Anyone else stuck in Tunisia?
 

Are any other forum members trapped in Tunisia at the moment?

I'm in Djerba, but will probably be moving north towards Hammamet or Tunis at the end of this week - the hotel I am presently staying in is closing at the end of the week due to a lack of guests.

All passenger & vehicle ferries are suspended until April 4th. I doubt if I would be allowed to fly out of the country and leave the motorcycle behind, this due to customs regulations about tourist vehicle needing to be taken out of the country when the tourist leaves.

If there is anyone else here in Tunisia, let me know, we can keep in touch and compare notes.

Michael

Did you end up going north?
Starting from Sunday 22 March, movements between cities is not allowed.

stay safe.

Get to Tunis quick then, I would.
Ferries may start running before cities unlock.

Hi Chris:

A good thought, but because I am a Canadian citizen, the most significant restriction I face is the EC's (the Schengen zone's) restriction on non-citizens entering Europe.

This means that even if the ferries start running again, I might not be permitted to travel to Europe. At this moment, the EC's ban on non-citizens entering the Schengen zone will last until about mid-April.

So, I think I am here for the long haul.

Michael

If the situation is agreeable where you are, sit it out.
I would still sooner be near Tunis. Maybe Hammamet resort, 50km away. Or hotels in Carthage / Sidi Bou Said. if they remain open.
May be a longer wait than April.
The Canadian embassy nearby may find a way to leave your bike (with them?), although tbh, right now wherever you go will be - or get - as bad, restrictions wise.

Michael
If you're not already aware .. UK and Ireland aren't in Schengen area. If you were contemplating storing the bike and flying out maybe they could be a transit option.

I presume the non-Schengen ban has not been lifted but I read on the Morocco forum that a limited GNV ferry service is resuming: Tangier > Barcelona > Genoa. And at a normal price, too.
I suppose the numbers of stranded are much lower by now, but something similar may happen from Tunisia (European consulate will know).

Hi Mark:

I escaped Tunisia on April 4th, after passing about 3 weeks' time in lockdown in hotels in Djerba.

The Tunisians arranged one repatriation flight (only!) from Tunis to Canada - I was able to get a ticket on it.

All things considered, I was very, very impressed with how Tunisia coped with this pandemic. Their lockdown was swift and brutal - as a result, the country of 11 million has only suffered 1,000 infections since the pandemic began. On the 500 km ride from Djerba up to Tunis, I think I saw less than a dozen other vehicles on the motorway - I did the whole motorway trip at wide open throttle, about 190 km/h.

Tunisian customs were very kind and understanding - normally, you have to take your vehicle out when you leave, but due to the pandemic, all they asked was that you leave your name, contact information, and the vehicle key with the customs office at the airport. The vehicle itself could be left anywhere in the country, you didn't have to tell customs where you left it. I left my bike in a diplomatic compound, and hope to go back and continue my ride in Tunisia sometime this fall.

Michael

Well, if anyone's still stuck there...Tunisia has been open for weeks now, regular commercial international flights restarted.

Some additional information to compliment Tomek's post above, based on my own experience entering Tunisia with my Honda ST 1100 in March of 2020:

I took the ferry from Palermo, Italy to Tunis. Not a particularly long crossing, quite straightforward. Bring your own tie-down straps (ratchet straps) for the motorcycle. The ferry deckhands directed me to a large open area, away from other vehicles, where I could tie down my bike. They wanted to tie it down themselves, and it was obvious that they didn't know how to do it without damaging the motorcycle. After a little bit of discussion, they let me tie it down myself.

Port formalities after disembarking at Tunis were uneventful, but a bit time-consuming - about 90 minutes total. I was sent back and forth between a few different offices to get all the paperwork done. The officials were very courteous and very pleasant to deal with - not the slightest hint of a request for a bribe. They seemed genuinely happy to see a Canadian visitor with a Canadian-registered motorcycle coming to visit their country.

I could not find anywhere at the port to buy insurance, but this might have been because the ferry arrived at midnight. I spoke to the person who appeared to be the senior Customs official, and he told me to just ride to my hotel in downtown Tunis and to visit an insurance office the next morning before setting out on my travels.

It did take me quite a while to figure out how to get insurance for my foreign-registered moto - I explained that process in a post at this link: Tunisia Vehicle Insurance.

The "Authorization de Circulation pour un Vehicule Automobile" that the Customs folks gave me at the port entitled me to ride the motorcycle around in Tunisia for 3 months, which was the same length of time that the tourist visa stamped in my passport was good for (the visa was granted on arrival, no prior formalities were needed).

Unfortunately, about 2 weeks after I arrived in Tunisia, the COVID-19 pandemic exploded. I eventually left Tunisia on a direct flight Tunis to Canada, leaving the motorcycle behind in storage in Tunisia. Once again, the Customs folks were quite understanding about this pandemic problem and my need to leave the motorcycle behind in Tunisia when I left the country - they asked me to leave the registration papers (ownership) and the "Authorization de Circulation" document with them at the airport office, and told me to come and see them when I return after the pandemic to pick up the papers and the motorcycle. They didn't suggest there was any time limit for returning. I think that the Customs people understood that the primary purpose of all the paperwork relating to temporary importation of foreign vehicles was to prevent people from importing and selling vehicles, and by retaining the ownership document, they could be assured that I would not be selling the motorcycle during my absence from the country.

All in all, a pleasant & trouble-free (though a bit time-consuming) experience in all respects.

Michael