Company Manager and Entrepreneur Residence in Tunisia — January 2025 snapshot
Tunisia provides a practical residence path for certain foreign employers, managers, co-managers and legal representatives, but it is not a generic entrepreneur visa.
Employment-contract exemption category
The Ministry of Employment lists foreign nationals who are employers, managers or co-managers with full powers and specified legal representatives among the categories that can obtain an attestation of non-submission to the visa of employment contract.
That attestation can then support the Ministry of Interior residence-card process for remunerated activity or investment, together with the required company and personal documents.
Foreign executives under the Investment Law
Tunisia Investment Authority's official guide states that companies may recruit foreign executives up to 30% of total executives through the third year, reduced to 10% from the fourth year, with four foreign executives permitted in all cases. Recruitment beyond those limits is subject to Employment Ministry authorization.
Startup founders
Startup Tunisia's official Startup Act is an active legal framework for labelled Tunisian-law startups and supports entrepreneurs, investors and startups. It also welcomes international startups seeking to establish a Tunisian subsidiary. However, the Startup Label is not itself an immigration visa. A foreign founder must still qualify under the applicable residence and work-authorization rules, commonly through an investor or company-manager basis.
No open freelancer or digital-nomad visa
The Tier-1 January 2025 sources reviewed here do not establish a standalone digital-nomad, generic freelance, open self-employment or startup-founder visa.
Compare Investor Residence, Foreign Worker Employment and Residence, the Tunisia hub, business visas, Africa, methodology, and legal disclaimer.
Official and supporting sources
- Ministry of Employment — Employment of Foreignersgovernment · accessed 2026-10-01
- Ministry of Interior — Foreign Residence Cardgovernment · accessed 2026-10-01
- Tunisia Investment Authority — Foreign Executive Rulesgovernment · accessed 2026-10-01
- Startup Tunisia — Startup Actgovernment · accessed 2026-10-01