Foreign-plate car loaded for ferry to Tunisia

Diaspora

Cars & TRE — bringing your car home

For Tunisians living abroad, driving down with a foreign-plate car is a summer rite of passage. The temporary admission regime ('admission temporaire') is generous but strict — here's how to use it without getting caught at the port or fined on the road.

6 months

Max stay per year

Free

Temporary admission for TRE

Required

International green card

1 vehicle

Per TRE per year

Who can bring a car under TRE?

You qualify if you're registered as Tunisien Résident à l'Étranger at your consulate, or if you're a non-Tunisian tourist driving in your own vehicle. The car must be registered in your name (or your spouse's, with proof of marriage) in your country of residence. One vehicle per TRE per year. The car cannot be sold, lent or rented while in Tunisia — it must leave with you, in your name.

How long can the car stay?

Up to 6 months per calendar year, in one or several stays. The clock starts the day you cross the border. Overstay = heavy fines (calculated per day) and potential vehicle seizure. If you need longer, options are: re-export to a neighbouring country and re-enter, or formally import & pay full Tunisian duties (rarely worth it — duties can exceed the car's value).

Paperwork to bring

Mandatory at the port or airport: • Original carte grise (registration document) in your name • Valid driving licence • Passport or national ID • International insurance green card valid for Tunisia (your European insurer issues it free — ask 2 weeks ahead) • TRE consular card (for the duty-free regime) The customs officer issues a temporary admission document ('D17 ter'). Keep it in the glovebox — police checks ask for it routinely.

Insurance — green card vs local

Your European green card covers third-party in Tunisia for 1–3 months typically. For longer stays, buy local 'assurance frontière' at the port (counters at La Goulette and Jorf) — around 80–200 TND per month depending on cover. Fully comprehensive cover from European insurers usually does NOT extend to Tunisia. If your car is high-value, consider a top-up local policy.

Fuel, road tolls and tips

Petrol and diesel are heavily subsidised — about 2.5–3 TND/L (€0.75–€0.90). Fill up before crossing back to Europe. Motorway tolls (autoroute A1 Tunis–Sfax, A4 Tunis–Bizerte) are cheap (a few dinars). Pay cash. Speed cameras are increasing on motorways and the GP1 — limits are 110 km/h on autoroute, 90 on national roads, 50 in town. Fuel of choice: diesel ('gasoil') is cheaper but petrol stations sometimes run dry in the south during peak season.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Letting a friend drive — only the registered driver and family members named on insurance are covered. Police know this. • Lending the car to relatives in Tunisia after you fly home — illegal under TRE rules. • Forgetting to declare aftermarket equipment (roof racks, bike carriers) — declare on entry. • Overstaying by 'just a few days' — fines escalate quickly and re-entry next year may be blocked.

Driving routes and itineraries

Once your car's in, plan a road trip — coast, Sahara or the Cap Bon loop.

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