The Tunisian Dinar is a closed currency so strictly speaking you can't take it in or out of the country. You can't buy it outside of Tunisia. You should be able to change money at the airport on arrival.

Hi Doe, I've been taking dinars in and our of Tumisia for years without any problems as I always bring back enough to start me off on the following trip. I'm not talking about large sums but usually just 30-50 dinar. There are so many spurious warnings about taking dinars out of the country and not being able to use them airside at the airport, but the coffee shops airside all take dinars (and it works out cheaper to use them there).

Another thing to bear in mind is that from 1st October there will be a 30dinar exit tax for non-Tunisians, and at the moment there is no clear indication as to how this will be implemented. I've mentioned this elsewhere on here and will obviously update as soon as I get any more firm information.

As for being unable to buy dinars outside Tunisia, you can certainly get them at the Bureaux de Change at Stansted, so I guess at most airports. The exchange rate isn't good however so it's only worth getting a few if you desperate to have some on arrival.

How can you buy them outside of Tunisia when it's a closed currency, or isn't it closed any longer? I know you can't buy them on the high street or from Ice, Travelex etc. It just seems strange that what must be a respectable forex airport bureau would sell a closed currency.

You get them by going to the BdC at the airport and asking for Tunisian dinars. You may be asked if you know the ruiles, say yes, then just asked how many you want. No problem. Last time they didn't have any at the first BdC I went to so she rang her colleague at another branch at the airport and directed me to her. As i have been travelling regularly to Tunisia for the past 13 years i think I can be trusted to know what is possible and what is not.

Thank you both of you for your comments. I think she has decided to take sterling and change some of it at the Tunisian airport on arrival if possible if that doesn't seem practical she will wait and change it at the hotel, that is assuming all large hotels offer foreign exchange. The hotel is AI but we were wondering if she may need to tip anyone en route.

I'm assuming that even if there is a small amount available at Stanstead the exchange rate will be inferior to that in Tunisia itself.

Asleema, I read all your posts about the exit tax last night so thank you for those, most informative. Fortunately she won't be caught up in this as the holiday is completed in September. It will be interesting to see how it works in reality. I'm glad as it's one less thing to worry about when you are going on your first trip abroad on your own.

Opps we posted at the same time Asleema. I'll let her know there is some available at Stanstead if she feels happier arriving with some on her for tips.

Doe

can someone please tell me how to ask members a question on here, for some reason i cant see how to start a topic.

If she has a transfer booked she won't actually need dinars until she gets to the hotel. The men who grab your suitcase and take it to the coach (unless you are quick enough to stop them) do expect a tip, but a £1 coin will be fine. As it will for the man who takes her and her cases to her room. He will be inclined to 'hover' in the doorway until a tip appears, so it's best to simply say that she has no dinars and hand over £1 or promise she will remember him when she's changed some money (and make sure she does, as he will certainly remember)

Queues at the BdC at the Enfidha are inclined to be chaotic, especially as Tunisians have no concept of queuing and simply push in front, so you need to stand your ground.

Nearly all hotels will exchange money, but often only at certain times of day However, she has the option of changing at a bank (show her passport) or at the numerous ATMs. As a side-note, the same applies to queuing at banks.

I would point out that the 5 dinar note will soon not be legal tender (I'll check the date and let you know) and some of the 10 dinar ones will also be out of circulation, so it would be wise to use up any of those which are still around.

I hope your friend has a great holiday. My own first trip to Sousse was nearly 15 years ago and I was travelling solo. i had a great time but only wish I'd known then what I know now

Gogogav - there's a New Topic post next to the reply button

Aslemma wrote:

If she has a transfer booked she won't actually need dinars until she gets to the hotel. The men who grab your suitcase and take it to the coach (unless you are quick enough to stop them) do expect a tip, but a £1 coin will be fine. As it will for the man who takes her and her cases to her room. He will be inclined to 'hover' in the doorway until a tip appears, so it's best to simply say that she has no dinars and hand over £1 or promise she will remember him when she's changed some money (and make sure she does, as he will certainly remember)

Queues at the BdC at the Enfidha are inclined to be chaotic, especially as Tunisians have no concept of queuing and simply push in front, so you need to stand your ground.

Nearly all hotels will exchange money, but often only at certain times of day However, she has the option of changing at a bank (show her passport) or at the numerous ATMs. As a side-note, the same applies to queuing at banks.

I would point out that the 5 dinar note will soon not be legal tender (I'll check the date and let you know) and some of the 10 dinar ones will also be out of circulation, so it would be wise to use up any of those which are still around.

I hope your friend has a great holiday. My own first trip to Sousse was nearly 15 years ago and I was travelling solo. i had a great time but only wish I'd known then what I know now

Thanks again Asleema. It's a Thomas Cook package to Hammamet so the transfers are included. I will let her know about the room guys expecting a pound coin before they disappear. It's actually my DD and she has been to Egypt with us where the room guys sound the same so hopefully it won't throw her too much. They go on Saturday so hopefully won't be lumbered with any of the 5 dinar notes.

What do they do with the £1 coins can they change them up only It's a problem to do so in Egypt ?

The trolley guys at the airport actually ask you for a pound coin

They ask for a pound or euro coin as they know few tourists have dinars when they first arrive. They do have difficulty changing them, as the banks etc.will only change notes, which is why you will sometimes be approached by waiters etc. asking if you can change their pounds for dinars. It can actually be quite a good way of changing up money at the end of your holiday if you are unlikely to return in the foreseeable future. They are usually aware of the exchange rate, but I always print off and take out an Oanda Cheat Sheet to show them.

Just one small point - I'll let you off once again this time Doe but I'm actually Aslemma not Asleema.

Thanks again, sorry about that I think my dyslexia is showing through
Is the cheat sheet on here somewhere, I will have a look about.

Edit: I've googled it so will sort one out for them, thanks again most useful.

No problem Doe. Aslemma' actually means 'Hello' in Tunisian Arabic, so is a useful word for your DD to use when she goes in a shop or gets in a taxi. An even more useful expression is "La, gahli barcha" when they quote her a price, as it means 'No, too expensive"

Hi Pat,We are hoping to return in November so will have to pay the exit fee but after paying the entrance visa to Turkey for the past 24 years we dont mind.
The last time we were there the bloke who grabbed our cases wasnt happy with a £1 coin and asked if we had a £10 note.
You can guess our answer.

I have a good idea of your answer Jean but I suppose he thought it was worth a try. Actually a £1 coin is worth almost 3 dinars so it's considerably better than the 1 dinar which is the most he'd have got from me. The only time I've been asked for £10 was by an A2B transfer driver at Tunis with a slightly dodgy command of English, who actually wanted me to change £10 in coins for dinars. I did change up £5 for him so he was quite happy.

When in November will you be out there and where will you be staying? I'll be in Sousse until the 5th so it would be lovely if we could meet up again. To save going we'd better move over to Tunisian Tales if we want to pursue this further. xx

It's a long while ago but I was asked by a hotel porter in Tunisia if I could give him a £10 note in exchange for 10 £1 coins. I assumed that this was so that he could go to a local bank or perhaps even the hotel exchange desk to then get it changed into Dinars at the official rate? Either way I was happy to do it for him as change is always useful to me as a public transport user on arrival back in the UK.

SM

We have done this in Egypt,Dominican and Turkey too at the end of our holiday.
I am surprised at the amount of people who wont change the coins as they think they are fake.

Your interpretation was certainly correct SMa. They can't change sterling or euro coins but don't have a problem getting notes changed. I don't know whether the same rule applies to us, as I've never tried to change coins, but I would guess it does.