The first step towards the adoption of a Tunisian standard is the drawing up of a standardization program after consulting the different national partners . The following step is the drafting of first draft standards by the technical department of INNORPI.

The first drafts of Tunisian standards are examined within a working group made up of a limited number of technicians specialized in the concerned fields, then transmitted to the technical committee for examination and adoption. This technical committee is made up of representatives of the parties concerned with the subject field of the standard .

For the time being, there are actually 128 technical committees ; the chairmanship of each committee is entrusted to one of its members. INNORPI provides the secretarial work .

Any decision to set up a new committee comes within the competence of the Institute which also defines the field of activity of this committee.

The drawing up of a Tunisian standard is the outcome of a consensus among the members of the technical committee.

Once adopted, the first draft standard becomes a draft standard that shall be submitted to public investigation and published in the “Standardization Official bulletin ” included in the Institute's bulletin MUWASSAFAT .

The public investigation aims at informing people, so that they can send their comments within two months from the publication date.

Depending on the results of the public investigation, the draft standard is either registered as a Tunisian standard, if no substantial remarks are made, or re-submitted to the technical committee when the need for important modifications is mentioned. If disagreement persists, the Institute shall submit the draft standard to the Minister of Industry and Energy to arbitrate and decide upon the final version that serves best the national interest.

Documents containing standardizing data which technical value is recognized, are adopted as registered standards (optional application).

However, documents containing standardizing data shall be given the status of officially confirmed standards (mandatory), according to the appropriate procedure in the following cases:

  When they are to be used as a reference in a regulation,
  When they apply to goods and services that have great influence on the national economy,
  When they affect the public interest and public health, the safety or the protection of people and the environment,
  When they are likely to serve in settling disputes.

The aforementioned procedure is specified in the decree n° 83-724 promulgated on august 4, 1983, determining the types of standards, the terms and conditions of their elaboration and their release .

In addition, the official confirmation of a standard may be decided upon a proposal of the ministry concerned either by its implementation, or by the publication in the Official Journal, of a technical regulation referring to that standard. This technical regulation may also refer to an optional Tunisian standard in order to make its implementation mandatory according to the terms of reference required by the concerned ministry.

The Tunisian standards can be used as references or mentioned in regulations or in conditions of contract for public works for the state (click here to consult an extract of a decree regarding regulations in public works contracts), departments councils, the communes, companies, private and public establishments; in such cases the use of standards becomes compulsory .

As far as standardization is concerned, the Tunisian legislation has made provisions for the cases where difficulties may appear during the implementation of the officially confirmed standards (mandatory) In such cases, dispensation may be granted.