Tunisia's International Technology Card (CTI)

How much can the technology card really pay, how do you get one, and can it cover your Italian university fees?

The short answer: the international technology card (carte technologique internationale, CTI) gives a Tunisian resident with at least the baccalaureate 1,000 TND per calendar year for online payments abroad. That is about EUR 297 before bank margins. You get it from your bank or La Poste, and you renew it every year.

The CTI was designed for online services such as courses, software and subscriptions, not for tuition. This post is part 2 of our guide to paying Italian university fees from Tunisia, which compares all the routes.

1. What is the international technology card (CTI)?

The international technology card (CTI) is a nominative international card reserved for certain online payments, and its legal basis is article 15 of BCT circular 2016-09 (Banque Centrale de Tunisie↗ (opens in a new tab)). The CTI allowance can be used in one or several payments and is valid for one calendar year.

The CTI's card network (Visa or Mastercard) depends on the issuing bank: none of the issuer pages we checked names it, so ask when you apply. BTK Bank and La Poste describe their cards as prepaid: you load dinars, and the card pays in foreign currency up to your yearly limit.

2. How much is the 1,000 TND CTI limit in euros?

The CTI's 1,000 TND yearly limit is about EUR 297 at the BCT reference rate of 7 October 2026 (1 EUR = 3.3671 TND). Your bank applies its own card rate and fees, so plan for a little less.

If you need more than 1,000 TND, or do not meet the conditions, article 17 of circular 2016-09 lets you apply to the BCT on form F2, with a favourable opinion from the Ministry of Communication Technologies.

3. Which banks and La Poste offices issue the CTI?

Banque Zitouna, BTK Bank, Banque de Tunisie and La Poste Tunisienne publish official pages for the CTI; other banks also issue the card, often without a product page online, and each issuer sets its own fees and merchant filters.

The issuer table shows the main point: each CTI issuer applies its own filters. Before you choose, ask the branch which kinds of merchants the card accepts.

4. How do you apply for the CTI, step by step?

You apply for the CTI at your bank or at La Poste with your CIN, a certified copy of your diploma and a sworn statement signed at the counter, then you activate online payments before your first deadline.

Step 1: check that you qualify

To get the CTI, you must be a Tunisian national, resident in Tunisia, with a diploma at least equal to the baccalaureate (article 15). Only one CTI allowance per person: you cannot hold one at two banks.

Step 2: prepare the documents

• A copy of your national identity card (CIN).
• A certified copy of your baccalaureate or higher diploma.
• The sworn statement (déclaration sur l'honneur, annex 3 of the circular), signed at the bank: you hold no other CTI allowance and will use the card only for the permitted payments.
• Later, for each payment, keep the invoice: the circular asks for one for every transfer.

Step 3a: apply at your bank

Go to your branch with the documents and ask for the “carte technologique internationale”. The Ministry of Communication Technologies fact sheet↗ (opens in a new tab) lists the same papers. Some banks, such as Zitouna, also serve non-clients.

Step 3b: or apply at La Poste

La Poste Tunisienne asks for an active postal current account (CCP), your CIN and a certified copy of your diploma. The procedure is on idaraty.tn↗ (opens in a new tab). You load the La Poste card in dinars and manage it on e-dinar.

Step 4: activate online payments

Make sure the CTI is enabled for online and international payments and that you receive the confirmation code (OTP) on your phone. Check this before a deadline, not on the day.

5. What can the technology card legally pay for?

The CTI may legally pay only for the online services listed in annex 1 of BCT circular 2016-09:

• Online training services and educational websites.
• Subscriptions to foreign websites, including freelance platforms.
• Hosting for websites and mobile apps, and online advertising.
• Software licences and app-development tools.
• Information-gathering expenses.

The CTI sworn statement excludes betting, living costs (frais de séjour), purchases of goods and prohibited sites.

6. How far does the CTI go against first-year fees in Rome?

The CTI's 1,000 TND allowance cannot cover the four common first-year fees in Rome: they add up to EUR 486, more than the whole yearly allowance, and the CIMEA statement alone (EUR 300) is above 1,000 TND.

For application, exam and file-assessment fees, a Tunisian bank can make a transfer on presentation of the invoice: see how to pay Italian fees by bank transfer from a Tunisian bank.

7. Can you link the CTI to a Tunisian PayPal account?

Yes: a PayPal account registered in Tunisia can send payments funded by a linked international card such as the CTI. Receiving money is not generally available. PayPal adds about 4% when it converts the currency, and pagoPA charges EUR 1.50 to EUR 2.50 for a PayPal payment.

If the issuing bank filters merchants, as Banque Zitouna does, a CTI payment to PayPal may be refused: ask the bank first. The full method is in how to pay a pagoPA notice with PayPal.

8. How do you renew the CTI each calendar year?

To renew the CTI, send a written request to the same bank, with last year's tax return stamped by the tax administration (article 18 of circular 2016-09). The yearly allowance ends on 31 December.

• If that return is not ready yet, the return for the year before is accepted, and the current one must reach the bank by 15 July; otherwise the bank suspends the allowance.
• At La Poste, bring the expired card, your CIN and the tax receipt (quittance de déclaration des impôts); renewal costs 3 TND (idaraty.tn↗ (opens in a new tab)).
• The La Poste card itself is extended for 5 years, but you must reactivate it at a post office.

Unused CTI dinars do not carry over to the next year: plan big payments early in the year.

9. Can you lend or sell your technology card?

No: never lend or rent your CTI, and never share its CVC2 or the OTP code: sharing the card also breaks the sworn statement you signed. On 30 May 2024 the BCT warned that international cards sold on social media are illegal and dangerous. Read more in the risks of buying an international card on social media.