Tunisia: Operating a Business

The individual company

Number of partners: 1 person
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital
Shareholders and liability: The individual businessman is liable for company debts on his personal property.

Limited liability company (SARL)

Number of partners: 2 partners minimum.
Capital (max/min): TND 1,000 minimum. The minimum nominal value of a share must be TND 5.
Shareholders and liability: Their liability is limited to the amount of capital contributed.

Public limited company (SA)

Number of partners: Minimum 7 partners.
Capital (max/min): Minimum capital: TND 5,000. 1/4 of the capital must be paid upon creation. The balance must be paid up within a maximum of 5 years.
TDN 50,000 if the company does make a public invitation.
Shareholders and liability: Their liability is limited to the amount of capital contributed.

General partnership

Number of partners: Minimum 2 partners, with a maximum of 50.
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital.
Shareholders and liability: Their liability is unlimited.

Limited joint-stock partnership

Number of partners: There are 2 types of partner, the active partners and the silent partners.
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital.
Shareholders and liability: The liability of the active partners is unlimited. The liability of the silent partners is limited to the amount of capital contributed as long as they do not participate in the management of the company.

Business Setup Procedures

The Competent Organisation

Trade Registry of Tunisia

For Further Information

Doing Business, Information on how to start a business in Tunisia
Trade Register

Financial Information Directories

Dun & Bradstreet - Worldwide directory with financial information on businesses

Kompass - Tunisian business directory

Recovery Procedures

Principle

In the framework of the safeguard scheme, two legal decisions are generally made:
- being put into receivership, a state where payment stops, it is impossible to face the liabilities due with the current assets.
- compulsory liquidation, a persistent state where payment stops and receivership is manifestly impossible.

Minimum Debt-to-Capital Ratio Triggering Liquidation

No minimum.

Bankruptcy Laws

Commercial Code

Opening Hours

 

• Legal Weekly Duration

40 hours or 48 hours according to the regime.

• Maximum Duration

48h

Working Rest Day

Sunday for public administrations

Paid Annual Vacation

30 days or 5 weeks of annual vacation.

Retirement Age

60

Child Labour and Minimum Age For Employment

16

Pay

Minimum Wage

In 2022, it was equal to TND 429.312 per month for 48 hours worked per week for non-agricultural workers (TND 365.732 in case of 40 weekly hours of work); and to TND 16.512 per day for agricultural workers according to the data from the National Institute of Statistics (lastest available data).

Average Wage

The ILO does not publish data on the average wage in Tunisia.
In 2020, according to different private surveys, the average monthly salary was estimated at TND 914 (for non-agricultural services).

Social Security Costs

The Areas Covered

- Health Insurance: cover for all or part of the expenses for health, maternity, disability, or death not linked to the exercise of one's professional activity.
- Industrial accidents and professional illnesses: cover for all or part of the expenses for illness, disability, or death linked to the exercise of one's professional activity.
- Old age: taking care of pensions for people who have previously exercised a professional activity. Family allowances: cover for all or part of family expenses relative to children, housing, etc.
- Unemployment: cover for all or part of the wages not received during periods of unemployment.
- Welfare: financial aid for people whose resources are too low to face needs created by handicap, age, illness, or social or economic difficulties, when the other forms of solidarity (social insurance or family solidarity) are insufficient or non-existent.

Contributions

Contributions Paid By the Employer: The social security contributions rate for employers is 16.57%.
Contributions Paid By the Employee: Total of 9.18%:
- Old age, invalidity, survivors: 4.73%;
- Sickness, maternity: 3.16%;
- Family benefits: 0.88%;
- Other services: AT/MP, PST, FSE: 0.38%.

Competent Organization

Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment

The Contract

Social Partners

Employer Associations

Tunisie Industrie - Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation
UTICA - Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners

Unionisation Rate

15 %.

Labour Unions

Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) (in Arabic)
Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) (in French)
Tunisian Union for Agriculture and Fishing (UTAP) (in French)

Regulation Bodies

Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment