How many NGOs and charities are there in Tunisia, and who registers them?
GiveRadar tracks 969 NGOs and charities in Tunisia. This is a curated directory compiled from arab.org and web research, not Tunisia's official record of associations. Since the 2011 revolution, associations form on a declaration regime under Decree-Law 2011-88, not prior authorization.
An association gains legal personality once its formation notice is published in the official gazette, the JORT, through the Imprimerie Officielle. Tunisia's civil society is unusually strong: it drove the 2011 revolution and shared the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize through the National Dialogue Quartet.
Is this the official Tunisian register of associations?
No. GiveRadar's Tunisia page is a directory compiled from a privately run pan-Arab NGO portal, not a government register. The directory carries no registration numbers, so GiveRadar holds none for these organizations.
Tunisia's statutory records are the JORT formation notices and the association sub-register in the National Register of Enterprises (RNE), created by Law 2018-52 and searchable through the RNE public portal. A listing here is a starting point, not proof of current registration.
What does registering an association in Tunisia prove, and what does it not?
Registration proves that an association completed the legal formation steps, not that it is an effective or trustworthy charity. A JORT notice announces the declared name, objects and seat; an RNE entry records the documents filed under Law 2018-52.
Forming an association under Decree-Law 2011-88 involves no assessment of governance, finances or impact, and there is no general registered-charity status in Tunisian law. Separate vetting applies only when an association applies for public funding, under a 2013 decree.
Are donations to Tunisian NGOs tax-deductible?
Rarely, and not for ordinary individual donors. Businesses may deduct donations to associations only up to two per thousand of turnover under Article 12 of the income-tax code, with full deduction reserved for a few specified categories, such as associations supporting people with disabilities.
An earlier list of associations whose donations were fully deductible was repealed, so ordinary registration does not create deductibility. A salaried or non-business donor should not assume a gift to a registered association reduces their tax.
How do you check a Tunisian NGO before you donate?
Look for the association's formation notice in the JORT and search the RNE association sub-register before giving. A recognisable name or a website is not a substitute for confirming that an organization exists and is registered.
- Search the RNE public portal for the association's filed documents.
- Locate its formation notice in the JORT through IORT.
- Check IFEDA, the government associations centre, for further information.
- See GiveRadar's integrity score methodology for what each data point proves.
How can you donate to charities and NGOs in Tunisia?
Tunisia's associations work across advocacy and human rights, education, youth development, culture and the environment, most of them based in and around Tunis. Choose a cause deliberately, verify the recipient and use only payment details the organization itself publishes.
- Explore Tunisian organizations by governorate, from Tunis to Sfax and Sousse, and compare those serving the outcome you value.
- Confirm the recipient's existence through the JORT notice or RNE sub-register.
- Give through the organization's own confirmed bank details or a secure, published payment channel.
- Keep the receipt. See GiveRadar's guidance for donors for more checks.