No salary in Tunisia: who can still finance a project or a need

Why Tunisian banks insist on a domiciled salary

Lending to individuals relies on the monthly payment of a salary or pension, from which the bank takes the instalment. Without this regular flow, STB, BIAT or Attijari Bank have no safeguard and generally turn the application down.

No general unemployment benefit

Tunisia does not pay universal unemployment benefit comparable to European systems: only some job losses for economic reasons give access to limited support from the CNSS. A jobseeker therefore cannot present any replacement income to a lender.

Young graduates and long-term unemployment

Unemployment hits university graduates and inland regions such as Kasserine, Gafsa, Sidi Bouzid or Tataouine especially hard. Many people there live from informal work or help from relatives settled in Tunis, Sfax or abroad.

ANETI and starting your own activity

The National Agency for Employment and Independent Work, through its employment offices, registers jobseekers, offers training and supports people with business projects. Its backing strengthens a file later presented to BTS Bank or a microfinance institution.

BTS Bank for small trades

BTS Bank finances modest projects by graduates and craftsmen who are starting out, with a reduced own contribution. The loan pays for the equipment the activity needs, not personal expenses, and it is repaid from the income generated.

Microcredit for an income-generating activity

An ACM-licensed institution can finance a shop, livestock or a workshop without asking for a payslip, after a visit from the loan officer. Our page on microcredit in Tunisia sets out the amounts and costs involved for borrowers.

A 10,000 dinar honour loan for a small project

Since October 2026, the founder of a small project can ask a bank for up to 10,000 dinars with no interest, collateral or fees, over two years at most. The precise conditions for people without a job should be checked with each bank.

Starting a business rather than borrowing to consume

Turning a skill into an activity registered in the National Business Register opens more doors than applying for a personal loan. See our guide to a business loan in Tunisia, covering the BFPME and the SOTUGAR guarantee.

Non-salary income accepted by some lenders

Rent from a titled property, regular transfers from a parent living in France or a disability pension can be considered by a bank if they are paid into a Tunisian account and documented over several months.

A salaried guarantor or co-borrower

In practice, many young people without work have the loan taken out by a parent who is a civil servant or employee, who domiciles their salary and is legally liable for the debt. This choice fully commits the relative, whose pay can be deducted.

Students at the end of their course

A student who has just finished studying and does not yet have a job can no longer claim the university loan. Our page on a student loan in Tunisia recalls the conditions of this public funding during the course.

Online promises of loans without paperwork

Adverts promising credit with no job and no documents, approved within twenty-four hours, deliberately target the unemployed. They demand insurance or arrangement fees and then vanish, and no licensed institution in Tunisia works this way.

Looking for financing without a salaried job in Tunisia

1. Decide whether you need to fund an income-generating activity or a personal need, as the solutions are completely different.
2. Register at the ANETI employment office and ask for support in setting up a project.
3. Draw up a project costed in dinars: equipment, premises, starting stock and expected sales.
4. Approach a microfinance institution, BTS Bank or the small-project honour loan on the bank's platform.
5. Gather proof of non-salary income or find a salaried co-borrower for a personal need.

Cost of the options open to people without a job in Tunisia

What an applicant without a salary needs to provide

• Valid national ID card
• Certificate of registration at the ANETI employment office
• Diploma or vocational training certificate
• Costed description of the project and equipment quotes
• Proof of non-salary income over several months
• Documents of the guarantor or salaried co-borrower

Risks for a borrower without a job in Tunisia

• Paying fees to an online lender who promises credit without a job within twenty-four hours, a classic scam pattern.
• Using a business microloan for personal spending, then being unable to repay because there is no income.
• Letting a parent become co-borrower without a repayment plan, at the risk of burdening their salary for years.
• Abandoning the project after buying the equipment, while the loan repayment schedule keeps running.

Lenders to contact

• Enda Tamweel: Tunisian microfinance institution granting microloans to micro-entrepreneurs, including in rural areas, backed by banking partners and development funders.
• BH Bank (Banque de l'Habitat): Tunisian bank historically specialised in housing, offering home loans to individuals as well as working-capital financing for professionals and businesses.

Borrowing without work in Tunisia: straight answers