Cryptocurrency in Tunisia: a 1976 code and the bill to replace it
In short. Tunisia prohibits crypto through its foreign exchange regime, and the penalties reach five years in prison. The code doing that work dates from 1976, which is why parliament is replacing it. Bill 115/2025 would let residents declare and hold digital assets under a framework the central bank defines, and the finance committee aimed to vote before the summer recess of 2026. Until it passes, the old code applies.
- STATUS
- Prohibitedunder the foreign exchange regime
- PENALTY
- Up to 5 yearsimprisonment, plus fines
- NEW EXCHANGE CODE
- Bill 115/2025in parliament, not yet adopted
- WHAT IT WOULD ALLOW
- Declaring and holdingunder a central bank framework
- FOREIGN CURRENCY ACCOUNTS
- Opened upthe 2026 finance law dropped the permit
- LEGAL TENDER
- Nothe dinar stays the only legal money
A 1976 code applied to a 2009 asset
Tunisia governs crypto through the foreign exchange code, drafted in 1976 to control the movement of dinars and foreign currency, and the central bank set out that reading in 2018.
Under that regime, buying or selling crypto without authorisation counts as an unauthorised foreign exchange operation. The penalties belong to the code rather than to any crypto statute, and they run to fines and imprisonment of up to five years.
A control regime built for cash and bank transfers has spent years governing an asset that moves without either. Officials have said as much themselves, which is what put the replacement code on the agenda.
Bill 115/2025
The government submitted a new exchange code to parliament in October 2025, registered as bill 115/2025, and consultations ran through the following months.
The finance and budget committee held a hearing on 1 June 2026 and its chair said he wanted the vote before the summer recess. The stated ambition goes well beyond crypto: he put the growth effect of modernising the code at one to one and a half points of GDP, and the text also builds a route for international payment platforms that Tunisians have had no lawful way to use.
For digital assets the change is specific. The new code would let a resident declare and hold virtual assets inside a framework the central bank defines, replacing a blanket prohibition with a supervised permission. A separate bill in committee would go further and decriminalise possession while creating a licensing regime for service providers.
Parliament has adopted neither. Reports that Tunisia has legalised crypto describe a bill in progress.
The finance law already moved one wall
One piece did pass. The 2026 finance law, adopted in December 2025, lets a resident individual open a conventional foreign currency account in euros or dollars without prior authorisation from the central bank.
That ended a restriction of roughly five decades and shows where the state is heading. Crypto was not part of it and stays where the 1976 code left it.
What this means if you are moving there
The reform that would help you is the part parliament has not voted on.
The prohibition still carries criminal penalties, so treat the current position as real regardless of how many Tunisians trade anyway. The new exchange code would change that, the committee wanted it voted in mid-2026, and its final text and the central bank framework underneath it will decide what holding crypto here actually looks like. Watch for adoption and then for the implementing rules, because the code alone will not tell you what is permitted.
Allowed
- Open a foreign currency account in euros or dollars, since the 2026 finance law removed the permit requirement
- Hold dinars, the only money with legal tender status here
- Follow bill 115/2025, which would create a declared-and-held route for digital assets
- Use the central bank's fintech sandbox, which admits limited experiments
Restricted
- Buying or selling crypto, which the foreign exchange code treats as an unauthorised operation
- Assuming the reform has passed, since parliament has not adopted bill 115/2025
- Relying on how common trading is as a guide to what is lawful
- Paying in crypto as of right, since the dinar remains the only legal money
How the rules took shape
Tunisia adopts the foreign exchange code that still governs, decades before crypto exists.
The central bank sets out its position, treating crypto transactions as unauthorised foreign exchange operations.
The government submits a new exchange code to parliament as bill 115/2025.
The 2026 finance law lets residents open foreign currency accounts without prior authorisation, ending a five-decade restriction.
The finance committee holds hearings and aims for a vote before the summer recess.
Worth knowing
In 2018 the country ran one of Africa's earliest experiments with a blockchain-based digital dinar — while banning crypto trading under threat of five years in prison.
Common questions
Is crypto legal in Tunisia?
No. Buying or selling it counts as an unauthorised foreign exchange operation under the 1976 code, with penalties reaching five years in prison.
What would the new code change?
It would let a resident declare and hold virtual assets inside a framework the central bank defines, replacing the blanket prohibition with supervised permission.
Has the new code passed?
Not as of the summer of 2026. Parliament received it in October 2025 and the finance committee aimed to vote before the recess.
Can I open a foreign currency account?
Yes. The 2026 finance law lets resident individuals open euro or dollar accounts without prior central bank authorisation, ending a restriction of roughly fifty years.
What about the separate crypto bill?
A committee has been considering a bill that would decriminalise possession and license service providers. It has not been adopted either.
Sources
Other countries
Updated 21.08.2026 · this is reference material, not investment or tax advice