Mandatory Installation of Cash Registers in Tunisian Establishments
The Ministry of Finance has introduced a mandatory calendar for the installation of cash registers in all establishments offering on-site consumption services, according to a decree published on Wednesday, October 14, 2025, in the Official Journal of the Tunisian Republic (JORT No. 125 of October 14, 2025).
Objective
This measure, signed by the Minister of Finance, Mechket Slama Khaldi, and validated by the Head of Government, Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri, aims to strengthen fiscal transparency, modernize revenue control, and ensure better traceability of commercial transactions.
Affected Establishments
All establishments selling prepared or ready-to-consume food and beverages, and offering on-site services, including restaurants, cafes, and tea rooms, are concerned. The objective, according to the ministry, is to ensure increased fiscal equity and secure public revenue in a sector where cash payments remain predominant.
Implementation Schedule
The obligation will be implemented in several stages:
- From November 1, 2025: Tourist-classified restaurants, tea rooms, and second- and third-category cafes.
- From July 1, 2026: Other legal entities engaged in on-site consumption activities.
- From July 1, 2027: Natural persons subject to the real regime, required to file monthly tax returns.
- From July 1, 2028: Other natural persons engaged in these same activities.
A Reform Welcomed for its Fiscal Impact
Economist Fayçal Derbel welcomed this reform, estimating that it constitutes a decisive step in the fight against tax evasion and a tool to strengthen transparency and fiscal justice. "The period where sales figures could be manipulated is now over," he said on Thursday on Express FM. The academic further specified that the decree introduces a gradual application of the obligation, to allow concerned businesses to adapt, while calling on consumers to adopt a civic behavior by systematically requesting their cash register ticket, thus contributing to the traceability of transactions and the fight against tax fraud.
Context
This reform is part of the Tunisian government's policy of modernization and fiscal rigor, in line with efforts to digitize the tax administration and simplify procedures.
