How to get married in Tunisia

There is plenty of information on general web sites. Just do a google search.

Is your fiance of professional status?

Wiman to woman my advice is don't.  Stay single and living together. Success rates for this type of marriage are extremely low.  The majority of men from Algeria/Morocco/Tunisia work to a 5-year game plan. By that I mean find a woman who they think has earnings potential/existing wealth/pension opportunities get married and keep trying to emigrate. Most go for Europeans as it is easier for them.  They are in it for the "long-haul" and will invest whatever time's needed to get the required result.  When they have what they want they divorce. 

Sorry if this is brutal. You are of course entitled to the life you want but before you tie the knot log on to:

www.tunisianloverats.com

Good luck.

To get married in Tunisia I think you should pass my the Canadian Ambassy first, I'm not sure, or by what we call in Tunisian " Baladeya " which is an administrative institution that regulates affairs of a ceratin region for each Gouvernorat ( Baladeya of Tunis, Baladeya of Bizerte, of Sousse..etc ). You can ask for further information at the Baladeya of the region you're in, they'll probably guide you.

When it comes to what  Carole789 said, yes a lot of North African guys do that, but it's not wise to generalize. Mostly jobless guys do that, those with no college degree, and it's understandable because they have no chances to work in their countries, and it's a right to seek one's happiness, not saying that all means are allowd, I'm just saying it's understandable.
However when it comes to guys who have a stable sources to live and who have a decent life, it's less probable that they manipulate women just to get married since they don't feel the need to.
After all, you're the one to judge, just don't be naive and try to understand if you're really valuable to your future partner, maybe it's impossible to know his real intentions, and we shouldn't presume that he's using you, just be alert, do not judge the guy as the devil, what is between you two is only understandable by you two, I know a lot of Tunisian guys and girls who are married to men from a different nationality and from wealthier countries who love eachother. We're not in a position to judge.
Good luck to you, have fun in Tunisia.

Carole789 wrote:

There is plenty of information on general web sites. Just do a google search.

Is your fiance of professional status?

Wiman to woman my advice is don't.  Stay single and living together. Success rates for this type of marriage are extremely low.  The majority of men from Algeria/Morocco/Tunisia work to a 5-year game plan. By that I mean find a woman who they think has earnings potential/existing wealth/pension opportunities get married and keep trying to emigrate. Most go for Europeans as it is easier for them.  They are in it for the "long-haul" and will invest whatever time's needed to get the required result.  When they have what they want they divorce. 

Sorry if this is brutal. You are of course entitled to the life you want but before you tie the knot log on to:

www.tunisianloverats.com

Good luck.

Oh my GOD!!! i'm simply speechless!!!!!! it's not because i'm tunisian but the majority of men in Arab Maghreb are rather good than bad, you have just to pick up the best for you! hope you long-standing marriage:)  congratulations in advance . i will try to get informations for you and reply as soon as possible .

Karen - here is what you will need to marry in Tunisia:

For you:
1.  Certificate of no impediment - it means a document stating your single status and ability to marry
2.  Passport
3.  Original birth certificate no older than 21 days before date of marriage
4.  If you have been married previously: original marriage certificate/divorce documents
5.  All these must be translated into Arabic/French - cheaper and quicker to do it here.

For your fiance - just to confirm he is Algerian?

1.  Original birth certificate no older than 21 days before date of marriage
2.  Identity card
3.  If his birth certificate doesn't contain 'events' then he also needs a document of single status

Once you are here you should go to the local municipality offices and book for your contract.  You must have two witnesses who know you and they can be two men or 1 man and 1 woman.

You both need blood tests, do them here as they are quick and cheap and you can have results the same or next day.

I think that's all you need.  If you want more advice I'll be happy to assist.

Carole - it is illegal for a Muslim to live with someone without marriage!!!

Tunisiandolly,

Is it not legal to live together prior to marriage everywhere in Tunisia? Also, what if the man is Tunisian but does not practice the religion?

beachbum - correct!  It is illegal even if both are Tunisian, if only one is Tunisian .......... you will find these laws in every Islamic country in the world.

Out of curiosity, what is the punishment for living together?

Prison.......

Wow.....Harsh punishment...Ok. One more question, is it possible to marry a Tunisian in Tunisia but not under the Tunisian/Muslim law....Hence a marriage like we would have in European countries? I am asking because if one person is not Muslim, they might not want that. Also, because as a woman we basically would sign away all of our rights with that.

There is no religious marriage here in Tunisia but of course you must marry according to the law of the country in which you marry.  Marriages in Tunisia are recognised as legal marriages in majority of countries including UK/USA/Europe/Australia?NZ etc etc.  As a woman you have more rights here than probably in your country.  The marriage is in the form of a contract meaning that you can write conditions into it such as asset sharing/protection.  How to split assets if divorce etc etc.  It's like the marriage certificate and pre-nup all in one.

Hmmm....From what I was told by the embassy is that the man has all the say. Meaning you need his permission for just about everything, i.e. travel, meeting friends, leaving the house in general, money needs to be given to his family if he wishes etc. Also, in case of a divorce....The woman does not even get to keep her children if there are any. And while married, the family of the man will play a major part in how the children are raised. Not true?

BeachBum - some true some not.  If you marry into a more 'modern' family it is like European marriage.  Much of what you quote is Sharia law which does not apply to Tunisia.  But be warned that if you have children anywhere in the world with a Tunisian the children are considered Tunisian!  If you bring them to Tunisia then he has the right to keep them here and they do and he will.  It seems to me that you are quite ignorant of Islam and of Tunisia.  You should do your research carefully and then decide if you want to be with this person.  I can tell you now that more than 90% of marriages between foreign women and Tunisian men end in divorce.

Tunisiandolly,

Check your inbox. Lets talk. if you have time today. I am by no means ignorant, as I was with someone from Tunisia. But I have noticed that the info that legal authorities give, seem to be much different from what Tunisians want women to believe to get them to marry them. It is confusing to me, what is actually true and what is not. In the end I think what holds value is what is on paper. But even that is not always the case...see this article for an example.

spiegel.de/international/world/i-only-want-to-take-my-daughter-home-german-flees-tunisia-on-refugee-boat-to-escape-ex-husband-a-749876.html

Hello I'm tunisian and I'm planning to getting married in Tunisia in December my fiancée she is from New Zealand we apply for certificate of no impediment so when we apply in the application they say Tunisia it's appstille country so guys if we bring the certificate directly from her ministry forgent affaires of her country it will be okay we can do the contract ?? Thank you

Hello!

I am a Canadian and wanting to get married in Tunisia. If anyone could please help me, could you let me know what kind of documents would I need to do this? My fiancé is Algerian.

Thank you so much!!

Hi Tunisia Dolly...?

Are you still available to give information? Or to help me out? If you are, I can give you email and we can talk there ! Or here. Whatever you prefer.

Sorry.
I don.t speack english.....you nerf identity card and all birth certification. In tour name.
Sorry

Thank you for trying to help 🙂

Hello ? anyone can help me please.
I met an Algerian guy around one year ago, we want to get marry in Tunis.
I am half Italian /half Venezuelan but i live in Sweden. And we are planning to live in Sweden.
Do you know what documents we need to get in order to get married? we want to do civil marriage and nikkah because we are both muslim. Or if you know a webside i can check or lawyer i can speak to. Thank you

Required to conclude a marriage contract for foreigners in Tunisia:

Required documents

New content for both spouses
*/ A copy of the passport of each spouse
*/ Medical certificate for the purpose of marriage for each of the spouses
*/ A license to marry for each of the Muslim spouses by the embassy or the consulate to which they refer to both
*/ A certificate of celibacy for each of the spouses in the event that they are not married
*/ The ruling on divorce is final and final if one of the spouses is divorced
*/ Guarantee of the death of the consort if one of the spouses is widowed
*/ As for the legal age for contracting marriage in Tunisia, it is 18 years for both men and women, and before this age, a judicial permission must be submitted
*/ Translation of the documents required for the wife
*/ The amount of the marriage contract during the months of June, July and August in one of the municipalities of Tunis is 235 Tunisian dinars and 125 Tunisian dinars during the rest of the year.

Référence site : http://www.commune-tunis.gov.tn/publish … p?ID=19837

I'm Canadian, married to a Tunisian.  But, I got married as a Polish citizen as I didn't have Canadian citizenship at the time.  If you still need any help, feel free to message me.

BeachBum2015 wrote:

Hmmm....From what I was told by the embassy is that the man has all the say. Meaning you need his permission for just about everything, i.e. travel, meeting friends, leaving the house in general, money needs to be given to his family if he wishes etc. Also, in case of a divorce....The woman does not even get to keep her children if there are any. And while married, the family of the man will play a major part in how the children are raised. Not true?

This is not true, none of it.  As for the children, the mother can be granted full custody but up until the child is 5 the father is the authoritarian in the decisions.  Some conservative husbands will want you to ask permission to go out or invite someone over as per Islam, but many modern spouses are not that rigid.  As for money - your husband is legally required to take care of YOUR and your shared children's needs.  If you earn your own money, you don't have to give him a dime.  You don't have to send money to inlaws and they don't need to dictate how you raise your children.  If he doesn't agree with your beliefs on having a family and raising a children, this marriage won't work - there has to be middle ground.

Hello I need some information in regards to foreigners marrying in Tunisa. I want to marry an Algerian however the process of marriage in Algeria for a foreigner is very complicated and lengthy. Furthermore there are extra requirements in Algeria such as visas which is not required in Tunisa. Is it possible for two foreigners to get married in Tunisa? Will the marriage be recognised by the Algerian government? I have read that it is possible to hire a notary who can conclude a marriage quickly if we provide the required documents. If anyone has done so please let me know. Thanks!

@Tunisiandolly

Hi

Do you need to have your documents translated into Arabic, before you go to British embassy? I'm totally confused with all dos and dont's. 🤣

Hi, For the British Embassy you dont need to translate anything.

The Arabic translations are only for when you go to the Tunisian Council (Belediye)

Hi, Thankyou. What is the difference between the embassy and the belediye ? I am English and marrying a tunisan man. Do I have to go to the embassy, or can I go to the belediye.? It's so confusing 😕.

@Tunisiandolly are these rules the same in Tunisia for 2023?

@Tunisiandolly are these rules the same for 2023?

@Tunisiandolly are these rules the same for 2023?
-@sartara

Tunisian marriage laws hasn't changed much for 2023…!!

You're free to check back on expat.com after few weeks or months to get more information on getting divorce and or other family laws of Tunisia.. again, divorce laws are also has not changed much… so, may need help with that as well.. 🙏

Good luck 🍀

Hi, Thankyou. What is the difference between the embassy and the belediye ? I am English and marrying a tunisan man. Do I have to go to the embassy, or can I go to the belediye.? It's so confusing 😕.
-@lainahudson

“Belediye” is Tunisian name for the local or municipal marriage council (something.. similar like Marriage Registrar's office in UK or a Probate Court System in the US)

You need translated copies of the documents only for Belediye not for British Embassy, US Embassy or other counties, where English is the primary Official language of business.

To be a legal marriage in Tunisia, it has to go through Belediye.. however it's always advisable to register your marriage with your embassy and or in your country to be on the safe side.

Good luck.. 🍀👍

@Tunisiandolly

Hi im just wondering if this is the same process for an English man marrying a tunisian woman?

I'm really confused by the process as everything I read is aimed at women marrying tunisian men not the other way around.

Also when it comes to time scales.... I have 5/6 days in November would it be possible to  marry in that time frame? Or wait until April 2024 when I'll be there for 2 weeks

@lainahudson I saw in another post that you are now married, congratulations 🥰❤️

I hope you had a perfect day!

I'm just wondering if anyone knows if I need an apostille for my birth certificate? The UK embassy doesn't need this, however, I don't know if the Tunisian municipality require it.

Any advice anyone can offer is greatly appreciated 🙏

@adamhughes18 same question, also are you required to convert to Muslim to marry a tunisian woman?

@laurahassan I got married last month in tunisia to my husband. All i had to do what take a birth certificate that was in within 21 days of our marriage (I ordered mine off the gov website and it came next day). We got our documents translated by someone in sousse that the UK government recommended, just so we knew that our marriage would be legal and our certificates would be valid. Took the english one to the embassy and all you have to do is fill out a form and sign it with someone present.

Then you use the arabic/french translated certificates for when the council done our marriage, we picked there and then if we wanted to share assests or not (community or non community).

Also you will need a coloured copy of your passport and also make sure you give them the original certificate that the embassy gives you. If you can get a copy of it i would do that also just incase.

I hope this helps

@LaurenG94 pls can you tell from where did you get the celibacy's certificate my gf is in tunisia and she only has her birth certifcate can we get all papers that we need here or she should go back to her country and get

@LaurenG94 congratulations