Article 4 of the Investment Law (n° 2016-71 of 30 September 2016) stipulates that a Decree shall prescribe a list of economic activities which are subject to prior authorisation. The list of activities, authorisation procedure and conditions shall take into account, in particular, considerations of national security and defence, rationalization of compensation, natural resources and cultural heritage, preservation and environment and health protection. Decree n° 2018-417 of 11 May 2018 implements Article 4 of the Investment Law by establishing a list of activities requiring prior authorisation. These activities fall within the following sectors: natural resources and construction materials; land, sea and air transport; banking, finance, insurance and the financial market; dangerous or polluting industries; health; education; communications; certain commercial activities and services.

On April 8, 2022, Presidential Decree No. 2022-317 was implemented, eliminating governmental authorisation requirements for 27 business activities across various sectors. Some of them include, electronic systems importation, Agence Foncière d'habitation (AFH) lot transfers, aquatic species handling, renewable energy electricity production, cement manufacturing, small aircraft operations in tourism, guest house projects, and currency exchange. 
"Art. 5 –  The following authorizations included in the following list are deleted from Annex 1 relating to the list of authorizations relating to the exercise of economic activities, deadlines, procedures and conditions for granting of Government Decree No. 2018-417 of May 11, 2018, referred to above:
- The list of authorisations relating to land, sea and air transport activities: authorisations bearing numbers 10, 11, 17 and 18 which concern:
- The operation of aircraft with a mass not exceeding 5.7 tonnes in leisure and tourist entertainment activities or aerial work,
- The exploitation of recreational activity and tourist activism or aerial work by ultralight aircraft,
- The exercise of non-regular public road transport of people by rural transport vehicle whose traffic area exceeds the limit of the governorate,
- The exercise of non-regular public road transport of people by rural transport vehicle whose traffic zone does not exceed the limit of the governorate.
- The list of authorisations relating to activities in the banking and financial sector, insurance and the financial market: authorisations bearing numbers 37, 38, 41, 46 and 49, which concern: [...]
- The exercise of the activity of management of securities portfolios on behalf of third parties concerning informed investors only,
- Non-resident portfolio management companies,
- Creation of mutual funds and seed funds benefiting from a simplified procedure,
- Creation of expert funds.
- The list of authorizations relating to the exercise of activities in dangerous or polluting industries: authorizations bearing the numbers 51, 54 and 55, which concern respectively:
- The opening and operation of a crushing and screening unit,
- The creation of a grey or white cement production unit,
- Lime production.
- The list of authorizations relating to the exercise of certain commercial activities and services: authorizations bearing numbers 93, 94 and 95 which concern respectively: [...]
- Prior agreement for accommodation and tourist entertainment projects with regard to guest houses,
- The final agreement for accommodation and tourist entertainment projects regarding guest houses, [...]" (Presidential Decree No. 2022-317 of April 8, 2022, modifying and supplementing Government Decree No. 2018-417 of May 11, 2018, Article 5 [google translation])
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"Article 2:
The present Law sets out the legal statutory regime of investment made by individuals or legal persons, Tunisians or foreigners, residents or non residents in all economic activities.
[...]
Article 3:
The terms used in this Law shall have the following meanings:
Investment: any assets made by investor in the long term to realize a project in Tunisia that contributes to the Tunisian economic development taking its risks through direct investment operations or participations. [...]
Investor: Any individual or legal person, Tunisian or foreigner, resident or non resident who makes investment.
[...]
Article 4:
The investment is free.
Investment operations shall respect exercising economic activities legislation.
A governmental decree fixes within one year after the adoption of the present Law the list of activities subject to authorization, the list of administrative authorizations to realize the project and time periods, procedures and conditions of its issue in particularly with regard to national security and defence, rationalization of compensation, natural resources and cultural heritage, preservation and environment and health protection.
Any authorization refusal decision should report, within the legal terms, the reasons of that refusal and should be notified to the investor in writing or through any other means that provides a paper record.
Upon the expiry of the limit mentioned in the third paragraph of the present Article, the silence is considered as an approval if the application fulfils all the conditions required. In this case, the authority shall deliver the authorization to the applicant after checking the fulfil of the conditions and the deadlines in case of silence after the expiry of these deadlines.
Investments in some activities may be excluded from the provisions of the last paragraph in accordance with a governmental decree.[...]" (Investment Law (n° 2016-71 of 30 September 2016), Articles 2, 3 and 4 [unofficial translation])
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"Article 1 - This governmental decree aims to fix the procedures for implementing the provisions of articles 4 and 9 of law n° 2016-71 dated September 30, 2016 relating to the investment law.
[...]
Art. 3 - The exercise of economic activities included in the following sectors and provided for in Annex No. 1 of the Governmental decree herein requires prior obtaining a license from the competent administrative authorities:
- natural resources and construction materials,
- land, sea and air transport,
- Banking, finance, insurance and the financial market,
- dangerous or polluting industries,
- health,
- education,
- communications,
- Certain commercial activities and services.
Annex No. 1 of this Governmental decree fixes exclusively the detailed list of economic activities in the above-mentioned sectors that require licensing, as well as the deadlines for obtaining licenses related to them, their conditions and procedures.
Economic activities not listed in Annex No. 1 of this Governmental Order are not subject to licenses.
[...]
Annex No. 1
List of licenses related to the exercise of economic activities, deadlines, procedures and conditions for their granting [...]
[see the legal text for the list of activities]" (Decree listing activities subject to authorisation (n° 2018-417 of 11 May 2018), Articles 1, 3 and Annex 1 [google translation])
Investment Law (n° 2016-71 of 30 September 2016)
Decree listing activities subject to authorisation (n° 2018-417 of 11 May 2018)
Presidential Decree No. 2022-317 of April 8, 2022, modifying and supplementing Government Decree No. 2018-417 of May 11, 2018
[<a href="https://www.pist.tn/record/108924?ln=fr">Law</a>],[<a href="http://www.investintunisia.tn/Fr/upload/ang-nv_loi_sur_investissement-1476280259.pdf">Law_Eng</a>],[<a href="https://www.pist.tn/record/76961?ln=fr">Decree</a>],[<a href="https://legislation-securite.tn/latest-laws/decret-presidentiel-n-2022-317-du-8-avril-2022-modifiant-et-completant-le-decret-gouvernemental-n-2018-417-du-11-mai-2018-relatif-a-la-publication-de-la-liste-exclusive-des-activites-eco/">Decree</a>],[<a href="https://www.businessnews.com.tn/details-de-la-suppression-des-autorisations-pour-plusieurs-activites-economiques,520,118457,3">Other</a>],[<a href="https://investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-policy-monitor/measures/4355/tunisia-eliminated-authorization-requirements-for-27-business-activities-in-various-sectors">Other</a>]