Tunisia Prepares for Safe and Comfortable Return of Expatriates this Summer
In line with the orientations of His Excellency the President of the Republic and as part of the implementation of the decisions of the restricted Council of Ministers chaired by Madame the Head of Government on Saturday, April 25, 2026, regarding the good preparation of the return of Tunisians residing abroad to the homeland this summer in safe and comfortable conditions, Mr. Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, held a remote meeting on April 30, 2026, with the Heads of Tunisian Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad, in the presence of high-ranking officials from the Ministries of Justice and the Interior, the Directorate General of Customs, the Office of Tunisians Abroad, the Central Bank of Tunisia, Tunisair, and the Tunisian Navigation Company.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister emphasized that ensuring the best conditions for air and sea transport, as well as improving the quality of consular, administrative, customs, and digital services for all Tunisians abroad, requires the mobilization of efforts from all concerned structures and institutions, as well as close coordination with all our Missions abroad, in order to fully fulfill the social role of the State, improve the performance of public services, and enhance their efficiency, while simplifying administrative procedures to activate the measures decided upon by the restricted Council of Ministers held the previous Saturday.
In this context, the Minister highlighted the importance accorded by the Ministry to the development of the digitalization of consular services and the acceleration of the implementation of the digital consular portal project, as well as the generalization of the remote appointment service. For example, since the beginning of the current year, more than 185,000 civil status documents have been issued remotely by 60 Tunisian Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad, in addition to the issuance of approximately 4,000 driving license attestations obtained online. As for the remote appointment service via the digital consular platform (deployed in 21 missions), more than 89,000 administrative services have been provided so far after obtaining a prior remote appointment.
The meeting also discussed the means of developing digital services at the level of the Directorate General of Border and Foreign Police, allowing for the submission of passport renewal requests, payment of taxes, and remote appointments. It was also specified that Tunisians residing abroad can renew their passports during their stay in Tunisia, within the "Space for Tunisians Abroad" at the headquarters of the Directorate General of Border and Foreign Police, at Tunis-Carthage Airport, or at La Goulette Port upon arrival.
The simplification of procedures related to the issuance of nationality certificates to Tunisians born abroad was also addressed, in order to enable them to obtain their identity documents (national identity card and passport) in the shortest possible time, as well as the establishment of an electronic platform allowing for the online issuance of this document.
The air and sea transport dossier occupied an important place in the discussions. A set of measures decided upon by the restricted Council of Ministers was presented, including the allocation by Tunisair of a significant number of seats at exceptional preferential rates in both directions, with benefits concerning luggage, exemption from modification or cancellation fees, and extension of the travel period until September 2026. Special offers for students at preferential rates, available throughout the year, were also announced. As for sea transport, the exceptional reductions granted by the Tunisian Navigation Company were mentioned, particularly for passengers and vehicles departing from Marseille and Genoa, with preferential rates for low-income categories.
In order to ensure the expected efficiency of these measures taken by the Tunisian State within the framework of its social role and to ensure optimal orientation of these benefits to the benefit of people who are actually eligible due to their precarious financial situation, Mr. the Minister emphasized the need for direct and continuous coordination between the Office of Tunisians Abroad and the Diplomatic and Consular Missions, in order to define objective criteria for identifying categories benefiting from exceptional preferential rates, particularly low-income families and students, thus ensuring equitable distribution of benefits and transparency in their attribution. The eligibility conditions will be announced in the coming days via the social media of Tunisian Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad.
Furthermore, the new digital services aimed at simplifying the procedures for registering vehicles for Tunisians abroad were highlighted, particularly through the adoption of the "Rukhsati", "Amtiati", and "Declaration of Devises" applications, allowing for the online issuance and renewal of circulation permits in reduced times, submission of requests, and obtaining administrative permits remotely, declaration of the date of definitive return, as well as completion of the "exit without vehicle" procedures, in addition to accelerating the processing of customs exemptions requests. It was also mentioned that work is underway, in coordination with insurance companies, to examine the possibility of allowing vehicle insurance at a distance and payment of premiums by international credit cards.
Regarding financial transfers by Tunisians abroad, the benefits and incentives offered by the Tunisian legislative framework in the fields of exchange, financial transfers, and investment for Tunisians residing abroad were highlighted. In this context, it was agreed to intensify efforts at the level of Missions abroad to promote these benefits among our fellow citizens.
Finally, Mr. the Minister called upon representatives of all Tunisian structures and institutions to reinforce communication around the benefits and incentives intended for Tunisians abroad, as well as the awareness capsules prepared for this purpose, by disseminating them on the social media and websites of Diplomatic and Consular Missions. He also reaffirmed the need to implement the decisions issued by the restricted Council of Ministers on April 25, 2026, within the framework of an integrated action plan based on coherence and close coordination between our Missions abroad and all concerned Tunisian structures.
