Shipping handmade goods from Tunisia to foreign customers: a guide for Medina artisans
Produced by Kais Khadhraoui, CEO of Fulfillment Bridge ·
Selling to a customer abroad is the easy part. Shipping the order and getting paid properly is what stops most Tunisian artisans. This guide answers the questions Medina workshops ask: which customs procedure applies, how to get paid, and when to move to the special regime.
The story of Uncle Mohamed (عم محمد)
In the Medina of Tunis, Uncle Mohamed's shop is never empty. For three generations his family has shaped copper, woven wool and carved wood. His son Ahmed helps him modernise the business.
One day a foreign customer falls in love with several large pieces. They cannot take them on the plane, so the customer asks for home delivery and wants to pay straight away. A great opportunity, but also questions for the family. How do we get paid legally? Which declaration do we make at customs?
Shipping often costs more than expected for bulky pieces, because the carrier charges the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. So Ahmed measured and weighed each parcel exactly, got a precise price, and then asked the customer to cover the transport supplement. The customer agreed.
Part 1: the rules, in questions and answers
The basic rule: the customer pays in foreign currency, by a traceable means, and you can prove that this money matches goods that were really exported.
The customer wants to pay me in cash in dinars (TND). Is that possible?
As a rule, no. An official export must be settled in transferable foreign currency or by a recognised international means of payment, and dinar notes cannot justify the export to your bank or to customs. The Ministry's manual allows a few exceptions with a customs declaration, so check the manual and your bank for edge cases.
What about cash in euros or dollars?
Strongly discouraged. Your bank asks for proof by bank transfer or card to justify the operation and to fight money laundering. Banknotes are very hard to regularise, and the few cases where they are accepted need a customs declaration: check the Ministry's manual and your bank first.
Can I take payment by card on my card terminal (TPE)?
Yes, when the customer pays with an international card, this is the preferred solution: the payment goes through the banking system and is traceable. Ask your bank how the amount is credited to your account. Make sure the invoice amount matches exactly the amount taken on the terminal, and keep the receipt. Other options exist for regular exporters: contact Fulfillment Bridge to find out more.
Which customs procedure applies to my parcel?
It depends on the shipment. See the table below: a small non-commercial parcel, regular shipments, and large or high-value shipments are handled differently.
What is the special regime (régime spécial)?
It lets you export several parcels without one declaration per parcel. You hand over a dispatch note for each departure, then by the 15th of the following month you issue a global invoice per currency, domiciled at your bank, with a global declaration. It needs an annual authorisation from the Ministry of Commerce, and the craft technical control (ONAT) may apply. The regime is more regulated but simpler to use once in place, with conditions to meet: contact Fulfillment Bridge to find out more.
What do I risk if the export title is not cleared?
The exporter must bring the foreign currency from the sale back to Tunisia, through a bank, within the deadlines set by the Central Bank. Failing to do so is an offence under the exchange control code, with heavy fines and possible confiscation. Payment must therefore be linked to the shipment from the moment of sale.
| Situation | Procedure |
|---|---|
| Small-value shipment, not commercial | Form 616TR |
| Regular shipments, or several shipments the same day | Instant declaration per shipment, or grouped declaration (special regime) |
| Large quantity or high value | Full commercial declaration, or grouped declaration (special regime) |
The law tolerates up to 200 TND for a private individual's non-commercial shipment. Above that, whether a shipment is treated as non-commercial is entirely at customs' discretion: it looks at the commercial nature of the shipment (duplicate items, repetition, quantities, value). An artisan who ships often is therefore strongly advised to use an instant declaration or a grouped declaration (special regime).
Part 2: Ahmed's checklist, from the workshop to the customer's door
- Measure and weigh every parcel. Length, width and height in cm, and the real weight. The carrier bills the higher of the real weight and L × W × H ÷ 5000: a 9 kg piece in an 80 × 75 × 30 cm box is billed as 36 kg. Fulfillment Bridge knows how important suitable packaging is for handmade goods and has designed a special solution that takes the real weight into account instead of the volumetric weight, on destinations confirmed by the carrier. Contact us to find out more.
- Get a reliable price. With the exact weight and dimensions of each parcel you avoid bad surprises, for you and for your customer. Enter them in the calculator below for an accurate quote in real time.
- Get paid by card terminal. The invoice amount must reflect the amount taken on the terminal. Other options exist for regular exporters: contact Fulfillment Bridge to find out more.
- Choose the procedure. Small non-commercial shipment: form 616TR. Commercial shipment: a declaration, or a dispatch note under the special regime.
- Prepare the parcel. Commercial invoice or identification documents attached to the outside, and contents that match what is declared.
- Hand the parcel to Fulfillment Bridge. Pickup, transport, exit formalities and tracking.
- By the 15th of each month (special regime). For the previous month's shipments, issue a global invoice per currency, have it domiciled at your bank, then follow the repatriation until the export is cleared.
Part 3: shipping often? Move to the special regime
If you ship several parcels on the same day, or regularly, customs treats the activity as commercial. One card receipt per sale cannot be grouped into a single invoice, and one declaration per parcel quickly becomes heavy. The special regime answers this case: one dispatch note per departure, then one global invoice per currency by the 15th of the following month, with a global declaration. It is more regulated, with conditions to meet: contact Fulfillment Bridge to find out more.
How Fulfillment Bridge helps you grow without complicating your life
You keep your craft and your customer. We help with the rest:
- Several transport options. We offer several options; you choose, with your customer, the one that fits your budget and your deadlines.
- The formalities. We help you obtain the special regime, handle the customs and ONAT formalities, and track your shipments.
- The FOPRODEX subsidy for international transport. We prepare the whole file and submit it in your name: you remain the final beneficiary of the subsidy. Eligibility is checked for each exporter.
- One point of contact. We are your carrier: pickup, transport and tracking of your parcels.
Calculate the transport of your next order
Try the calculator with your real parcels. Enter the destination and the exact weight and dimensions of each parcel: you get a transport price in seconds, and a warning when your parcels are bulky for their weight.
- 3 free quotes, verified with one message on WhatsApp: we never write to you first.
- For unlimited quotes and the all-inclusive price with duties and taxes paid, fill in a short form: a team member contacts you within 24 hours.
Order waiting? Write to us on WhatsApp: we confirm the price before you answer your customer.
Message us on WhatsAppOfficial sources
Rules change. Check the current text with the authority before you ship.
- Code des changes et du commerce extérieur (loi n° 76-18 and décret n° 77-608, as amended): repatriation of export proceeds
- Ministry of Commerce, Manuel des procédures du commerce extérieur (2022): export procedures and special regime
- Central Bank of Tunisia, circular n° 94-14 (export proceeds), as amended
- CEPEX (Tunisian export promotion centre)
- Central Bank of Tunisia (exchange control)
- ONAT (national craft office)
- Ministry of Commerce and Export Development
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Customs, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Commerce decide in each case; we help you prepare your file.