Q: Hi i was just wondering if it is easy to get a residence permit in tunisia, i will be there for 4 months and may be looking to extend it and wondered if this was easily done, what is the routine etc, have looked on the embassy and it doesnt say much but does list documents i will need and one of them is a marriage certificate, can you only apply for a residence permit if you are married to a tunisian? thanks Paul, thank you for your extremely helpful answer, i would prefer responses from genuine people that can help me though.
A: It is extremely easy to apply for residency in Tunisia. All you need to do is go to your local police office with you passport and either a member of a family who you will be living with, or a copy of a current bill that shows your name and new address, such as a phone bill, water bill, electricity bill, and I think they might even accept a bank stement. There is a 1 dinar stamp fee, and it takes just a few minutes. They ask you your name, date of birth, age, profession, company you work for, and address of residence. When you are finished they give you a certified piece of paper called a Certificat De Residence, and it is signed by the police cheif, has the insignia of the government where it was issued, and lasts for as long as you live in Tunisia. Don't worry if you don't have a job - I didn't and still don't. The sheet of paper is written in Arabic on one side, and French on the other. They can fill out one or both sides. Mine was just filled out on the Arabic side. Be sure to keep this paper in a safe place. You might need it for jobs and when entering and exiting the country. If you are American (sorry, I don't know about laws for other nationalities), you can stay 4 months in Tunisia without a visa. If you plan on staying longer, then contact your embassy and they will be able to help you in aquiring a visa if you are not already a resident. If you are a resident, then of course you can stay as long as you like. Yes, you can apply for residency based on marriage. I did. One thing about residency that you will not like is this: ALL residents of Tunisia MUST pay the 45 dinar stamp in their passport whenever they leave the country. It was because of this that I cancelled my residency. I now just leave every four months for a vacation! And the plus side is, that because I'm not a resident, my husband and children get to forgo paying the 45 dinar stamp fee as well. There are pluses and minus to being a resident. I listed one minus. A plus would be that is for some reason you can't leave before your time expires, then you have to pay all visa charges, and a penalty charge for over staying your visit. These can be very expensive! (Happened to me! Couldn't leave when I was pregnant with my son. I think the total was somewhere around 250 dinars and that was after they droped fees for us.) You have to sit down and weigh the good with the bad. Talk to your Embassy, and your husband to decide what is best for you. Good luck!