License plate for a scooter or Vespa in Tunisia?

Hi Frank,

You will rarely see scooters with license plates in Tunisia. This is to avoid to have to pay for a ‘carte grise', a higher insurance rate, and a motorbike driving license. Almost all scooters (whether 80 or 125 cc) and many big bikes are registered as 49 cc. I have never seen any police control on that. The rare license plates you will see are for “fun” or are copies of European plates to kind of brag a little : )

If you buy a used scooter, the owner will probably have no registration paper or no ‘carte grise' for the vehicle. He will write on a piece of paper the scooter characteristics (brand, model, engine immatriculation number, etc.), the date of the sale, his name and ID card number, your name and passport number, etc. , which represents the ‘acte de vente' (sale certificate). Most likely, it will be written in Arabic, so if you don't read it, ask a Tunisian friend to make sure that the information is correct. Do not forget to make a copy of the ID card of the seller and keep it with you. Just in case it turns out that the scooter was stolen, or any legal problem like that...

Then, you need to go with the seller to the ‘balladeya' (city hall) to have them stamp and record the sale certificate to make it official. I advise you to make a certified copy of this stamped sale certificate, just in case you lose it.

As the scooter will most likely be registered as a 49 cc, you will then to go to the 'Recette des Finances' office and buy a ‘vignette moto', category 1, which costs 35 dinars.

Then, the insurance: the price is the same everywhere (80 dinars per year, according to the law). Of note: some companies do not insure scooters, like Star insurance (the one for my car). I insured my scooter with Lloyd.

Have fun but be careful !!

Hi Valerie,

Thanks a lot for this very useful information. This is helping me a lot. I am planning to buy the scooter from an official shop/dealer, so that I avoid unpleasant surprises.

As I am still looking for a place to live I don't have a residence permit yet. Do you happen to know if it's possible to buy an insurance without residence permit?

Thanks
Frank

Don't believe that buying the scooter from an official shop will avoid you unpleasant surprises. Here, you never know what you get Surprises, good or bad, are everywhere.
I don't think that you need a residence permit to insure your scooter. They did not ask for my residence card when I insured mine; they only asked for my passport. Same thing when I bought my car: I did not have a residence permit at that time and I had no problem to buy or insure the car or to obtain a 'carte grise' (car registration).

Good luck and keep us updated as it can help others!

Thanks again for your quick answer, Valerie. Much appreciated!
Frank