Tunisia Market Access

Import regulations and customs duties

Regulations
Although Tunisia has liberalised its import system within the framework of the WTO regulations, a certain number of restrictions still exist. Thus, around 3% of the goods require an import license (agricultural, automobile, textile products) delivered by Ministry of Trade. There are also some quotas, especially for consumer goods which compete with the local industry.

In order to obtain these licenses, a certain number of documents are required such as a trade contract (or any other equivalent document), as well as information relating to the contracting parties, products and origin of goods. In principle, the licenses are valid for 12 months after the decision is delivered by the Ministry of Trade, which may nevertheless reduce this duration for certain products (it can never be less than 2 months). The license can be used partially. It is not transferable.

Regulations governing payments
The payment in advance for the goods is prohibited. Exporters can only be paid after receiving the goods and after the customs officer has checked it.

Distribution

The distribution market in Tunisia is very traditional and is characterised mainly by small traders. Modern distribution systems have appeared only recently since trading was liberalised in 1999.
The principal economic regions of the country are located in the North in places like Bizerte, Tunis and Ben Arous.

The Business to Consumer (B to C) market

The Tunisian distribution system is still characterised by the predominance of traditional traders. At the end of 2004, there were 210,000 retail stores, out of which 195,000 were retailers and 15,000 were wholesalers.

The appearance of a few supermarkets can be noted, however the government does not encourage their growth, prefering to maintain traditional trade as a social stability factor. In fact, the purchasing power of Tunisians diminishes as soon as one leaves Tunis, the capital.. This is the reason why small traditional traders continue to be indispensable: they are often the only stores in the provinces which offer a wide range of products.

Outside the provinces, large distribution networks are generally successful and some of the main players in 2004 were:
- Batam with 55 retail outlets and also the owner of the Bonprix chain with 41 outlets.
- Magasin Général with 50 retail outlets.
- Monoprix with 35 outlets.
- Carrefour with it's three Champion stores. Carrefour opened the 1st hypermarket in Tunisia in 2001.
- Promogro with 4 outlets.

On 29th September 2005, a 2nd hypermarket was opened 3.5 km from Tunis in a shopping centre called TunisCity. This hypermarket is called Géant-Casino. The shopping centre is spread out over 50,000 sq. meters, and this hypermarket occupies 12,000 sq. meters of space.

The Business to Business (B to B) market

In 1995, Tunisia signed an agreement of association with the European Union and since then, it has followed a liberalisation policy and has undergone significant structural reforms. This agreement will eventually result in the removal of tariffs on industrial and agricultural goods in 2008, and on services in 2010.

The textile sector continues to dominate the Tunisian economy but its growth has somewhat slowed down: between 1997 and 2001, this sector had an average growth of 10%. Between 2001 and 2003, the growth rate was only 1%. Today, the principal growth sectors are: transportation, building & construction, electrical and mechanical sub-contracting, IT, plastic technology and industry related services.
In the field of capital equipment and consumer goods, it is advisable to employ the services of an agent who is better acquainted with local customs. Certain sectors are subject to State monopoly such as food products and pharmaceuticals. In order to enter these sectors it is necessary to go through the tender invitation process; these tenders being published in local newspapers.

Numerous fairs and exhibitions are organised each year in Tunisia mainly under the aegis of Société des Foires Internationales de Tunis.

Transportation of goods

By road
The road network in Tunisia extends over 2,000 km. There is only one national highway which links Tunisia and M'saken. This highway is 150 km long. Another highway between Tunis and Bizerta is planned. The road transport dominates both transportation of passengers and goods. There are different public operators in the road sector: SNTRI (Inter urban National Road Transport Company), the SNT (National Transport Company) and the 12 regional transport companies (STRG). There are 30 Tunisian companies which are operating within the framework of International Road Transport (TIR).

By rail
The railway transport extends over 2,168 km, of which 135 km are double-track railway lines and 65 km are electrified railway lines. The railway network is mainly exploited by the public sector company called SNCF of Tunisia (SNCFT) and by Light Metro Railway Company of Tunisia SMLT, specialised in urban railway transport in the big city of Tunis. Some trunk lines belong to the Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa and to the Network of Electricity and Transport. The railway line called Tunis-Borj-Cédria is the main one. There is another line called Tunis-Sousse-Sfax-Gabés which is being electrified.
In 1998, 13 million tons of traffic were carried by the railway transport network.

By sea
96% of Tunisian foreign trade is carried by marine shipping lines. Tunisia has a number of principal trading ports : Tunis-Goulette, Sousse, Sfax, Gabés, Skhira, Bizerta, Radés and Zarzis. The port of Skhira is specialised in oil transport. There are free trade zones in the ports of Bizerta and Zarzis. The State company called CTN (Compagnie Tunisienne de navigation) is the main shipping company in Tunisia; the merchant marine and ports office (OMMP) ensures the ports management. In 1999, 13,150 thousand tons of goods were unloaded in the Tunisian ports and 6,800 thousand tons of goods were shipped.

By air
The principal airport in this country is Tunis-Carthage airport, located 10 km away from the capital. There are 6 other international airports : Monastir-Habib Bourguiba (Skanés), Djerba-Zarzis, Tozeur-Nefta, Sfax-Thyna, 7 Novembre-Tabarka and Gafsa-ksar. The airports of Tunis and Monastir are respectively the second and the third most active airports in the Maghreb region. Tunisia is planning to expand the capacities of these airports, as well as Djerba's airport.

The air travel company called Tunis Air absorbs one third of the passenger traffic and half the goods traffic in the region. This company is a member of AACO (Arab Air Carriers Organisation). Tuninter, which is a subsidiary of Tunis Air ensures three internal flights on behalf of some small private companies of chartered flights such as Nouvel Air. In 1999, 25,906 tons of freight were transported through Tunisia's airports.

Standards

The competent institution in the field of standardisation it the Institut de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle (INNORPI - Industrial property Standardisation Institute), created by the law 82-66 dated 6th August 1982 and working under the Ministry of Economy. In this field, INNORPI is responsible for the co-ordination of standardisation, certification and respect information works. The INNORPI is also in charge of preparing the general programme for the elaboration of technical standards, the products quality certification and managing the conformity national brand.

Patents and brands

The INNORPI is responsible for the protection of industrial property. The registration of patents and trademarks comes within its competence. The Tunisian law, in this regard, is very old and the protection that it ensures is weak.

Tunisia is a member of the convention establishing the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and signed the Paris Convention on protection of industrial property. As far as trademarks are concerned, Tunisia had signed the Madrid Agreement relating International Registration of Brands, but it left it in 1988.