Judicial Bailiff for Tunisians Abroad (TRE) & Expatriates
Comprehensive remote legal services for Tunisians residing abroad and international clients: inheritance protection, tenant eviction, unpaid rent recovery, cross-border judgment enforcement (exequatur), and asset preservation across Tunisia.
How can a Tunisian living abroad instruct a judicial bailiff in Tunisia?
A Tunisian living abroad can instruct a judicial bailiff in Tunisia without travelling. The file is opened by WhatsApp or secure email; for enforcement proceedings, a special power of attorney signed at the Tunisian consulate in the country of residence is sufficient. The acts are carried out locally by the bailiff, a public officer governed by Organic Law No. 2018-9 of 30 January 2018: an inventory report and formal notices to protect an inheritance share; a payment demand served on a defaulting tenant, usually within 48 hours, giving the statutory 15 to 30 days to pay, then eviction on an enforceable title; and debt recovery through a formal demand, an order to pay and attachments. A foreign judgment (divorce, custody, maintenance, debt) must first be granted exequatur by the Tunisian Court of First Instance (Private International Law Code, Art. 11 et seq.). At each step, the client receives a written report and certified scanned copies of the acts.
By Maître Nabil Baffoun, judicial officer since 1998 · Updated
Cabinet Maître Nabil Baffoun, sworn judicial bailiff in Tunis since 1998, assists Tunisians Residing Abroad (TRE) in France, Canada, Italy, Germany, the United States, and the Arabian Gulf (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia).
1. Estate & Inheritance Protection for Expatriate Heirs
Geographic distance often creates vulnerability to asset misappropriation or refusal to partition family estates in Tunisia:
- Certified Physical Estate Inventories: exhaustive photographic accounting of real estate, movable assets, and bank assets.
- Formal Bailiff Demand Notices: statutory notices to recalcitrant co-heirs or unauthorized occupants to vacate premises or account for estate revenues.
- Partition & Auction Enforcement: judicial key repossessions, eviction of illegal occupants, and court-ordered public auctions.
2. Non-Resident Landlords: Unpaid Rent Recovery & Evictions
Protect your residential and commercial properties in Tunis, La Marsa, Carthage, Sousse, and across Tunisia:
- Official Payment Notices, Usually Within 48 Hours: triggers statutory cure deadlines (15 to 30 days) and contract termination clauses.
- Expedited Court Eviction Actions: swift coordination with counsel to obtain enforceable orders to vacate.
- Physical Eviction with Police Assistance: lawful eviction execution, locksmith replacement, and certified exit condition reports.
3. Cross-Border Judgment Enforcement & Exequatur
Have you obtained a civil, commercial or family judgment abroad (divorce, child custody, alimony, debt)? We guide you through obtaining the Tunisian enforcement formula (exequatur procedure, Private International Law Code Art. 11+) and then carry out garnishments on bank accounts and assets located in Tunisia.
4. Remote File Management, Without Travel to Tunisia in Most Cases
Most steps can be handled remotely, without your physical presence in Tunisia:
- Quick file opening via secure WhatsApp or email.
- Digital transmission of consular powers of attorney and procedural documents.
- Written progress reports and transmission of scanned copies of authentic acts.
Direct Diaspora Desk & WhatsApp: +216 99 442 883 — Office: 32 Avenue de la Liberté, Lafayette, 1002 Tunis.
Your steps from abroad
| Situation | What the office does | Time frame or reference |
|---|---|---|
| Blocked estate or occupied property | Inventory report, formal notices to recalcitrant co-heirs or unauthorized occupants, enforcement of partition judgments. | Same rights as heirs living in Tunisia |
| Unpaid rent | Payment demand, then an expedited eviction order with your lawyer and eviction with police assistance. | Demand usually within 48 hours; statutory 15 to 30 days to pay |
| Foreign judgment | Local enforcement once exequatur is granted: garnishment of bank accounts and attachment of assets in Tunisia. | Exequatur: Private International Law Code, Art. 11 et seq. |
| Unpaid debt | Formal demand, order to pay, attachments; funds remitted under Central Bank of Tunisia rules. | The demand interrupts the limitation period |
| Remote instructions | File opened by WhatsApp or email; written reports and certified scanned copies of the acts. | Special power of attorney at a Tunisian consulate for enforcement |
Our other areas of expertise
Frequently Asked Questions
Inheritance in Tunisia while living abroad – what are your legal rights?
Under Tunisian law, heirs living abroad hold exactly the same rights as heirs living in Tunisia. Distance, however, exposes them to blocked partitions, misappropriation or occupation of estate property. A judicial bailiff protects your share in three ways: an official inventory report, with photographs, of the real estate, movable assets and estate documents; formal notices served on recalcitrant co-heirs or unauthorized occupants, requiring them to vacate the premises or account for their management of the estate; and enforcement of partition judgments, including key repossession, eviction of occupants without title and court-ordered public auctions. All of these steps can be followed remotely, with written reports at each step and certified scanned copies of the acts, so you do not need to travel to Tunisia.
How to enforce a Tunisian or foreign court decision from abroad?
For a Tunisian judgment, you send the executory copy to the bailiff, who serves it on the debtor and then enforces it through bank garnishment, wage attachment or eviction. For a foreign judgment (divorce, custody, maintenance, debt), a lawyer first obtains exequatur from the Tunisian Court of First Instance under the Private International Law Code (Art. 11 et seq.); the bailiff then carries out enforcement locally, in particular by garnishing bank accounts and attaching assets located in Tunisia. In both cases you do not need to be physically present: documents and powers of attorney are sent electronically. For enforcement proceedings, a special power of attorney signed at the Tunisian consulate in your country of residence is sufficient, and you receive a written report at each step.
How to evict a defaulting tenant in Tunisia without traveling?
The office handles the whole procedure remotely, so you do not need to return to Tunisia. First, a payment demand is served on the tenant, usually within 48 hours, giving the statutory period (15 to 30 days) to pay the arrears, failing which the lease may be terminated. If the tenant still does not pay, the office works with your lawyer to obtain an expedited eviction order, which is an enforceable title. It then serves the order to vacate and carries out the physical eviction with police assistance, changes the locks and draws up an exit condition report. Landlords must never take the law into their own hands: cutting water or electricity or changing the locks can lead to criminal liability. The keys are then handed back to the owner.
How does debt collection work in Tunisia for foreign creditors?
As soon as we receive the supporting documents (invoices, contracts, acknowledgment of debt), we serve an official demand on the debtor, which interrupts the limitation period and opens the way to an amicable settlement. If payment does not follow, we apply for a summary order to pay (injonction de payer) to obtain an enforceable title quickly. On that basis, the bailiff garnishes the debtor's bank accounts or attaches other assets, and the recovered funds are remitted in accordance with Central Bank of Tunisia rules. The whole file is handled remotely: it is opened by WhatsApp or email, and you receive written reports at each step. For enforcement proceedings, a special power of attorney signed at the Tunisian consulate in your country of residence is sufficient.
How to instruct Maître Nabil Baffoun remotely without traveling to Tunisia?
You can open your file via WhatsApp (+216 99 442 883) or secure email, attaching the documents you have. For enforcement proceedings, a special power of attorney signed at the Tunisian consulate in your country of residence is sufficient; it is sent electronically with the procedural documents. No step requires you to be physically present in Tunisia. Throughout the file, you receive written progress reports and certified scanned copies of the authentic acts at every milestone. The office assists Tunisians living in France, Italy, Germany, Canada, the United States and the Gulf states. The acts themselves are carried out locally in Tunisia: service of process, inspection reports, payment demands, attachments or evictions, and the originals can be sent to you by post.