Tourist Tax in Tunisia
Page update - Mar 16, 2023
Tourist tax (or "Hotel tax") in Tunisia has been introduced as of 2018 in Article 44 of the Finance Law 2018. This tax has a complex calculation scheme and is applied not to all tourists. Let's get to the bottom of it.
The information on this page was updated in March 2023.
Warning! Fake information in 2022
In July 2022, there was news that the tourist tax in Tunisia would be increased by 1.5 times (51% to be exact). The news was very strange - without any details or the date for these changes.
This page was updated in March 2023 and no tax increase has happened. The news turned out to be fake. The tourist tax in Tunisia is still unchanged.
What is the tax and how is it calculated?
The tax is applied to each guest for the number of days they stay in a hotel. For this reason, it is called the "hotel tax", and we will use this term later on this page.
The amount of the hotel tax depends on the hotel star's number. In 2-star hotels - 1 dinar per person per day, 3-star - 2 dinars, 4 and 5-star - 3 dinars. Persons up to 12 years of age are exempt from the fee. The fee is paid for the number of days of stay, but not more than 7 days within a month.
See the table below for the fee per tourist 12 years old or older. Multiply the figure by the number of holidaymakers. The amounts are in Tunisian dinars. For the current dinar exchange rates, see our review "Money in Tunisia".
| Fee per tourist aged 12 years and over | 2 stars | 3 stars | 4 and 5 stars |
| 1 day | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 days | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 days | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 days | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 5 days | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| 6 days | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| 7 days | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| 8 days | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| 9 days onwards* | 7 | 14 | 21 |
* - until the 30th day.
If you will be on vacation for more than a month, then:
- Firstly, we are genuinely happy for you that you can afford such a long vacation;
- Secondly, after a month, you will have to pay the tax again - for days 1-7 of the second month, days 1-7 of the third month, e.t.c.
These figures are the result of a trade-off between the Finance Ministry of Tunisia and the Hotel Association. The original draft of the Finance Ministry included 3 dinars rate, regardless of stars and age. The Hotel Association has defended our money. Thanks to them.
Who pays and who does not pay
In 2018, many tourists did not pay the tax. There was an exception the fee was not paid by customers of those tour operators who had had time to sign contracts with hotels before January 1, 2018. And almost all tour operators managed to do so at that time.
From 2019, no one can use this exception, everyone pays. The only question is whether the hotel tax will be included in the price of the tour package or not.
If you are flying on a package tour
It is advisable to ask in advance whether the hotel tax is included in the package price.
If yes, you do not need to pay. Even if a hotel employee demands it, you should call your hotel guide.
If it is not included, you must pay.
Pay attention that you have to pay in dinars, only some hotels will accept dollars or euros for payment. Even if you don't intend to leave the All Inclusive Hotel, if local currency is not needed for purchasings, you will still have to exchange money. Read our review "Money exchange in Tunisia".
We strongly recommend that you solve the issue in advance, it's safer that way.
When do they ask for tax payment?
Some hotels ask you to pay on arrival, some ask you to pay on departure. Hotels are obliged by law to charge the hotel tax, but the law does not specify when they must do so.
An important point! If you are asked to pay at check-in, a hotel employee is obliged to issue a receipt upon payment. Do not throw this receipt away, you may need it in case you are asked to pay a second time upon check-out. This may be due to an error or malicious intent. You have the receipt = no claim.
If you are holidaying independently
When booking a hotel, please check whether the hotel tax is included in the room rate. Usually this is always indicated on the search website. See the screenshot from booking.com nearby. This is the hotel that has the included tax. If this is not indicated, it means it is not included.
Note, this tax is called "city tax" at booking.com . This is true not only for booking.com, but also for most hotel search engines.
The fact is that in the vast majority of countries which have hotel taxes at all, this tax is levied by the local city authorities, hence the name. In Tunisia, it is a federal levy, but in the search engines it is called by analogy, apparently for ease of perception by users.
In most hotels, the hotel tax is not included in the price of accommodation, it is paid separately. The hotel in the screenshot above is a rare exception.
How much will Tunisia's budget earn?
The budget revenues from the tax are around 62 million Tunisian dinars in 2019.
The total budget of the Republic of Tunisia for 2019 is around 40 billion Tunisian dinars.
That works out to only 0.155% of budget revenues. Are these fractions of a percentage worth our inconvenience and the reduction of Tunisia's attractiveness to tourists? The question is open, time will show.
Not to be confused - new tax and old tax
On some websites on the internet, there are mentions of a fee of 30 Tunisian dinars when leaving the country. This tax existed from 01.10.2014 to 31.08.2015. It has now been completely abolished.
Important to know
- The tax receipt is likely to be in Arabic and French, although sometimes it is also in English. Prepare yourself mentally that this receipt will be difficult to understand. Why these languages? Read in our detailed review "What language is spoken in Tunisia".
Have a great vacation in Tunisia and read our helpful for tourist and interesting pages about the country (find the pages list below).
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