Owner guides
Opening a guesthouse in Tunisia: permits, steps and timescales
What the rules say as of October 2026, what has changed since 2022, and what to plan for when your guesthouse is a dar in the Medina of Tunis. Written by the team that runs guesthouses in the old city, with sources and the grey areas spelt out.
By Hichem Mathlouthi, managing director of KasbahostPublished 7 min read
Who this is for
This guide is for anyone planning to let rooms with breakfast in a house in Tunisia: an heir to a family dar in the Medina, a foreign buyer who has just completed, or someone in the diaspora thinking about restoring the family home. It covers the guesthouse regime (chambres d'hôtes). If you would rather let a whole flat by the night, read our guide to short-term rental law in Tunisia instead: it is a different regime.
The rules have been in transition since 2021. Several promised texts have never appeared, and much of what you read online is borrowed from French law. For each point we say where the information comes from and, where we could not confirm it in an official text, which authority to ask.
The rules that apply
Classification of accommodation (Decree No. 2007-457)
Decree No. 2007-457 of 6 March 2007 governs how tourist accommodation is classified, in ten groups. The application goes to the Tunisian National Tourism Office (ONTT) before trading begins; the ONTT's director general decides after an inspection report and a committee opinion. According to the summaries we consulted, guesthouses appear in it as homes where the owner or occupier makes some rooms available to tourists, with breakfast. The decree is reported to have been amended by Decree No. 2016-335 of 11 March 2016: ask the ONTT for the version in force.
Guesthouse standards (order of 29 July 2013)
According to WebManagerCenter and African Manager, which summarised the order when it was published, it sets out the following (we could not consult the text itself; the ONTT can tell you the version in force):
- no more than 5 rooms and 15 guests in a single house;
- the host is the owner or lawful occupier, who lives in the house with the guests;
- the host speaks at least one foreign language and promotes the region;
- prices are displayed inclusive of tax and complaints are answered within 48 hours.
Approvals abolished (Decree 2022-317)
Presidential Decree No. 2022-317 of 8 April 2022 (Official Gazette No. 43, 18 April 2022) removed the preliminary and final approvals for guesthouse projects, as reported by African Manager. We could not consult the decree in the Official Gazette: the ONTT will confirm how it affects your project. You no longer seek approval in principle before building, but the substantive rules and classification still apply.
Does the host have to live there?
Almost every owner we meet asks this. According to press summaries of the 2013 order (WebManagerCenter, African Manager), the host lives in the house with the guests. An owner living in London or Paris who hands a dar to a management company does not, on the face of it, meet that condition.
| Option | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Resident host | The owner or lawful occupier lives in the house; a manager handles services. | The host must genuinely live there. |
| Furnished lets | Let the whole house, or separate flats, by the night, outside the guesthouse classification. | No specific regime in force as far as we know; a bill is under review, according to the press. |
| Another classified category | A category without the live-in rule, such as a "charm hotel" for larger capacity. | Separate standards and procedure, to be checked with the ONTT. |
| Wait for the specifications | The new guesthouse specifications may clarify the rule. | No reliable publication date. |
None of these is legal advice. Put your question to the ONTT in writing, describe who will live in and who will run the house, and keep the answer.
Step by step
- Check the property: title, co-heirs' agreement, structural condition.
- Choose the regime: classified guesthouse or furnished lets.
- Ask the ONTT for the current list of documents and standards; it will also tell you which regional office handles your file.
- Have plans drawn up by an architect; the City of Tunis will tell you who may sign them and which documents to provide.
- Obtain the building permit from the City of Tunis, with the heritage opinion.
- Carry out the works and fit out rooms and shared areas.
- Set up the business: if you trade professionally, registration with the National Business Register and a tax ID are in principle needed. Have this confirmed by a chartered accountant or the tax office (recette des finances).
- Apply for classification before your first guest.
- Put the routine obligations in place: guest registration, tourist tax, invoices.
We give no timescale or fees: no official source we found sets them. Ask the ONTT and the City of Tunis for your own project.
Pitfalls specific to the Medina
The Medina of Tunis has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Restoration, alterations or a change of use need a building permit, according to the City of Tunis permit guide. Within a historic area, or within 200 metres of a protected monument, the permit is in principle issued after the National Heritage Institute (INP) gives its opinion; the City of Tunis and the INP will tell you whether your property is affected. Law No. 2024-33 of 28 June 2024 on buildings at risk of collapse requires owners to report their building's condition, with fines of 2,000 to 20,000 dinars, according to La Presse (February 2026); check your exact obligations with the City of Tunis or a lawyer. Get a structural survey first. And remember the Medina is pedestrianised: materials, linen and luggage all arrive on foot. For likely income, see our guide to guesthouse income in the Medina or try the revenue estimator.
What has changed, and what is coming
- December 2021: specifications announced to replace licences.
- April 2022: Decree 2022-317 removes the approvals, according to African Manager.
- October 2025: the ONTT says it is preparing four sets of specifications, including one for guesthouses (La Presse).
- 13 October 2026: we found no publication in the Official Gazette. Not finding it does not prove it does not exist: check with the ONTT.
- 2025–2026: a bill on furnished flats is before Parliament; see the short-term rental guide.
Once open, you must register foreign guests with the police (see our guide to guest police registration) and collect the tourist tax: 1 dinar per person per night for Tunisian and Maghreb nationals and 4 dinars for other guests in guesthouses, since the 2024 Finance Act, according to Managers. The tax office (recette des finances) will confirm the current rates. Details in our tourist tax guide.
What Kasbahost does
Kasbahost runs guesthouses and flats in the Medina of Tunis for itself and for owners. On compliance, for every stay: guest police forms are filed, tourist tax is collected, invoices are issued and withholding tax is shown on the owner's monthly statement. We do not handle your building permit and we are not your lawyer, but we will tell you frankly, before you sign, whether your dar suits a guesthouse, flats or neither. See how we work on our guesthouse management page, or weigh up the options in self-manage or hire a manager.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a licence to open a guesthouse in Tunisia?
Presidential Decree No. 2022-317 of 8 April 2022 removed the preliminary and final approvals for guesthouse projects, according to the business press (African Manager, 2022). They were meant to be replaced by a set of specifications (cahier des charges), which we had not found published in the Official Gazette as of 13 October 2026. Classification with the ONTT under Decree No. 2007-457 remains the reference, so check with the ONTT before opening.
How many rooms can a guesthouse have?
According to the Tourism Minister's order of 29 July 2013, as summarised in the press when it was published (WebManagerCenter, African Manager), a guesthouse has five rooms at most, for no more than fifteen guests. Beyond that you need a different category of establishment. Ask the ONTT for the standards that apply to your project.
Does the owner have to live in the guesthouse?
According to press summaries of the 2013 order, the host is the owner or lawful occupier who lives in the house with the guests. This is the key issue for owners living abroad. Have your arrangement checked by a lawyer or the ONTT before you invest.
Do I need planning permission to convert a dar in the Medina?
Yes, for restoration, alterations, extensions or a change of use, according to the City of Tunis guide to building permits. Within the protected Medina, the opinion of the National Heritage Institute (INP) is in principle also required. The City of Tunis and the INP will confirm the procedure for your property.
Can Kasbahost run my guesthouse for me?
We manage and operate dars in the Medina of Tunis on behalf of their owners: reception, housekeeping, breakfasts, guest registration, tourist tax and invoices. Because of the host-residence rule, a classified guesthouse arrangement has to be looked at case by case with your adviser. See our guesthouse management page.
Sources
Consulted on 13 October 2026. Some pages could only be read through search-engine extracts; confirm every legal reference in the Official Gazette (iort.gov.tn) before acting.
- Decree No. 2007-457, legislation.tn (official, in French)
- WebManagerCenter, 16/08/2013 (French)
- African Manager: five-room cap (French)
- African Manager: Decree 2022-317 (French)
- La Presse, 25/10/2025 (French)
- City of Tunis: building permit guide (official, in French)
- UNESCO: Medina of Tunis (official)
- La Presse, 11/02/2026: buildings at risk (French)
Let's talk about your property
Planning to open a dar in the Medina?
Tell us where the house is and what state it is in. We'll come and see it, tell you which way of running it fits, and what it could earn.