Opening a training centre or private school in Tunisia

Updated 29 September 2026

Training OrganizationsRegulation

Tunisiaprivate vocational trainingspecificationsprivate schoolprivate higher educationCNFCPP

In Tunisia, a private vocational training centre does not need authorisation: before starting, it files a declaration and the signed specifications (cahier des charges) with the regional services of the ministry in charge of vocational training (Law No. 2008-10). A private school, on the other hand, requires prior authorisation (Decree No. 2008-486), as does a private higher education institution (Law No. 2000-73 as amended). For training funded by the vocational training tax (taxe de formation professionnelle, TFP), registration on the Malek platform is required.

Which regime for which project

Project	Text	Authority	Procedure
Initial or continuing vocational training	Law No. 2008-10 of 11 February 2008; specifications approved on 12 September 2001, supplemented on 31 March 2004	Ministry in charge of vocational training	Declaration and receipt
Private school (preparatory classes, primary, lower and upper secondary)	Orientation Law No. 2002-80; Decree No. 2008-486 of 22 February 2008	Ministry of Education	Prior authorisation
Private higher education	Law No. 2000-73 of 25 July 2000, amended notably in 2006 and 2008; specifications of 28 September 2000	Ministry of Higher Education	Authorisation and specifications

Private vocational training: declaration and specifications

Any natural or legal person may offer initial or continuing training, in line with specifications published by the minister (article 39 of the law). Before starting, it files a declaration of creation including a written commitment to comply with these specifications (article 40).

The specifications published by the ministry date from 12 September 2001. They were adopted under the former 1993 law: confirm with the regional directorate that they are still the applicable version. Their main rules:

a declaration following the model and a signed copy of the specifications, filed with the competent regional directorate against a receipt; the ministry assigns a registration number (article 5);
a full-time director with sufficient education and experience in training, teaching or human resources management (article 7);
trainers who are engineers or hold a master's degree (maîtrise), or a lower diploma with 3 to 10 years of experience depending on the level (article 18), hired full-time above 800 hours a year (article 17);
premises that meet health, safety and environmental rules, with offices and common areas (articles 10 and 19);
any change of owner, premises, director or field reported within 30 days (article 32).

Some specialities require specific conditions (article 25). The director must be Tunisian, unless the minister gives written authorisation (article 41 of the law). Setting up an establishment illegally carries a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 dinars (article 45).

Diplomas: habilitation and equivalence

National diplomas include the certificate of vocational aptitude (certificat d'aptitude professionnelle, CAP), the vocational technician certificate (brevet de technicien professionnel, BTP) and the higher technician certificate (brevet de technicien supérieur, BTS) (article 9). To train in a speciality with training standards, the establishment obtains a habilitation from the ministry. Where no standards exist, it can apply, before starting, for the classification of its diploma (article 55). The ministry awards diplomas after an examination organised by its services (article 59). A habilitated establishment may, exceptionally and with the minister's authorisation, award them itself (article 62). The ministry also grants equivalence for foreign vocational diplomas (article 63).

Private school: Decree No. 2008-486

The Ministry of Education publishes this decree as the reference text:

prior authorisation, decided after the opinion of a regional advisory committee (articles 4 and 5);
a Tunisian promoter, unless authorised by the minister, or a company whose purpose allows educational activity (article 11); a single promoter may create only one establishment (article 6);
a file lodged with the regional directorate before 31 May for a September opening; a reply within two months of filing the complete file (article 12);
documents: application, promoter's file, director's file (diploma, record of service, medical certificate), plans and title deed or lease (article 13);
a separate, fenced building reserved for teaching; 25 pupils at most per class (articles 14, 23 and 27);
official curricula, except for establishments preparing for foreign examinations (articles 1 and 9);
a lower or upper secondary school director who is at least a secondary school teacher, holds a master's degree, has 5 years of full-time teaching and is aged 30 to 70 (article 28).

A bill on private education was under discussion in Parliament in 2025. Check whether it has been adopted.

Private higher education: Law No. 2000-73

Creation requires authorisation from the minister in charge of higher education. The institution signs the specifications approved by order of 28 September 2000. The file is lodged with the private higher education directorate in Tunis. The law also governs the form of the promoting company and its minimum capital: ask the ministry for the consolidated text. A revision requiring at least 30% permanent teachers holding a doctorate was being examined by Parliament in 2025; its adoption has not been verified.

Setting up the company

The one-stop shop (guichet unique) of the Industry and Innovation Promotion Agency (Agence de promotion de l'industrie et de l'innovation, APII) brings together the relevant administrations: investment declaration and company incorporation. The company is then registered in the National Business Register (Registre national des entreprises, RNE), created by Law No. 2018-52 of 29 October 2018. This registration does not replace the declaration.

Funding continuing training

A company that funds training through the TFP must use a public or private organization registered on the Malek platform, with a validated registration. Trainers' CVs are also validated there. The National Centre for Continuing Training and Professional Promotion (Centre national de formation continue et de promotion professionnelle, CNFCPP) manages two tools:

the TFP advance (avance sur la TFP), a tax credit of up to 60% of the tax due for the previous year, for companies whose TFP reaches 1,000 dinars (Decree No. 2009-292 as revised by Decree No. 2019-228);
drawing rights (droits de tirage), direct State funding for companies that are exempt, below this threshold, created less than three years ago or that have used up the advance.

Each year, the centre draws up a teaching and financial report (bilan pédagogique et financier), on a model from the regional directorate.

The steps

Identify the regime: vocational training, school or higher education.
Set up the company through the APII one-stop shop and register it with the RNE.
Secure premises that meet the standards of the applicable text.
Hire a director and trainers who meet the conditions.
File the declaration or application and keep the receipt.
Apply for habilitation for specialities that lead to a diploma.
Register the centre and its trainers on Malek for funded training.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need approval to open a training centre in Tunisia? No, a declaration is enough, except for specialities subject to specific conditions. Habilitation is only needed to prepare for a national diploma.

Can a foreign national run a centre? Exceptionally, with the minister's written authorisation. Otherwise, the director must be Tunisian.

Key takeaways

Training centre: declaration and signed specifications, with no prior authorisation.
School and higher education: prior authorisation from the competent ministry.
National diplomas: habilitation from the ministry in charge of vocational training.
Training funded by the TFP: validated registration on Malek.
Confirm the texts in force, as two reforms were under discussion in 2025.

Sources

Mentivis supports the structuring of training organizations and schools: design of the offer, business model, regulatory file and launch. See training organization set-up · See higher education support

Further reading: Opening a training centre or private school in Morocco · How to develop a training offering internationally

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