Tunisian addresses end with a four-digit postal code whose first two digits are the governorate, written before the city on the same line. Western forms that expect a five-digit ZIP or a separate state field get it wrong. Here is the correct structure, a real example, the postal code rules, and the mistakes that trigger failed deliveries.
A Tunisian label runs recipient, optional company, the street with its number, then the four-digit postal code and city on one line, then the country. The governorate is encoded in the code and rarely written as its own line.
Mohamed Ben Ali personal or business recipientSociété Générale de Commerce optional, above the street line42 Avenue de la Liberté number and street (avenue, rue); French and Arabic forms both occur1002 Tunis Belvédère 4-digit code first, then the city or localityTUNISIA required for inbound international shipmentsThe postal code (code postal) is managed by La Poste Tunisienne and drives sorting. Because the first two digits map to one of Tunisia's governorates, the code carries the region, which is why a separate governorate line is usually unnecessary.
The country-specific rules that generic autocomplete and single-line address fields tend to get wrong.
Every Tunisian code is exactly four digits, for example 1002. A five-digit entry (a US ZIP habit) or a missing code breaks La Poste's sorting, and the first two digits carry the governorate, so the code cannot be padded or trimmed.
Tunisia writes the code first, then the city: 1002 Tunis, not Tunis 1002. Forms built for the US "city, state ZIP" order reverse this and confuse address parsers.
The first two digits of the code identify the governorate (gouvernorat), so a separate governorate line is redundant. Requiring one adds friction and risks a value that contradicts the code.
Streets use Avenue and Rue in French or Nahj and Shari in Arabic. Keep one language per label; mixing French and Arabic transliterations can cause carrier lookups to miss.
Each of these passes a basic "is this field filled in" check but fails at the carrier, turning into a redelivery, a return, or an address correction fee.
10020) breaks La Poste sorting; the Tunisian code is always four.Tunis 1002 reverses the expected 1002 Tunis order.How the major carriers handle Tunisia addresses, and what your label needs to satisfy each one.
The national postal operator and last-mile partner for most inbound mail. Routing is driven by the four-digit code, so validate it against the city and governorate first.
A major regional carrier for domestic and cross-border ecommerce in Tunisia. It expects the full street, four-digit code and city for accurate last-mile delivery.
A leading Tunisian ecommerce courier for cash-on-delivery and last-mile parcels. A correct code and city speed first-time delivery and cut failed attempts.
Address Guard checks Tunisia addresses against carrier and postal databases before the order ships, normalizes the format, and flags the errors that cause failed deliveries. 240+ countries, $0.05 per check.
Part of the Address Guard international address format guide, covering 240+ countries.