Tunisia and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Tunisia since 30 March 2018
- Issued by
- Any Tunisian notary
- Language
- Arabic, sworn translation
- Register
- Registre National des Entreprises (RNE) (online)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 1995, in force 1995 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Association Agreement, 1998
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Tunisia
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Tunisia.
Proof of address in Tunisia, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Tunisian notaire. The notary attaches the apostille immediately.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Any Tunisian notary. Since 1 March 2019, notaries have been the only apostille authority in Tunisia. The ministry stopped issuing apostilles on that date.
Good to know. You may still see the ministry in older guides, but the ministry stopped issuing apostilles in 2019. Several states objected to Tunisia’s accession. The Netherlands accepted the accession, so a Tunisian apostille is valid here. Company documents are often in French, which the Dutch notary usually accepts. Arabic documents need a sworn translation.
If a company from Tunisia becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Registre National des Entreprises (RNE). Order an extract showing the manager and partners. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Tunisia and the EU
In 2025, total EU trade in goods with Tunisia came to €26 billion. The EU was Tunisia’s largest trade partner, with 59.5% of its trade, and took 73.2% of its exports.
In 2025, EU imports from Tunisia were €13.4 billion, mostly machinery and appliances (€6 billion) and textiles (€2.5 billion). EU exports were €12.6 billion, led by machinery and appliances (€4.6 billion), chemicals (€1.5 billion) and textiles (€1.5 billion).
Two-way trade in services came to €5.8 billion in 2024. The EU is the biggest foreign investor in Tunisia, with foreign direct investment stock of €5.7 billion at the end of 2024.
Tunisia was the first Southern Neighbourhood partner to sign and implement an Association Agreement with the EU, in force since 30 March 1998. It created a free trade area for industrial products. Talks on a deeper free trade area were launched on 13 October 2015 and are on hold.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
Your next step from Tunisia
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