Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the commission d'agréments decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get a payment license in Tunisia.
Tunisia licenses payments under one statute: Loi n° 2016-48 of 11 July 2016 on banks and financial institutions. Article 20 creates a single category, the établissement de paiement, and Article 32 puts its initial capital at 5,000,000 dinars. The commission d'agréments decides within four months of the date all required information and documents are communicated, under Article 30; an application left incomplete for three months is void under Article 28. Client money is deposited at a bank under Article 21. The last supervision report the central bank served counted two payment institutions.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Tunisia in brief
One category, five million dinars, and a four-month clock in the statute.
Loi n° 2016-48 du 11 juillet 2016 relative aux banques et aux établissements financiers is the whole framework. Article 20 says the payment services listed in Article 10 are carried on by a resident financial institution that takes them up as its specialised activity, in the quality of établissement de paiement. One category, with no lighter registration underneath it. Article 31 requires an institution with its registered office in Tunisia to be formed as a société anonyme. Article 32 sets initial capital at 5,000,000 dinars for a payment institution, against 25,000,000 for a general établissement financier, 10,000,000 for an investment bank and 50,000,000 for a resident bank. Article 21 is the safeguarding rule in one sentence: the payment institution must deposit with a bank the funds credited to the payment accounts opened on its books. The licence is granted by the commission d'agréments rather than by the central bank alone, and Article 30 gives that commission a maximum of four months from the date all required information and documents are communicated. Article 28 runs the other way, and treats as void any application not completed within three months.
Two things about Tunisia have to be said plainly. The implementing text for payment institutions is a central bank circular, published as a PDF that the bank's site does not serve for automated reading, so the payment-account tiers, the wallet and transaction limits, the agent rules and the official fees are obtained and confirmed for your case rather than quoted off a web page. And the market is small: the supervision report the central bank served most recently counts 44 licensed institutions, 30 banks and 14 établissements financiers, and among those two payment institutions. Large-value settlement runs through SGMT, live since November 2006 and carrying about 722 payments a day worth some 3.255 billion dinars; the central bank's payment pages name no national instant retail rail. Corporate tax is 20%. The 40% bracket that the 2025 finance law applies to banks and financial institutions expressly leaves payment institutions out, and from 1 January 2026 a 4% contribution runs on the profits of banks, financial institutions, insurers and telecom operators. VAT is 19%. We run the file from Madeira, in French, and plan on eight to twelve months.
Loi n° 2016-48 of 11 July 2016 prints one payment category: the établissement de paiement of Article 20, formed as a société anonyme under Article 31, on 5,000,000 dinars of capital under Article 32. Client funds are deposited at a bank under Article 21. The commission d'agréments decides within four months of a complete file.
Article 28 voids an application left incomplete for three months. The circular that sets wallet tiers, agent rules and fees is not served for automated reading, so we obtain it for your case. Two payment institutions in the last supervision report. Tax 20%, VAT 19%, 4% sector contribution from 2026. We run it from Madeira, in French.
The routes
The agrément under Article 20, or a place on a register of two.
Loi 2016-48 prints one payment category and one capital figure. The real choice is between building the file for the commission d'agréments and buying into an institution that already holds the agrément.
One agrément under Article 20 - or an acquisition on a register of two.
01 - ÉTABLISSEMENT DE PAIEMENT
Payment institution on TND 5,000,000
The agrément under Article 20 of Loi n° 2016-48 for a resident financial institution that provides the payment services of Article 10 as its specialised activity, on 5,000,000 dinars of initial capital under Article 32, decided by the commission d'agréments within four months of a complete file.
The agrément under Article 20 of Loi n° 2016-48 for a resident financial institution that provides the payment services of Article 10 as its specialised activity, on 5,000,000 dinars of initial capital under Article 32, decided by the commission d'agréments within four months of a complete file.
- ✓The Article 10 payment services, as a specialised activity
- ✓Initial capital TND 5,000,000 (Article 32)
- ✓Société anonyme with its registered office in Tunisia (Article 31)
- ✓Client funds deposited at a bank (Article 21)
- ✓Four-month decision from a complete file (Article 30)
- ✓Three-month nullity rule on an incomplete file (Article 28)
02 - ACQUISITION
Two licensees on the registerBuying into a licensed institution
The supervision report the central bank served most recently counts 44 licensed institutions and two établissements de paiement among them. A register that short makes an acquisition worth pricing next to a new application, and the diligence covers the same articles.
Acquisition: two établissements de paiement in the last supervision report; scope, capital and change-of-control treatment checked for your case.
- ✓Two payment institutions in the last supervision report served
- ✓The target's agrément read against the Article 20 scope
- ✓Capital held to the Article 32 figure, verified in the accounts
- ✓Whether a change of control needs the commission d'agréments, confirmed for your case
- ✓Circulaire obligations checked against what the target actually runs
- ✓The same société anonyme work as a new applicant (Article 31)
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. The central bank publishes no licence fee we could read, so state charges, the bank arrangement under Article 21 and substance are itemised in your quote.
Why Tunisia
A statute that prints the capital, the clock and the safeguarding rule.
Tunisia is not a volume jurisdiction. It is a francophone North African market of 11,992,843 people where the law says what it wants in four articles, and where the supervisor has two payment institutions to watch.
✓
A single licence category
Article 20 knows one payment licence. No tier table to argue over, no waiver regime, and no risk of applying for the wrong depth.Article 20 prints a single licence.
✓
Capital printed in the law
TND 5,000,000 under Article 32, next to 25,000,000 for a general financial institution and 50,000,000 for a resident bank. The figure does not move with a circular.TND 5,000,000 under Article 32.
✓
Four months in the statute
Article 30 gives the commission d'agréments four months from the date the complete set of information and documents reaches it.Article 30, from a complete file.
✓
Payment institutions outside the 40% bracket
The 2025 finance law taxes banks and financial institutions at 40% and expressly excludes payment institutions, which stay on the 20% rate.Outside the 40% bank bracket.
✓
Two names on the register
The supervision report served most recently counts two établissements de paiement among 44 licensed institutions. A supervisor at that scale reads your file itself.A supervisor that reads your file.
✓
The file runs in French
The statute, the circular and the commission's correspondence are French. Building the application once, in that language, removes a translation layer from every question round.Statute and correspondence in one language.
How it compares
How Tunisia differs from the other North African routes.
Tunisia and Morocco both run a four-month clock and a single payment category; Egypt tiers its licences and Nigeria prices e-money in billions. The honest comparison is below.
Tunisia vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Tunisia | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | TND 5,000,000 (Article 32) | MAD 6M-10M Morocco · EGP 10M-500M Egypt |
| Decision clock | Four months from a complete file | Four months Morocco · 90 + 90 days Egypt |
| Client funds | Deposited at a bank (Article 21) | Compte de cantonnement in Morocco |
| Corporate tax | 20% · 4% sector contribution from 2026 | 20/35% Morocco · 22.5% Egypt · 30% Nigeria |
Capital
TunisiaTND 5,000,000 (Article 32)
Other jurisdictionsMAD 6M-10M Morocco · EGP 10M-500M Egypt
Decision clock
TunisiaFour months from a complete file
Other jurisdictionsFour months Morocco · 90 + 90 days Egypt
Client funds
TunisiaDeposited at a bank (Article 21)
Other jurisdictionsCompte de cantonnement in Morocco
Corporate tax
Tunisia20% · 4% sector contribution from 2026
Other jurisdictions20/35% Morocco · 22.5% Egypt · 30% Nigeria
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | Établissement de paiement (BCT) | 20% · 4% sector levy 2026 | TND 5,000,000 · four months |
 Morocco | Établissement de paiement (BAM) | 20/35% · 40% assimilés | MAD 6M / 10M · four months |
 Egypt | PSP A/B · PSO (CBE) | 22.5% · VAT 14% | EGP 10M-500M · 90 + 90 days |
 Nigeria | MMO · PSSP (CBN) | 30% large companies | NGN 2bn MMO · NGN 100M PSSP |
TunisiaLicense typeÉtablissement de paiement (BCT)
Taxation20% · 4% sector levy 2026
RequirementsTND 5,000,000 · four months
MoroccoLicense typeÉtablissement de paiement (BAM)
Taxation20/35% · 40% assimilés
RequirementsMAD 6M / 10M · four months
EgyptLicense typePSP A/B · PSO (CBE)
Taxation22.5% · VAT 14%
RequirementsEGP 10M-500M · 90 + 90 days
NigeriaLicense typeMMO · PSSP (CBN)
Taxation30% large companies
RequirementsNGN 2bn MMO · NGN 100M PSSP
Before you apply
Requirements for the Tunisian agrément.Requirements for the agrément.
Loi 2016-48 sets the form, the capital, the safeguarding duty and the clock. The circular sets the operating detail, and we obtain it for your case. The checklist below is what a passing file contains.
01
A société anonyme with its registered office in Tunisia under Article 31, resident, and taking up the Article 10 payment services as its specialised activity under Article 20.
02
Initial capital of 5,000,000 dinars under Article 32, paid up and evidenced, with the origin of the funds documented for the commission d'agréments.
03
A programme of activity limited to the payment services of Article 10, with projections and the operating model the institution will actually run.
04
An arrangement with a Tunisian bank for the deposit of funds credited to payment accounts, as Article 21 requires, agreed in principle before the application goes in.
05
A file complete on submission: Article 28 treats as void any application whose required information and documents are not supplied within three months.
06
Governance, internal control, AML and IT arrangements to the central bank circular on payment institutions, which we obtain and confirm for your case rather than quote from a page.
07
Payment-account tiers, wallet and transaction limits matched to the product, taken from the same circular and settled before the technology is built.
08
Agent arrangements, if the model uses them, scoped against the circular's conditions rather than assumed from a neighbouring market.
09
Shareholders and managers documented in full: the statute prints no foreign-ownership cap and no management nationality rule that we could verify, so both are confirmed before the shareholding is fixed.
10
Tax registrations for corporate tax at 20%, VAT at 19% and, from 1 January 2026, the 4% sector contribution if the institution falls inside it.
01
Société anonyme, registered office in Tunisia (Art. 31).
02
Capital TND 5,000,000 paid up (Art. 32).
03
Programme of activity on Article 10 services.
04
Bank arrangement for client funds (Art. 21).
05
Complete file: three-month nullity rule (Art. 28).
06
Governance, control, AML and IT per the circular.
07
Wallet tiers and limits from the same circular.
08
Agent arrangements scoped, not assumed.
09
Shareholders and managers documented in full.
10
Tax registrations: 20% CIT, 19% VAT, 4% from 2026.
Reflects Loi n° 2016-48 of 11 July 2016, the finance laws for 2025 and 2026, and the Banque Centrale de Tunisie's published supervision material, as of 2026.Loi n° 2016-48 of 11 July 2016; finance laws 2025 and 2026; BCT supervision material, as of 2026.
How it works
From first call to the agrément.
01
Route and strategy
New agrément or acquisition; the Article 10 services you will actually sell; capital and budget fixed in writing.New agrément or acquisition - in writing.
02
Company and capital
Société anonyme formed under Article 31, 5,000,000 dinars paid in, shareholders and managers documented.SA formed, TND 5,000,000 paid in.
03
The application file
Programme of activity, governance, internal control, AML and IT documentation in French, plus the Article 21 bank arrangement.Programme, governance, AML, bank letter.
04
Commission review
Four months from the complete file under Article 30, with the three-month nullity rule of Article 28 kept in view throughout.Four months; 8-12 months end to end.
05
Agrément and launch
Decision issued, client-fund deposits live at the bank, reporting to the central bank started and the first services opened.Deposits live, reporting started.
Quick facts
RegulatorBanque Centrale de Tunisie
Decided byCommission d'agréments (Article 30)
LawLoi n° 2016-48 of 11 July 2016
LicenceÉtablissement de paiement (Article 20)
CapitalTND 5,000,000 (Article 32)
Client fundsDeposited at a bank (Article 21)
DecisionFour months · three-month nullity rule
Corporate tax20% · VAT 19%
The four months of Article 30 start from a complete file, and Article 28 kills an application left unfinished for three. Both clocks reward the same thing: a file that is finished before it is filed.
Your Tunisia desk
Run from our North Africa desk.
Prifinance - North Africa desk
Madeira · coordinating Tunisian mandates in French
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F, Madeira
01
Tunisian company formation
A société anonyme under Article 31 with its registered office in Tunisia, the capital paid to the Article 32 figure and the shareholding documented to the beneficial owner.Société anonyme, capital paid, owners documented.
02
The commission d'agréments file
Programme of activity, governance, internal control and AML documentation, drafted in French and defended through the question rounds inside the Article 30 clock.Drafted in French, defended in the clock.
03
The bank arrangement
The deposit of client funds under Article 21 negotiated with a Tunisian bank before filing, because the licence assumes it and the timetable depends on it.Article 21 deposit agreed before filing.
04
Substance in Tunis
Managers the commission will accept, an AML officer, premises and the local reporting calendar running from the day the agrément is granted.Managers, AML officer, premises.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of payment companies in Tunisia.
A 20% corporate rate, a 40% bracket for banks and financial institutions that payment institutions are expressly kept out of, a 4% sector contribution from 2026 and 19% VAT.
Corporate tax 20%
The standard rate under the 2025 finance law, with a reduced 10% rate for the activities that law lists. A payment institution sits on the standard rate.Standard rate under the 2025 finance law.
The 40% bracket, and the carve-out
Banks and financial institutions under Loi 2016-48, non-residents included, and insurers pay 40%. The 2025 finance law names payment institutions as excluded from that bracket.Payment institutions expressly excluded.
4% sector contribution
The 2026 finance law, Loi n° 2025-17 of 12 December 2025, applies a 4% contribution to the profits of banks, financial institutions, insurers and telecom operators from 1 January 2026.On bank and financial-sector profits.
VAT 19%
The general rate on the finance ministry's Arabic overview, with 13% and 7% bands beneath it. The French version of the same page still prints the old 18%, which is why we work from the finance laws.With 13% and 7% bands beneath.
2% exceptional contribution
Article 38 of the 2025 finance law charges 2% on entities whose 2023 turnover reached 20 million dinars, with a floor of 1,000 dinars.Where 2023 turnover reached TND 20M.
Dividends
The ministry's overview states only an exemption for distributions up to 10,000 dinars a year. The withholding rate on dividends to non-residents is confirmed for your structure before profits are planned.Rate confirmed for your structure.
Tax summary
Corporate tax20% standard
Bank and financial bracket40% · payment institutions excluded
Sector contribution4% from 1 January 2026
VAT19% · 13% and 7% bands
Exceptional contribution2% where 2023 turnover reached TND 20M
Dividend withholdingConfirmed for your structure
*Figures as of 2026, taken from the finance laws for 2025 and 2026. The finance ministry's French tax overview still prints pre-2021 rates; we work from the laws themselves. Treaty and regime positions are assessed per structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Tunisian société anonyme, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed institution.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
Tunisia · BCT
Launch your payment project in Tunisia with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from company formation to the agrément, the Article 21 bank arrangement, rails and ongoing compliance.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Tunisia the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Tunisian payment licence, answered.
What licence does a payment business need in Tunisia?+
The agrément as an établissement de paiement under Article 20 of Loi n° 2016-48 of 11 July 2016. It is the only payment category the law prints, and it is granted to a resident financial institution that takes up the Article 10 payment services as its specialised activity. There is no lighter registration below it.
How much capital is required?+
Article 32 sets 5,000,000 dinars of initial capital for a payment institution. The same article asks 25,000,000 from a general établissement financier, 10,000,000 from an investment bank and 50,000,000 from a resident bank.
Who actually grants the licence?+
The commission d'agréments, under Article 30, rather than the central bank acting alone. The central bank supervises the institution once it is licensed.
How long does a decision take?+
Article 30 gives the commission a maximum of four months from the date all required information and documents are communicated. Article 28 treats an application as void if it is not completed within three months. From first call to agrément, plan on eight to twelve months.
How is client money protected?+
Article 21 requires the payment institution to deposit with a bank the funds credited to the payment accounts opened on its books. The percentage rules, permitted holdings and trust mechanics sit in the central bank circular, which we obtain for your case.
What are the wallet and transaction limits?+
They are set by the central bank circular on payment institutions, and that document is published as a PDF the bank's site does not serve for automated reading. We obtain the current tiers and confirm them for your product before the build starts.
How many payment institutions are licensed?+
The supervision report the central bank served most recently counts 44 licensed institutions: 30 banks and 14 établissements financiers, two of them payment institutions. A later edition may show a higher count.
How are payment companies taxed?+
Corporate tax at 20%. The 40% bracket for banks and financial institutions expressly excludes payment institutions under the 2025 finance law. VAT is 19%, and from 1 January 2026 a 4% contribution applies to the profits of banks, financial institutions, insurers and telecom operators.
What are the payment rails?+
Large-value settlement runs on SGMT, live since November 2006, carrying about 722 payments a day worth some 3.255 billion dinars. Retail systems including SIBTEL and Société Monétique Tunisie settle in it. The central bank's pages name no national instant retail rail.
Why Tunisia rather than Morocco or Egypt?+
Tunisia asks the lowest capital of the three at 5,000,000 dinars, prints the same four-month clock as Morocco, and keeps payment institutions on the 20% tax rate. Morocco has twenty licensed payment institutions and a published payment-account ladder; Egypt has the deeper market and a tiered licence set. Groups selling into francophone North Africa often build both files, and start where the capital is smallest.
Which licence?+
Établissement de paiement, Article 20 of Loi 2016-48.
Capital?+
TND 5,000,000 (Article 32).
Who decides?+
The commission d'agréments, not the BCT alone.
How long?+
Four months from a complete file; 8-12 months realistic.
Client money?+
Deposited at a bank (Article 21).
Wallet limits?+
In the circular; obtained for your case.
How many licensees?+
Two in the last supervision report served.
Taxes?+
20% CIT, 19% VAT, 4% sector contribution from 2026.
Rails?+
SGMT since 2006; no national instant retail rail.
vs Morocco / Egypt?+
Lowest capital; same four-month clock as Morocco.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”
Google
“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”
Google
“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”
Google
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”
Google
Start today
One message away from your Tunisian agrément.
Get a free legal opinion on your project - our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.Free legal opinion: whether the Tunisian agrément fits your project, and what it will cost.
✓Written legal opinion within 2-5 business days - free of charge✓A clear recommendation on the right licence scope, not a sales pitch✓Transparent fixed fees, confirmed up front✓EN · RU · ES speaking team
Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of la Banque Centrale de Tunisie or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.