-stay visa

The Tunisia long-stay visa is issued to people who have to stay in Tunisia for longer than 90 consecutive days or for more than 6 months in a year. In addition to the long-stay visa, you also have to apply for a Tunisian residence permit after you have travelled to Tunisia, to be allowed to remain in the country.

Even nationals of visa-exempt countries have to apply for a Tunisia long-stay visa and residence permit. There are two types of Tunisian residence permits: a temporary residence permit and a permanent residence permit.

You must apply for the residence permit after you arrive in Tunisia. On successful application you will receive a Residence Card, which serve as proof of legal residence status.

If you enter Tunisia with the purpose of remaining longer than 90 days, you have to obtain a temporary residence permit from the local police department in your area of residence in Tunisia. The Tunisian Ministry of the Interior issues residence permits.

To get a residence permit you must have a valid reason, such as employment, studying, joining a Tunisian family member or investment. Tunisian temporary residence permits are issued for one to two years and can be renewed. If you have a work contract, you must renew the residence permit every time you renew your contract.

US citizens do not need a visa for Tunisia if they stay for less than 90 days. Non-US citizens living in the US temporarily have to obtain a Tunisia visa at a Tunisian embassy or consulate in the US, unless they have a US B1/B2 visa. A US citizen who wants to stay in Tunisia for longer than 90 days needs a Tunisia long-stay visa and Tunisia residence permit combo.

HOW AND WHERE TO APPLY FOR VISAS WHEN VISITING TUNISIA

At the moment the only way one can apply for a Tunisian visa is through a Tunisian consulate or embassy. The application process is as follows:

Find the Tunisian diplomatic mission, consulate or embassy in your country of if there is not one in your country, contact the nearest one in a neighbouring country or apply directly to the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Nationale in Tunis.

Get as much as possible information by visiting the Tunisian embassy or consulate’s website and contact them to inquire about making an appointment and what the current Tunisia visa requirements are. Some diplomatic missions may allow you to make an online appointment.

Submit the required documents along with the application and wait for the Tunisia visa to be processed.

In 2017 the Tunisian government announced the implementation of an online Tunisia visa application procedure. This eVisa for Tunisia is however not available yet and the only way to get a Tunisia visa is in-person at a Tunisian embassy or consulate.

You can only get a Tunisia Visa On Arrival if you are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries. You are then allowed to stay for up to three months (four months for Canada and Germany).

The Tunisian Visa on Arrival is also available for foreign nationals who have a residence permit for a member state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

The processing time for a Tunisian visa varies from country to country, as well as from different consulates and embassies. You can expect to wait from five business days to more than 20 business days and if you have any incorrect or missing documents, the visa processing time will increase. Also, if the embassy or consulate has to receive authorisation by their home office in Tunisia, the processing time will be even longer.

It is thus paramount to apply for a Tunisia visa at least a month before you intend to travel and inquire about the processing time at the time you submit the application.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED FOR APPLICATION FOR VISA

When you apply for a Tunisia visa, you must have the following documents to support your application:

The Tunisia visa application form.

Your passport, which is valid for at least six more months and has been issued in the past ten years and a photocopy of the first page of your passport.

Passport-size pictures of yourself (one or two, depending on the consulate or embassy), according to the following specifications: dimensions 35mm x 45mm, light grey background, your face must take up 65% to 75% of the picture, your facial features must be clearly visible and you must be staring straight ahead with a neutral facial expression. Glasses are not recommended or at least not obstructing your eyes and face.

Headgear, unless for religious purposes, should be avoided and definitely not cover any part of your face.

Babies and infants who cannot support themselves should be photographed from above while they are lying down, since you must not be shown supporting or holding them.

Proof of accommodation in Tunisia like a hotel reservation or other type of tourist accommodation.

A Letter of Invitation from a host in Tunisia.

Travel itinerary, including travel tickets, accommodation, dates of travel and departure etc.

Any other documents related to your purpose of travel, such as an invitation letter from a Tunisian company if travelling for business.

Proof of paid Tunisia visa fee.

Tunisia visa requirements may differ depending on your country, the purpose of your travel, and the time you intend to stay, among others and the Tunisian authorities handling your visa application may also request additional documents as they see fit.

COST OF A TUNISIA VISA

There is no standard set of fees for a Tunisia visa. The visa cost as well as the method of payment changes from country to country. Some embassies may request a bank transfer only, while others also accept cash.

To find out what the adequate visa processing fee for your country of residence is, contact the consulate or embassy in which you are applying.

Once the Tunisia online visa is implemented, you will be able to pay the visa fee online at the time of application.

VACCINES NEEDED WHEN VISITING TUNISIA

Some vaccines are recommended or required for Tunisia. The National Travel Health Network and Centre and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for Tunisia: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies and tetanus.

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is may be required for a foreign visitor who is travelling from or transiting through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.

A yellow fever certificate is valid 10 days after the vaccination is administered, making it important to get the vaccination in time before leaving for Tunisia. You may be refused entry if you leave it too late and arrive in Tunisia within the 10-day waiting period.

WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE OVERSTAYS ON A VISA IN TUNISIA

Foreign visitors who overstay on a visa are normally declared ‘undesirable persons’ and may incur a ban from, which prevents them from applying for a visa and re-entering the country for a prescribed period of time.

A Tunisian tourist visa is issued for a maximum of 90 days but can be issued for less, depending on your travel purpose or itinerary. If you intend to stay in Tunisia for longer than 90 consecutive days or for more than six months overall, you must apply for a Tunisia long-stay visa and a temporary residence permit.

ENJOY A SAFE HOLIDAY IN TUNISIA WITH A REPUTABLE TOUR OPERATOR

Travel regulations are known to change without notice to the public.  MoAfrika Tours is a leading tour operator in South Africa that offers an outstanding selection of tours to Tunisia. We have a close association with the most reputable tour operators in Tunisia who make safety a priority.