Driving in Tunisia
The complete tourist guide

1. The basics

Side of road: Tunisia drives on the right, steering wheel on the left — continental European convention. Roundabouts give priority to vehicles already inside the circle (unlike some places).

Minimum age: 21 to rent a car (with at least 1 year of driving experience). Drivers under 25 may pay a small surcharge on some categories. For luxury and premium SUVs, minimum age is 25 with 3+ years' experience. No upper age limit.

Driving licence: Your home licence is fine if it's printed in English, French or Arabic (Latin alphabet). EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most African licences are accepted as-is. For licences in other alphabets, bring an International Driving Permit (IDP) — but the original physical licence still needs to be carried.

What to carry in the car at all times:

• Original physical driving licence (digital licences not accepted)
• Passport or national ID
• Rental contract with your name
• Vehicle registration document (carte grise) — in the glovebox
• Insurance green card — also in the glovebox

2. Speed limits & cameras

There is no Autobahn-style unlimited speed anywhere in Tunisia. Speed cameras are common on the A1 Tunis-Sousse section, around big-city limits, and near schools. Police use mobile radar guns too.

Fines: Speeding fines start at 60 TND payable on the spot in cash. Excessive speeding (>30 km/h over limit) can trigger a higher fine and licence point penalty. Police rarely confiscate licences from tourists for minor speeding.

3. Fuel: prices, stations, payment

Fuel is roughly half the European price. Major networks: STIR (state-owned), OiLibya, Total, Shell, Agil. Stations on motorways are 24/7; in cities and rural roads, hours are typically 06:00-22:00.

Payment: Most small stations accept cash only (in TND). Major highway stations and city Shell/Total stations accept Visa/Mastercard. ATMs are widespread in towns.

What type does my rental car take? The fuel cap inside has it written. Most economy/compact cars are petrol (95). SUVs and minibuses are usually diesel. Putting the wrong fuel in voids insurance.

4. Toll motorways

Tunisia has three toll motorways, all radiating from Tunis:

• A1 — Tunis → Sousse → Sfax → Gabès (main artery south)
• A3 — Tunis → Oued Zarga (towards Algeria, partial)
• A4 — Tunis → Bizerte (north coast)

How tolls work: Take a ticket at the entry booth, pay in cash at the exit. Each segment is short and cheap — 1.5 to 7 TND. There are no electronic toll tags for tourists. Keep 5 and 10 TND notes handy.

Sample total tolls:

• Tunis → Sousse: ~4 TND total
• Tunis → Sfax: ~12 TND total
• Tunis → Bizerte: ~3 TND total
• Sousse → Sfax: ~6 TND total

5. Police checkpoints & documents

Police and Garde Nationale checkpoints are common on main highways, near city outskirts, and at regional boundaries. They are routine and almost always friendly to tourists.

What to do:

1. Slow down well in advance — they wave through with a hand signal
2. If waved over, stop completely, switch off the engine
3. Hand over driving licence + passport (and rental contract if asked)
4. Answer politely if asked where you're going — keep it brief
5. Don't volunteer info beyond the question; don't make jokes
6. You'll typically be on your way in under 2 minutes

Bribes: Bribery is illegal and not expected from tourists. If something feels off, politely ask for a written fine receipt — that usually clarifies things quickly.

6. Alcohol, phone & other rules

Blood alcohol limit: 0.5 g/L (50 mg per 100 ml of blood). Same as most EU countries. DUI fines start at 200 TND with possible licence suspension. Rental insurance becomes void if you drive over the limit — any damage is fully on you. Practical advice: don't drink and drive in Tunisia.

Mobile phone: Handheld phone use while driving is illegal — fine 60 TND. Hands-free Bluetooth and dashboard mounts are fine. Tunisian mobile data is excellent on all main roads, so Google Maps / Waze / Maps.me all work well.

Seatbelts: Mandatory for driver and ALL passengers (front and back). Fine 60 TND per person.

Child seats: Children under 10 cannot sit in the front. Under 13 kg = rear-facing baby seat; 9-18 kg = forward-facing toddler; 15-36 kg = booster. Troisa provides free child seats (ECE R44/R129 certified) on request.

Right-of-way: Roundabouts: vehicles inside the circle have priority. At unmarked intersections, vehicles from the right have priority — though in practice the bigger/braver vehicle often goes first. Drive defensively.

7. Safety, parking & city driving

Is driving in Tunisia safe? Yes — for tourist drivers, it's significantly safer than driving in Egypt, Morocco or Italian cities, and on par with rural France. Main highways are modern, lightly trafficked and well-maintained.

What to watch for:

• Tunis traffic can be busy and aggressive — darting taxis, scooters, pedestrians
• Night driving outside cities — limited street lighting, occasional livestock (sheep, donkeys), pedestrians in dark clothing
• Mountain roads in the north (Aïn Draham) and around Matmata — narrow, twisty, sometimes wet in winter
• Sand drift on Sahara-edge roads in summer (Tozeur, Douz)
• Tunisian drivers rarely indicate lane changes — anticipate

Parking:

• Tunis city centre: paid street parking 1-2 TND/hour (parking attendants in yellow vests collect cash, give a receipt)
• Sousse, Hammamet, Djerba: free parking near most hotels and beaches
• Medina areas of Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, Kairouan: pedestrian only — park outside the gate and walk in
• Hotel parking: usually free for guests
• Don't leave valuables visible in the car anywhere

8. If you have an accident

Even a small scratch needs the same procedure:

1. Stop immediately and turn on hazard lights
2. Anyone injured? Call ambulance on 198
3. Call police on 197 — a formal report (constat amiable) is mandatory for any insurance claim, even minor
4. Take photos of all vehicles, license plates, position on road, and damage
5. Exchange details with the other driver: name, address, phone, insurance, license plate
6. Call your rental company: Troisa 24/7 is +216 22 205 450. We dispatch a replacement vehicle if needed.
7. Keep the police report — without it, the insurance claim fails

With Troisa Super Cover (25 TND/day), the excess is zero — you pay nothing toward repairs even if you're at fault, as long as the police report is filed. With basic insurance, you pay the excess (typically 800-1,500 TND depending on category).

9. Regional driving advice

Tunis & Greater Tunis

Busiest driving region. Traffic is intense 07:30-09:00 and 17:00-19:00 — avoid these windows if you can. Taxis and city buses dominate — be assertive at intersections. Park outside the medina and walk. Pay attention to one-way streets (signs often small).

Hammamet, Sousse, Monastir & resort coast

Easy driving on the A1 motorway plus local resort access roads. Most resort hotels have free guest parking. Hammamet, Sousse and Yasmine Hammamet have well-signed entry/exit ramps from the motorway.

Djerba island

Very easy — all paved, light traffic, flat. The El Kantara Roman causeway connecting the island to the mainland is free year-round. The Ajim-Jorf vehicle ferry is the other option (15 min crossing, ~5 TND).

Sahara & the south

Paved roads to Tozeur, Douz, Matmata are fine for any car. For off-road dunes (Ksar Ghilane, Erg Chebbi-style camps), you need a 4x4 SUV. Always carry water — temperatures can hit 45°C+ May-September. Fill up at every chance: stations are sparse.

Northern coast & Tabarka

Scenic but slow. Tabarka is the western end of the prettiest coastal drive in Tunisia. Mountain sections around Aïn Draham are twisty — go slowly, especially in winter rain. Forest visibility can be limited at dusk (wild boar are real, deer occasionally).

Cross-border driving

Not permitted. Borders with Algeria and Libya are forbidden for rental vehicles by insurance. There is no land border with Morocco. Driving outside Tunisia voids all insurance and forfeits the security deposit.

10. Quick FAQ