For telecom and wireless equipment sales in Tunisia, CERT is the authority. CERT stands for the Centre d'Études et de Recherche des Télécommunications (Telecommunications Studies and Research Centre), Tunisia's national body for telecom matters — it performs equipment control, conformity assessment and market surveillance. Telecom and radio equipment sold in Tunisia must first pass CERT type approval. Its role resembles telecom regulators in many countries, but Tunisia has progressively merged safety, radio-frequency and encryption approvals under CERT alone, making the path relatively centralised. BlueAsia handles multi-country certification and reminds companies not to confuse it with neighbours ANRT or CRA — different jurisdictions, non-interchangeable certificates.
2. The Legal Basis in Three Layers
CERT approval rests on a three-layer legal base.
The Legal Base Layer by Layer
(1) Telecom Law. Law No. 2001-1 of 15 January 2001 lays the framework for terminal-equipment market access; equipment for public use requires prior approval. Article 32 explicitly requires prior approval for telecom terminal equipment imported into or manufactured in Tunisia for commercial or public use — the superior-law basis for CERT approval.
(2) Supporting decrees. Article 32 is implemented by later decrees: Decree No. 2001-830 governs telecom and radio-terminal approval, and Decree No. 2008-2639 governs the import and commercial conditions of encryption means.
(3) Decree No. 48. Decree No. 48-2020 of 23 January 2020 reorganised the approval procedure, moving encryption approval from ANCE to CERT and changing certificates from a three-year term to long-term validity. This is the current main basis. ANCE, the National Electronic Certification Agency (Agence Nationale de Certification Électronique), originally handled certification and commercial-import authorisation for encryption-bearing equipment; after the decree that function merged into CERT.
① Anchor on Decree No. 48-2020 — it is the key to untangling the Tunisia path.
3. Which Standards the Certification Follows
CERT type approval leans on international references with local adaptation. RF and EMC mainly reference the EU RED directive and corresponding EN/ETSI standards (Tunisia localises them as the NT series); US FCC reports serve as supplementary reference but are not directly accepted. Standards are set by INNORPI (the National Institute of Standardization and Industrial Property) through publication and public consultation. Conformity-assessment-body qualification is accredited by TUNAC — the Tunisian Accreditation Council (Conseil National d'Accréditation), Tunisia's national accreditation body, which has signed ILAC and IAF multilateral agreements and mutually recognises with EA, so its accredited reports carry international-recognition effect. In the paperwork, state the adopted international standard number plus the local-difference items; do not just pile up international numbers.
4. Certificate Validity and Local Representative
After Decree 48-2020, newly issued certificates are long-term valid, and old three-year certificates can be exchanged for long-term ones. Multiple independent compliance bodies (Vista, IB-Lenhardt, UL Taiwan, China's Ministry of Commerce, Applus) confirm this point, which differs from the three- or five-year validity seen in many countries — so do not budget renewal on old assumptions. Foreign enterprises must designate a Tunisia local representative to apply; the representative handles documents, spot-check response and liability for violations. Avoid cheap nominal agents that cannot absorb the risk. Get the local-representative information right; do not stall at the paperwork step.
5. Special Requirements for Encryption Devices
Devices with encryption functions must, under Decree 48-2020, be declared and approved by CERT to confirm compliance with encryption standards. The encryption certificate and the RF telecom certificate are merged into one, issued by CERT and covering both ends. Routers or gateways that carry both a wireless module and encryption clear one item and that is enough; missing the encryption item draws rejection. Encryption clauses are a Tunisia regulatory focus — do not leave them out of the paperwork.
6. Testing and Labelling
CERT approval is based on document plus sample review, with some items self-tested by the authority or requiring local testing. The typical cycle is about four to eight weeks, extended for complex projects by testing volume. CERT does not mandate a certification mark on the product body, but the nameplate, labels and user manual must be in French or Arabic, model parameters must match the technical file, and the approval number appears on the certificate and accompanying documents. Sample-file entities stay consistent and local-representative information accurate; do not stall at the paperwork step.
7. Linking to Related African and Middle Eastern Markets
Tunisia CERT runs its own path separately from Morocco ANRT, Qatar CRA and Yemen MTIT — certificates are non-interchangeable. Much of North Africa and the Middle East does not recommend certifying after goods reach the harbour; the risk is high and likely detention or return. Wireless certification and EMC are fragmented by nature, so pull the list early.
Contact: King Email: king.guo@cblueasia.comAddress: Building C, Hongjingda Industrial Park, No. 107 Beihuan Road, Shiyan Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China BlueAsia delivers more than service!
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