Shipping to Tunisia: Your Comprehensive Guide

Tunisia Import Tax & Custom Fees

1. Tariff Tango: Import duties can soar up to 200% for some goods, but most hover between 12–20%. Recent hikes hit everyday items like bananas (0% → 50%), coffee (36% → 50%), and even mobile phones (0% → 20%). Construction materials, apparel, and chocolates also faced steep jumps.

2. VAT on Steroids:

   • Standard VAT: 19% (applied to the goods’ value + duties + other taxes).

   • Lower tiers: 13% or 7% for specific goods.

   • Pro tip: VAT is calculated after adding import duties—so taxes on taxes! 💸.

3. Luxury “Ouch” Taxes: Fancy a car? Engine size matters!

   • Gasoline cars: Up to 277% consumption tax.

   • Diesel cars: A wallet-crushing 360%.

4. 2022–2025: The Great Tax Hike:

   • Cheese, wine, shoes: Tariffs up from 36% to 50%.

   • Perfumes, ceramics, tools: Now taxed at 43% to protect local industries like furniture and bicycle assembly 111.

5. U.S. Tariff Whammy: As of April 2025, the U.S. slapped a 28% tariff on all Tunisian imports (delayed from 10% baseline). Olive oil exporters are sweating!.

6. Exemptions & Silver Linings:

   • UN agencies/NGOs get duty-free imports for aid.

   • Returning Tunisians living abroad >2 years can import equipment tax-free.

   • Solar panels enjoy reduced duties (10%, though up from 30% in 2024) ☀️.

7. EU’s Sweet Deal: Tunisian exporters get relaxed rules of origin with the EU (since March 2025), making textiles and fabrics easier to sell duty-free. Take notes, America!.

💡 Why So High?

Tunisia uses tariffs to shield local industries. But with informal economy at 30–40% of GDP, it’s a high-stakes gamble.

For deeper dives, check the Trade.gov guide or WTO docs.