Property
Registered title under the Code des Droits Réels, with restricted foreign purchase
The 1965 Code of Real Rights governs ownership and registration through the Conservation de la Propriété Foncière. Foreign acquisition of agricultural land is prohibited and other purchases need approval.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Conservation de la Propriété Foncière maintains the register; the Tribunal Immobilier resolves registration disputes.
Governing law
- Code des Droits Réels, Law 1965-5
- Law 1992-44 on land registration
- Decree-Law 1957 on agricultural land ownership by foreigners
- Law 2009-56 on condominium
In practice
Tunisia has a substantial registered estate but also large areas of unregistered and collectively held land, and the immatriculation process that converts one to the other runs through a dedicated land court rather than the ordinary courts. Foreign nationals cannot own agricultural land at all, and acquisition of non-agricultural real property by non-residents requires authorisation from the governor, which is a genuine gate rather than a formality; long leases of up to 40 years are the standard structure for foreign-operated agricultural projects. Habous (waqf) land was largely abolished and absorbed into state or private ownership after independence, which distinguishes Tunisia from Morocco and Egypt where the category remains significant.