The spokesperson for the Directorate General of Customs, General Chokri Jabri, presented this Tuesday, July 22, 2025, on national radio waves, the customs benefits granted to Tunisians residing abroad as part of their final return for the realization of projects in the country.
The manager said that any citizen of Tunisian nationality, aged at least 18 years old, having resided abroad for at least two years and whose length of stay in Tunisia does not exceed 183 days per year, can benefit from these privileges.
Among the facilities offered: importing the equipment and equipment necessary for the launch of a project without paying or tax duties, as well as the import of a truck intended for the transport of this equipment. However, these materials must correspond to the nature of the planned project (agricultural, industrial or tourist).
A supervised procedure
To take advantage of these advantages, the applicant must file a request from the bodies concerned, in particular the National Office of Tunisian Tourism, the agency for the promotion of agricultural investments or the agency for the promotion of industry and innovation. A similar request must also be sent to customs services, accompanied by a detailed list of equipment to import or acquire locally.
He also indicated that it is possible to import equipment into several phases, provided that the whole is completed within one year.
Regarding the conduct of the truck imported within the framework of the project, the general specified that he is authorized to a person other than the beneficiary, provided that he will obtain prior authorization from the customs services. This person must present an employment contract as a rule binding it to the owner of the truck.
Finally, the Customs spokesman recalled that it is strictly forbidden to sell the equipment or the truck before a period of at least five years from the creation of the project. In the event of early resale or stopping activity, regularization is compulsory, involving full payment of customs taxes and rights
