Alcohol regulations in Tunisia

Licences needed

Industrial manufacturing authorization, fiscal warehouse/excise bonded distillery license (agrément d'entrepôt fiscal/distillerie), and health/sanitary homologation

Authority

Ministère de l'Industrie, des Mines et de l'Énergie; Ministère des Finances; Ministère de l'Intérieur

Documents

Company registration (RNE), technical plant schematics, proof of environmental and fire safety compliance, technical specifications of distillation equipment, metering systems documentation, criminal background check of directors

Fees

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Who can import

Licensed commercial import entities and authorized state/distributor networks holding an import card (carte d'importateur) and sector-specific ministry approval

Licences or registrations

Import authorization / foreign trade clearance (Titre du commerce extérieur), customs trader registration (code en douane), and sanitary import clearance

Authority

Ministère du Commerce et du Développement des Exportations, Direction Générale des Douanes (Tunisian Customs)

Documents

Pro-forma invoice, commercial invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin, certificate of analysis/conformity, phytosanitary/sanitary health certificates, and importer card

Fees

Variable statutory customs processing fees, including standard customs service fee (Redevance des Prestations Douanières - RPD) of 3%

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Required

yes

Process

Imported spirits must obtain sanitary and technical compliance clearance at border inspection points; labels must meet national packaging standards and be cleared by customs and consumer protection authorities prior to commercial release

Authority

Institut National de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle (INNORPI); Ministère du Commerce

Documents and samples

Official certificate of analysis, certificate of free sale, commercial invoices, specimen labels, product chemical and physical analysis report

Fees

not confirmed

Renewal

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Alcohol imports are subject to heavy regulatory surveillance. Each commercial shipment requires customs clearance documentation (déclaration en détail), certificates of origin and analysis, mandatory customs revenue supervision, compliance with state technical standards, and strict chain-of-custody tracking. Personal duty-free traveler allowance is strictly limited to 1 litre of spirits (>25% ABV) or 2 litres of lower-strength alcoholic beverages.

Standard customs tariffs on spirits (HS 2208) generally range from 36% to 50% ad valorem, though alcoholic beverages are explicitly excluded from tariff exemptions in preferential trade agreements.

Spirits are heavily taxed: Droit de consommation (excise duty) applies at 100% (with specific unit surcharges of 10 TND per unit under recent Finance Law provisions), Value Added Tax (TVA) of 19%, customs service fee (RPD) of 3%, and advance corporate tax withholding (avance d'impôt) of 10% on imports.

Regulated under strict licensing. Off-premise retail is restricted to licensed specialized bottle shops and partitioned, enclosed sections ('caves à vin') within large supermarket chains (e.g., Carrefour, Monoprix, Géant), with restricted sales hours (typically 12:00 to 18:30) and complete bans on Fridays and religious holidays. On-premise sales are restricted to licensed tourist hotels, resorts, and approved restaurants/bars.

banned

Labels must include the sales denomination, net volume, alcohol by volume (% ABV), name and address of the producer/importer, country of origin, lot/batch number, and Arabic language details (often accompanied by French). Fiscal and customs markings apply.

Prohibited or severely restricted; direct and indirect alcohol advertising is barred on television, radio, and public billboards under consumer protection and broadcast media standards.

INNORPI standards define spirits, neutral alcohol, and specific local and international denominations (including eau-de-vie de figues / Boukha, Thibarine, grape brandies, and whiskies), requiring a minimum alcoholic strength generally set at 37.5% or 40% ABV depending on the category.

No geographic territorial prohibition, but retail sale of alcohol is strictly forbidden near schools, university facilities, hospitals, and places of worship; nationwide retail off-premise sales bans operate on Fridays and during the holy month of Ramadan.

• Under recent annual finance legislation, Tunisia structured the droit de consommation on HS 2208 spirits at 100% plus specific duties of 10 TND per unit to direct supplemental revenues to the social security diversification reserve.
• Enforcement intensified regarding off-premise retail schedules, strict prohibition of Friday alcohol sales in major retail outlets, and heightened border anti-smuggling penalties.

The primary commercial opportunity lies in premium international spirits brands (whisky, vodka, gin) supplying the high-end tourist hospitality sector and licensed supermarket chains serving foreign travelers and expatriates.

• Direction Générale des Douanes (Tunisian Customs)
• Ministère du Commerce et du Développement des Exportations
• Institut National de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle (INNORPI)
• Ministère des Finances

1. Douane Tunisienne - Réglementation et Tarifs Douaniers
2. Législation Fiscale et Lois de Finances - Jurisite Tunisie
3. La Presse de Tunisie - Fiscalité et droits de consommation sur les boissons alcoolisées
4. World Trade Organization - Trade Policy Review: Tunisia