Shipping Company from Dubai to Tunisia +971557643821: Moving Families Home for Good and Car Shipping to La Marsa and Tunis

Looking for a shipping company from Dubai to Tunisia because you have decided to go home for good? That is the request we receive most at our Deira branch on Port Saeed Street. The short answer: household furniture goes by sea from Jebel Ali to the port of Rades in a 20 ft container or a shared container, usually arriving in about 4 to 6 weeks port to port plus clearance; the car is shipped once we have checked whether it qualifies for the FCR regime; and urgent papers fly to Tunis–Carthage Airport in roughly 3 to 5 days. Al Basmah International Shipping collects from your flat or villa in any Dubai district and delivers in La Marsa, Tunis or any other governorate.

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Why start your Tunisia shipment at the Deira branch?

Our Deira branch is close to districts where many Tunisian families in Dubai live, and from there we arrange collection and packing and consolidate small shipments before they head to Jebel Ali. You can drop by with your papers so we review them together, or send photos on WhatsApp at any time, since we take orders around the clock. The same file can be completed if collection is handled from our second branch in Sharjah Industrial Area 18.

What do we ship from Dubai to Tunisia?

Most of what leaves Dubai for Tunisia is the home of a family whose contracts have ended, usually a two- or three-bedroom flat furnished in Dubai over the years of residence. Next comes the family car, then traders’ orders. Each type has a different file, so we ask from the start: are these your used effects, goods for sale, or both?

• Complete flat and villa furniture: bedrooms, sofas, dining tables, kitchen, appliances.
• Return-home cartons and suitcases for a family without much furniture, in a shared container.
• The family car, after reviewing the FCR conditions.
• Commercial goods from the Deira, Naif and Al Qusais markets for Tunisian traders.
• Urgent documents and parcels by air.

Dubai districts we collect from

In Dubai towers you usually need a move-out permit from building management and a booked slot on the service lift. Request the permit a few days before collection, and give us the building name, flat number and floor so we can plan the crew and the time.

The definitive-return file: how is it prepared?

A Tunisian living abroad who returns to settle can usually bring in used household goods free of duties once, provided they have spent a minimum period of residence outside Tunisia without exceeding a set number of days inside the country during it, the goods are their own and within a value ceiling set by customs, and neither they nor their spouse has used the exemption before. The details are amended from time to time, so we review them with every file and make no promises before seeing your papers.

1. Consulate: ask the Tunisian consulate in Dubai for the document confirming your residence and definitive return, and check what your case requires.
2. Dubai residence: keep a copy of your residence visa and proof of its duration; cancel it after shipping rather than before, if possible.
3. Inventory: we prepare it with you during packing, carton by carton.
4. Power of attorney: if you fly before the container arrives, authorise someone in Tunisia with a power of attorney signed at the consulate.
5. Broker in Tunisia: files the declaration when the container reaches Rades, together with your papers.

How to write the inventory so it does not hold up clearance

The inventory is the sheet customs compares against what is in the container. The more precise it is, the faster the inspection. We write it in Arabic or French and number every carton with the same number written on it.

Do not write “household items” on twenty cartons. And if you have a new appliance still in its box, declare it as such, because hiding it among used goods damages the whole file.

Shared container or 20 ft container from Dubai?

This is the first decision in a return move. If your goods come to less than roughly 12 to 15 cubic metres, a shared container is usually cheaper. If it is a full two- or three-bedroom flat, a 20 ft container usually holds 28 to 30 cubic metres and gives you your own seal and an inspection of your goods alone. A large villa needs a 40 ft.

The sea route from Jebel Ali to Rades

Dubai containers usually leave from Jebel Ali, pass through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, and are often transhipped at a Mediterranean port before continuing to Rades, Sfax, Sousse or Bizerte. There is no road route from Dubai to Tunisia. The time is approximate and is affected by transhipment and the wait for the feeder vessel, and the team sends you a WhatsApp update on sailing, on transhipment and on arrival.

In practice, count the time from the day we collect from your flat: a few days for packing, loading and waiting for the vessel at Jebel Ali, then the voyage, then clearance at Rades, then delivery. That is why we advise families to set the collection date before their flight, and to have the home in Tunisia ready before the container arrives, not after. A container arriving at a locked house or one without electricity means a lost day and extra charges.

Air freight from Dubai to Tunisia

Air freight from Dubai to Tunis–Carthage Airport usually arrives in 3 to 5 days door to door, and can land at Monastir, Djerba or Enfidha depending on the flight. Returning families use it for what cannot wait for the container: the children’s school certificates, work papers, the laptop, personal medicines with a prescription. The charge is on actual or volumetric weight (length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000), whichever is higher, so a large light carton costs more than its weight suggests.

The sequence we recommend to families: the container leaves Dubai a few days before your flight, you travel with your suitcases, and a small air parcel follows with what you need in the first weeks. That way you, the papers and the laptop arrive first, and the house follows.

• Perfumes, liquids and loose lithium batteries are restricted on aircraft.
• Furniture is not practical to send by air.
• An air parcel also needs a list of contents and values for clearance at the airport.

Shipping the car from Dubai to Tunisia after an eligibility check

We do not book a car to Tunisia before checking its eligibility. A car entering as a regular import carries very high duties, while a Tunisian returning for good can usually use the FCR regime if they have lived abroad continuously for at least two years and spent no more than 183 days a year in Tunisia during that time. The privilege is either a full exemption with restrictions on resale, or a partial exemption under which the owner pays about a quarter of the duties and registers the car normally. It is personal and cannot be used for someone else’s car. The car’s age and specifications are reviewed against the rules in force at the time of shipping.

RoRo or container? If you are shipping a 40 ft container of furniture with space to spare, putting the car in with it can make sense. If your container is a 20 ft or shared, a RoRo vessel is usually the cheaper option for the car alone, provided it is completely empty of belongings. The decision comes after the car’s entry regime is known, not before.

• RoRo: the car is driven up the ship’s ramp and lashed on deck, and handed over empty.
• In a container: with the furniture in a 40 ft where the procedure allows, secured with straps and chocks.
• In Dubai: export certificate and plate cancellation, with any traffic fines settled first.

Packing in Dubai flats

Dubai flats are mostly in towers, and the move goes through the service lift and narrow corridors, so we dismantle beds and wardrobes and wrap each piece before it leaves the flat. Glass gets paper and bubble wrap, sofas get covers, wood gets blankets and appliances get rigid cardboard. We load the container in the building’s parking if management allows, or truck the goods to our warehouse and load there.

• Any wood used in crates is treated to the ISPM-15 standard.
• The fridge and washing machine are emptied and dried two days ahead.
• The container is sealed and we send you a photo of the seal and the bill of lading number on WhatsApp.

In villas in Mirdif, Al Barsha and Jumeirah the work is easier than in towers because the container parks at the door, but there is more of it: majlis sets, many rooms, garden toys and sports equipment. Here we usually allow one day for packing and one for loading, starting with the rooms you will not need in your last days.

Prohibited and restricted items for Tunisia

Before you start packing yourself, know what cannot go in the container. Some items are banned in Tunisia, some need a permit in advance, and some are refused by sea and air carriers outright for safety reasons.

• Prohibited: narcotics, weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods.
• Permit required: drones, some electronics and communication devices, some medicines.
• Not shipped: gas and flammable materials.

Commercial goods from Dubai

A Tunisian trader buying in Dubai needs a registered importer in Tunisia, a commercial invoice, a packing list and a certificate of origin, and goods of Arab origin may benefit from the Greater Arab Free Trade Area agreement. Customs duties and VAT (standard rate 19%) are paid at clearance. Do not mix merchandise with return-home effects in the same file.

Agree from the start who pays what: ocean freight, port charges in Tunisia, duties and taxes, and transport to the warehouse. And never declare a value below the real one; customs checks against reference prices and correcting it after arrival is costly.

Shipping prices from Dubai to Tunisia

Send the details on WhatsApp and you will get the price: photos of the rooms or a list of items, the Dubai district and the governorate in Tunisia. We reply with the right method and what the price covers.

A shared container has a minimum chargeable volume, and a full container is priced per box, so the tighter you fill it, the lower the cost per item. Before deciding to ship an old wardrobe or a cot you will not use, compare the cost of shipping it with the price of a new one in Tunisia.

How to ship from Dubai to Tunisia, step by step

1. Send photos of the home or a list of items on WhatsApp.
2. We suggest shared, 20 ft or 40 ft and send the price.
3. We review the definitive-return file and the car papers.
4. You book the move-out permit and service lift in your building.
5. We pack, inventory, load and seal the container.
6. We update you on WhatsApp on sailing, arrival and clearance.
7. We deliver and unload at your home in Tunisia.

What happens when your container reaches Rades?

When the ship berths, the container is moved to the port yard and the broker files the customs declaration electronically with the bill of lading, the inventory and the definitive-return papers. Returning residents’ containers are often opened for inspection, and the customs officer compares the cartons with the inventory. If the papers are complete and the inventory matches, release is relatively quick; the container then leaves on a truck to your home, or is unpacked at the port and loaded onto a covered truck.

The costly delays at Rades come from a missing paper or an absent owner. Every day the container stays in port beyond the free period adds storage charges, which is why we ask for the papers before sailing and for a power of attorney to someone in Tunisia if you are not there. Public holidays also slow port work for days, so allow a margin.

Delivery in La Marsa and Tunis

Many families returning from Dubai settle in La Marsa, Carthage, Lac and Ennasr. Villas in La Marsa usually have good access for a truck, while some older streets need a smaller vehicle. We agree the time with you after release from Rades, and the crew carries the goods to each room by carton number.

If your home is inside the medina of Tunis or down narrow lanes, we transfer the load to a small vehicle at the edge of the quarter and finish by hand. We also deliver to Sousse, Monastir, Sfax, Nabeul, Hammamet, Bizerte, Djerba and Gabes.

Tips for families returning from Dubai

• Start the consulate file weeks before shipping.
• Settle your electricity and water bill and end the tenancy on a date that does not come before collection.
• Do not cancel your residence before loading if you can avoid it; you may need it to prove the duration.
• Ask the team about optional insurance for valuable items.
• Carry gold, cash and original papers with you on the plane.
• Photograph appliances and valuable furniture before packing, and keep an active Tunisian phone number with the team for delivery day.

This guide is specific to Dubai. For the wider picture across all emirates see the UAE to Tunisia shipping guide; Abu Dhabi residents can read shipping from Abu Dhabi to Tunisia, and Sharjah residents shipping from Sharjah to Tunisia.

Frequently asked questions about shipping from Dubai to Tunisia

How long does sea freight from Dubai to Tunisia take?

Usually about 4 to 6 weeks from Jebel Ali to Rades, then a few days for clearance and delivery. A shared container usually takes longer.

Is my used furniture exempt from customs in Tunisia?

Usually yes, once, for a Tunisian returning for good who meets the residence conditions and provides the inventory and papers. The team reviews your case before booking.

Where do I get the definitive-return papers?

From the Tunisian consulate in Dubai. Ask them what your case requires and send us photos of what you receive.

Is a shared container cheaper than a 20 ft?

For small volumes, yes. If your volume is close to 20 cubic metres or more, a 20 ft container is usually the better and faster choice.

Can I ship my car from Dubai to Tunisia?

Yes, after checking whether it qualifies for FCR or a regular import, by RoRo or in a container.

How do I follow the shipment?

The team sends you a WhatsApp update at every stage, from loading to the delivery appointment.

Can I send part by air and the rest by sea?

Yes, and we recommend it to most families: the furniture in a container, and a small air parcel with papers, the laptop and first-weeks essentials that arrives weeks before the container.

Do you deliver to La Marsa?

Yes, and to Carthage, Lac, Ennasr, El Menzah, Ariana and every governorate.

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