AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICAAND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA TO 

IMPROVE INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPLIANCE AND TO IMPLEMENT FATCA

Whereas, the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic

of Tunisia (each, a “Party,” and together, the “Parties”) desire to conclude an agreement to

improve international tax compliance through mutual assistance in tax matters based on an

effective infrastructure for the automatic exchange of information;

Whereas, Article 26 of the Convention between the Government of the United States of 

America and the Government of the Tunisian Republic for the Avoidance of Double Taxation 

and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Washington

on June 17, 1985, as amended by the Supplementary Protocol, signed at Tunis on October 4,

1989 (together the “Convention”), authorizes the exchange of information for tax purposes, 

including on an automatic basis;

Whereas, the United States of America enacted provisions commonly known as the Foreign

Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), which introduce a reporting regime for financial 

institutions with respect to certain accounts;

Whereas, the Government of the Republic of Tunisia is supportive of the underlying policy

goal of FATCA to improve tax compliance;

Whereas, FATCA has raised a number of issues, including that Tunisian financial institutions

may not be able to comply with certain aspects of FATCA due to domestic legal impediments;

Whereas, the Government of the United States of America collects information regarding 

certain accounts maintained by U.S. financial institutions held by residents of the Republic of

Tunisia and is committed to exchanging such information with the Government of the Republic

of Tunisia and pursuing equivalent levels of exchange, provided that the appropriate safeguards 

and infrastructure for an effective exchange relationship are in place;

Whereas, an intergovernmental approach to FATCA implementation would address legal

impediments and reduce burdens for Tunisian financial institutions;

Whereas, the Parties desire to conclude an agreement to improve international tax compliance

and provide for the implementation of FATCA based on domestic reporting and reciprocal

automatic exchange pursuant to the Convention, and subject to the confidentiality and other

protections provided for therein, including the provisions limiting the use of the information 

exchanged under the Convention;

Now, therefore, the Parties have agreed as follows:

Article 1

Definitions

1. For purposes of this agreement and any annexes thereto (the “Agreement”), the

following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

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a) The term “United States” means the United States of America, including the 

States thereof, but does not include the U.S. Territories. Any reference to a 

“State” of the United States includes the District of Columbia.

b) The term “U.S. Territory” means American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the 

U.S. Virgin Islands.

c) The term “IRS” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

d) The term “Tunisia” means the Republic of Tunisia. 

e) The term “Partner Jurisdiction” means a jurisdiction that has in effect an 

agreement with the United States to facilitate the implementation of FATCA.

The IRS shall publish a list identifying all Partner Jurisdictions.

f) The term “Competent Authority” means:

(1) in the case of the United States, the Secretary of the Treasury or his 

delegate; and

(2) in the case of Tunisia, the Minister of Finance or his authorized 

representative;

g) The term “Financial Institution” means a Custodial Institution, a Depository

Institution, an Investment Entity, or a Specified Insurance Company.

h) The term “Custodial Institution” means any Entity that holds, as a substantial

portion of its business, financial assets for the account of others. An entity holds

financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business 

if the entity’s gross income attributable to the holding of financial assets and

related financial services equals or exceeds 20 percent of the entity’s gross 

income during the shorter of: (i) the three-year period that ends on December

31 (or the final day of a non-calendar year accounting period)prior to the year

in which the determination is being made; or (ii) the period during which the 

entity has been in existence.

i) The term “Depository Institution” means any Entity that accepts deposits in

the ordinary course of a banking or similar business. 

j) The term “Investment Entity” means any Entity that conducts as a business 

(or is managed by an entity that conducts as a business) one or more of the 

following activities or operations for or on behalf of a customer: 

(1) trading in money market instruments (cheques, bills, certificates of 

deposit, derivatives, etc.); foreign exchange; exchange, interest rate and 

index instruments; transferable securities; or commodity futures trading; 

(2) individual and collective portfolio management; or 

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(3) otherwise investing, administering, or managing funds or money on 

behalf of other persons. 

This subparagraph 1(j) shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with similar 

language set forth in the definition of “financial institution” in the Financial 

Action Task Force Recommendations.

k) The term “Specified Insurance Company” means any Entity that is an 

insurance company (or the holding company of an insurance company) that 

issues, or is obligated to make payments with respect to, a Cash Value Insurance

Contract or an Annuity Contract.

l) The term “Tunisian Financial Institution” means (i) any Financial Institution

organized under the laws of Tunisia, but excluding any branch of such Financial

Institution that is located outside Tunisia, and (ii) any branch of a Financial 

Institution not organized under the laws of Tunisia, if such branch is located in 

Tunisia.

m) The term “Partner Jurisdiction Financial Institution” means (i) any

Financial Institution established in a Partner Jurisdiction, but excluding any

branch of such Financial Institution that is located outside the Partner

Jurisdiction, and(ii) any branch of a Financial Institution not established in the

Partner Jurisdiction, if such branch is located in the Partner Jurisdiction.

n) The term “Reporting Financial Institution” means a Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution or a Reporting U.S. Financial Institution, as the context

requires.

o) The term “Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution” means any Tunisian

Financial Institution that is not a Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution.

p) The term “Reporting U.S. Financial Institution” means (i) any Financial 

Institution that is resident in the United States, but excluding any branch of 

such Financial Institution that is located outside the United States, and (ii) any

branch of a Financial Institution not resident in the United States, if such 

branch is located in the United States, provided that the Financial Institution or

branch has control, receipt, or custody of income with respect to which 

information is required to be exchanged under subparagraph (2)(b) of Article 2 

of this Agreement.

q) The term “Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution” means any

Tunisian Financial Institution, or other Entity in Tunisia, that is described in

Annex II as a Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution or that otherwise

qualifies as a deemed-compliant FFI or an exempt beneficial owner under

relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations.

r) The term “Nonparticipating Financial Institution” means a nonparticipating

FFI, as that term is defined in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations, but does not

include a Tunisian Financial Institution or other Partner Jurisdiction Financial 

Institution other than a Financial Institution treated as a Nonparticipating

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Financial Institution pursuant to subparagraph 2(b) of Article 5 of this

Agreement or the corresponding provision in an agreement between the United 

States and a Partner Jurisdiction.

s) The term “Financial Account” means an account maintained by a Financial

Institution, and includes:

(1) in the case of an Entity that is a Financial Institution solely because it is

an Investment Entity, any equity or debt interest (other than interests that 

are regularly traded on an established securities market) in the Financial 

Institution;

(2) in the case of a Financial Institution not described in subparagraph

1(s)(1) of this Article, any equity or debt interest in the Financial 

Institution (other than interests that are regularly traded on an

established securities market), if (i) the value of the debt or equity

interest is determined, directly or indirectly, primarily by reference to 

assets that give rise to U.S. Source Withholdable Payments, and (ii) the

class of interests was established with a purpose of avoiding reporting 

in accordance with this Agreement; and

(3) any Cash Value Insurance Contract and any Annuity Contract issued or

maintained by a Financial Institution, other than a noninvestmentlinked, nontransferable immediate life annuity that is issued to an

individual and monetizes a pension or disability benefit provided under

an account that is excluded from the definition of Financial Account in 

Annex II.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Financial Account” does not include

any account that is excluded from the definition of Financial Account in Annex 

II. For purposes of this Agreement, interests are “regularly traded” if there is a

meaningful volume of trading with respect to the interests on an ongoing basis, 

and an “established securities market” means an exchange that is officially

recognized and supervised by a governmental authority in which the market is 

located and that has a meaningful annual value of shares traded on the 

exchange. For purposes of this subparagraph 1(s), an interest in a Financial 

Institution is not “regularly traded” and shall be treated as a Financial Account 

if the holder of the interest (other than a Financial Institution acting as an 

intermediary) is registered on the books of such Financial Institution. The 

preceding sentence will not apply to interests first registered on the books of 

such Financial Institution prior to July 1, 2014, and with respect to interests first 

registered on the books of such Financial Institution on or after July 1, 2014, a 

Financial Institution is not required to apply the preceding sentence prior to 

January 1, 2016. 

t) The term “Depository Account” includes any commercial, checking, savings,

time, or thrift account, or an account that is evidenced by a certificate of deposit,

thrift certificate, investment certificate, certificate of indebtedness, or other

similar instrument maintained by a Financial Institution in the ordinary course

of a banking or similar business. ADepositoryAccount also includes an amount

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held by an insurance company pursuant to a guaranteed investment contract or 

similar agreement to pay or credit interest thereon.

u) The term “Custodial Account” means an account (other than an Insurance

Contract or Annuity Contract) for the benefit of another person that holds any

financial instrument or contract held for investment (including, but not limited 

to, a share or stock in a corporation, a note, bond, debenture, or other evidence

of indebtedness, a currency or commodity transaction, a credit default swap, a

swap based upon a nonfinancial index, a notional principal contract, an 

Insurance Contract or Annuity Contract, and any option or other derivative

instrument).

v) The term “Equity Interest” means, in the case of a partnership that is a

Financial Institution, either a capital or profits interest in the partnership. In the

case of a trust that is a Financial Institution, an Equity Interest is considered to

be held by any person treated as a settlor or beneficiary of all or a portion of the 

trust, or any other natural person exercising ultimate effective control over the

trust. ASpecified U.S. Person shall be treated as being a beneficiary of a foreign 

trust if such Specified U.S. Person has the right to receive directly or indirectly

(for example, through a nominee) a mandatory distribution or may receive,

directly or indirectly, a discretionary distribution from the trust. 

w) The term “Insurance Contract” means a contract (other than an Annuity

Contract) under which the issuer agrees to pay an amount upon the occurrence

of a specified contingency involving mortality, morbidity, accident, liability, or 

property risk.

x) The term “Annuity Contract” means a contract under which the issuer agrees

to make payments for a period of time determined in whole or in part by

reference to the life expectancy of one or more individuals. The term also

includes a contract that is considered to be an Annuity Contract in accordance

with the law, regulation, or practice of the jurisdiction in which the contract was 

issued, and under which the issuer agrees to make payments for a term of years. 

y) The term “Cash Value Insurance Contract” means an Insurance Contract 

(other than an indemnity reinsurance contract between two insurance

companies) that has a Cash Value greater than $50,000.

z) The term “Cash Value” means the greater of (i) the amount that the 

policyholder is entitled to receive upon surrender or termination of the contract

(determined without reduction for any surrender charge or policy loan), and (ii)

the amount the policyholder can borrow under or with regard to the contract.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Cash Value” does not include an

amount payable under an Insurance Contract as: 

(1) a personal injury or sickness benefit or other benefit providing 

indemnification of an economic loss incurred upon the occurrence of the 

event insured against; 

(2) a refund to the policyholder of a previously paid premium under an 

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Insurance Contract (other than under a life insurance contract) due to 

policy cancellation or termination, decrease in risk exposure during the

effective period of the Insurance Contract, or arising from a

redetermination of the premium due to correction of posting or other

similar error; or

(3) a policyholder dividend based upon the underwriting experience of the

contract or group involved.

aa) The term “Reportable Account” means a U.S. Reportable Account or a

Tunisian Reportable Account, as the context requires.

bb) The term “Tunisian Reportable Account” means a Financial Account

maintained by a Reporting U.S. Financial Institution if: (i) in the case of a 

Depository Account, the account is held by an individual resident in Tunisia and

more than $10 of interest is paid to such account in any given calendar year; or

(ii) in the case of a Financial Account other than a Depository Account, the

Account Holder is a resident of Tunisia, including an Entity that certifies that it

is resident in Tunisia for tax purposes, with respect to which U.S. source income

that is subject to reporting under chapter 3 of subtitle A or chapter 61 of subtitle

F of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code is paid or credited.

cc) The term “U.S. Reportable Account” means a Financial Account maintained 

by a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution and held by one or more Specified 

U.S. Persons or by a Non-U.S. Entity with one or more Controlling Persons that 

is a Specified U.S. Person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an account shall not

be treated as a U.S. Reportable Account if such account is not identified as a

U.S. Reportable Account after application of the due diligence procedures in 

Annex I.

dd) The term “Account Holder” means the person listed or identified as the holder

of a Financial Account by the Financial Institution that maintains the account.

A person, other than a Financial Institution, holding a Financial Account for the 

benefit or account of another person as agent, custodian, nominee, signatory, 

investment advisor, or intermediary, is not treated as holding the account for 

purposes of this Agreement, and such other person is treated as holding the 

account. For purposes of the immediately preceding sentence, the term 

“Financial Institution” does not include a Financial Institution organized or 

incorporated in a U.S. Territory. In the case of a Cash Value Insurance Contract 

or an Annuity Contract, the Account Holder is any person entitled to access the 

Cash Value or change the beneficiary of the contract. If no person can access 

the Cash Value or change the beneficiary, the Account Holder is any person 

named as the owner in the contract and any person with a vested entitlement to

payment under the terms of the contract. Upon the maturity of a Cash Value 

Insurance Contract or an Annuity Contract, each person entitled to receive a

payment under the contract is treated as an Account Holder.

ee) The term “U.S. Person” means a U.S. citizen or resident individual, a

partnership or corporation organized in the United States or under the laws of 

the United States or any State thereof, a trust if (i) a court within the United 

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States would have authority under applicable law to render orders or judgments

concerning substantially all issues regarding administration of the trust, and (ii) 

one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions

of the trust, or an estate of a decedent that is a citizen or resident of the United 

States. This subparagraph 1(ee) shall be interpreted in accordance with the U.S. 

Internal Revenue Code.

ff) The term “Specified U.S. Person” means a U.S. Person, other than: (i) a

corporation the stock of which is regularly traded on one or more established 

securities markets; (ii) any corporation that is a member of the same expanded 

affiliated group, as defined in section 1471(e)(2) of the U.S. Internal Revenue

Code, as a corporation described in clause (i); (iii) the United States or any

wholly owned agency or instrumentality thereof; (iv) any State of the United 

States, any U.S. Territory, any political subdivision of any of the foregoing, or 

any wholly owned agency or instrumentality of any one or more of the 

foregoing; (v) any organization exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of

the U.S. Internal Revenue Code or an individual retirement plan as defined in

section 7701(a)(37) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; (vi) any bank as defined 

in section 581 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; (vii) any real estate

investment trust as defined in section 856 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; 

(viii) any regulated investment company as defined in section 851 of the U.S.

Internal Revenue Code or any entity registered with the U.S. Securities and 

Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C.

80a-64); (ix) any common trust fund as defined in section 584(a) of the U.S.

Internal Revenue Code; (x) any trust that is exempt from tax under section

664(c) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code or that is described in section

4947(a)(1) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; (xi) a dealer in securities, 

commodities, or derivative financial instruments (including notional principal

contracts, futures, forwards, and options) that is registered as such under the

laws of the United States or any State; (xii) a broker as defined in section

6045(c) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; or (xiii) any tax-exempt trust under 

a plan that is described in section 403(b) or section 457(g) of the U.S. Internal

Revenue Code. 

gg) The term “Entity” means a legal person or a legal arrangement such as a trust. 

ii) The term “Non-U.S. Entity” means an Entity that is not a U.S. Person.

jj) The term “U.S. Source Withholdable Payment” means any payment of 

interest (including any original issue discount), dividends, rents, salaries, wages, 

premiums, annuities, compensations, remunerations, emoluments, and other

fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains, profits, and income, if such 

payment is from sources within the United States. Notwithstanding the 

foregoing, a U.S. Source Withholdable Payment does not include any payment 

that is not treated as a withholdable payment in relevant U.S. Treasury

Regulations.

kk) An Entity is a “Related Entity” of another Entity if either Entity controls the

other Entity, or the two Entities are under common control. For this purpose

control includes direct or indirect ownership of more than 50 percent of the vote 

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or value in an Entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tunisia may treat an

Entity as not a Related Entity of another Entity if the two Entities are not

members of the same expanded affiliated group as defined in section 1471(e)(2) 

of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

ll) The term “U.S. TIN” means a U.S. federal taxpayer identifying number.

mm) The term “Tunisian TIN” means a Tunisian taxpayer identifying number.

nn) The term “Controlling Persons” means the natural persons who exercise 

control over an Entity. In the case of a trust, such term means the settlor, the 

trustees, the protector (if any), the beneficiaries or class of beneficiaries, and

any other natural person exercising ultimate effective control over the trust, and 

in the case of a legal arrangement other than a trust, such term means persons

in equivalent or similar positions. The term “Controlling Persons” shall be

interpreted in a manner consistent with the Financial Action Task Force

Recommendations.

2. Any term not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall, unless the context otherwise

requires or the Competent Authorities agree to a common meaning (as permitted by domestic

law), have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of the Party applying this

Agreement, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that Party prevailing over a meaning

given to the term under other laws of that Party.

Article 2

Obligations to Obtain and Exchange Information with Respect to Reportable Accounts

1. Subject to the provisions of Article 3 of this Agreement, each Party shall obtain the

information specified in paragraph 2 of this Article with respect to all Reportable Accounts and

shall annually exchange this information with the other Party on an automatic basis pursuant

to the provisions of Article 26 of the Convention.

2. The information to be obtained and exchanged is:

a) In the case of Tunisia with respect to each U.S. Reportable Account of each 

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution:

(1) the name, address, and U.S. TIN of each Specified U.S. Person that is 

an Account Holder of such account and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Entity

that, after application of the due diligence procedures set forth in Annex 

I, is identified as having one or more Controlling Persons that is a

Specified U.S. Person, the name, address, and U.S. TIN (if any) of such

entity and each such Specified U.S. Person;

(2) the account number (or functional equivalent in the absence of an

account number); 

(3) the name and identifying number of the Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution;

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(4) the account balance or value (including, in the case of a Cash Value 

Insurance Contract or Annuity Contract, the Cash Value or surrender

value) as of the end of the relevant calendar year or other appropriate

reporting period or, if the account was closed during such year, 

immediately before closure; 

(5) in the case of any Custodial Account:

(A) the total gross amount of interest, the total gross amount of

dividends, and the total gross amount of other income generated

with respect to the assets held in the account, in each case paid

or credited to the account (or with respect to the account) during 

the calendar year or other appropriate reporting period; and 

(B) the total gross proceeds from the sale or redemption of property

paid or credited to the account during the calendar year or other

appropriate reporting period with respect to which the Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution acted as a custodian, broker,

nominee, or otherwise as an agent for the Account Holder; 

(6) in the case of any Depository Account, the total gross amount of interest

paid or credited to the account during the calendar year or other

appropriate reporting period; and

(7) in the case of any account not described in subparagraph 2(a)(5) or 

2(a)(6) of this Article, the total gross amount paid or credited to the

Account Holder with respect to the account during the calendar year or 

other appropriate reporting period with respect to which the Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution is the obligor or debtor, including the 

aggregate amount of any redemption payments made to the Account 

Holder during the calendar year or other appropriate reporting period.

b) In the case of the United States, with respect to each Tunisian Reportable 

Account of each Reporting U.S. Financial Institution:

(1) the name, address, and Tunisian TIN of any person that is a resident of 

Tunisia and is an Account Holder of the account;

(2) the account number (or the functional equivalent in the absence of an 

account number); 

(3) the name and identifying number of the Reporting U.S. Financial

Institution;

(4) the gross amount of interest paid on a Depository Account;

(5) the gross amount of U.S. source dividends paid or credited to the 

account; and 

(6) the gross amount of other U.S. source income paid or credited to the 

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account, to the extent subject to reporting under chapter 3 of subtitle A

or chapter 61 of subtitle F of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

Article 3

Time and Manner of Exchange of Information

1. For purposes of the exchange obligation in Article 2 of this Agreement, the amount and 

characterization of payments made with respect to a U.S. Reportable Account may be

determined in accordance with the principles of the tax laws of Tunisia, and the amount and 

characterization of payments made with respect to a Tunisian Reportable Account may be

determined in accordance with principles of U.S. federal income tax law. 

2. For purposes of the exchange obligation in Article 2 of this Agreement, the information 

exchanged shall identify the currency in which each relevant amount is denominated.

3. With respect to paragraph 2 of Article 2 of this Agreement, information is to be obtained 

and exchanged with respect to 2014 and all subsequent years, except that:

a) In the case of Tunisia:

(1) the information to be obtained and exchanged with respect to 2014 is 

only the information described in subparagraphs 2(a)(1) through 2(a)(4)

of Article 2 of this Agreement; 

(2) the information to be obtained and exchanged with respect to 2015 is the 

information described in subparagraphs 2(a)(1) through 2(a)(7) of 

Article 2 of this Agreement, except for gross proceeds described in

subparagraph 2(a)(5)(B) of Article 2 of this Agreement; and

(3) the information to be obtained and exchanged with respect to 2016 and 

subsequent years is the information described in subparagraphs 2(a)(1)

through 2(a)(7) of Article 2 of this Agreement;

b) In the case of the United States, the information to be obtained and exchanged

with respect to 2014 and subsequent years is all of the information identified in 

subparagraph 2(b) of Article 2 of this Agreement. 

4. Notwithstanding paragraph 3 of this Article, with respect to each Reportable Account

that is maintained by a Reporting Financial Institution as of the Determination Date, and subject 

to paragraph 3 of Article 6 of this Agreement, the Parties are not required to obtain and include

in the exchanged information the Tunisian TIN or the U.S. TIN, as applicable, of any relevant 

person if such taxpayer identifying number is not in the records of the Reporting Financial 

Institution. In such a case, the Parties shall obtain and include in the exchanged information

the date of birth of the relevant person, if the Reporting Financial Institution has such date of

birth in its records.

5. Subject to paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article, the information described in Article 2 of 

this Agreement shall be exchanged by the later of nine months after the end of the calendar 

year to which the information relates or the next September 30th after the obligation of the

Party to exchange information under Article 2 takes effect.

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6. The Competent Authorities of Tunisia and the United States shall enter into an

agreement or arrangement under the mutual agreement procedure provided for in Article 25 of

the Convention, which shall:

a) establish the procedures for the automatic exchange obligations described in 

Article 2 of this Agreement;

b) prescribe rules and procedures as may be necessary to implement Article 5 of

this Agreement; and

c) establish as necessary procedures for the exchange of the information reported

under subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of this Agreement.

7. All information exchanged shall be subject to the confidentiality and other protections 

provided for in the Convention, including the provisions limiting the use of the information

exchanged.

2. Following entry into force of this Agreement, each Competent Authority shall provide 

written notification to the other Competent Authority when it is satisfied that the 

jurisdiction of the other Competent Authority has in place (i) appropriate safeguards to 

ensure that the information received pursuant to this Agreement shall remain 

confidential and be used solely for tax purposes, and (ii) the infrastructure for an 

effective exchange relationship (including established processes for ensuring timely, 

accurate, and confidential information exchanges, effective and reliable 

communications, and demonstrated capabilities to promptly resolve questions and 

concerns about exchanges or requests for exchanges and to administer the provisions 

of Article 5 of this Agreement). The Competent Authorities shall endeavor in good 

faith to meet to establish that each jurisdiction has such safeguards and infrastructure 

in place. 

3. The obligations of the Parties to obtain and exchange information under Article 2 of 

this Agreement shall take effect on the date of the later of the written notifications 

described in paragraph 8 of this Article. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Tunisian 

Competent Authority is satisfied that the United States has the safeguards and 

infrastructure described in paragraph 8 of this Article in place, but additional time is 

necessary for the U.S. Competent Authority to establish that Tunisia has such 

safeguards and infrastructure in place, the obligation of Tunisia to obtain and exchange 

information under Article 2 of this Agreement shall take effect on the date of the written 

notification provided by the Tunisian Competent Authority to the U.S. Competent 

Authority pursuant to paragraph 8 of this Article. 

4. This Agreement shall terminate 12 months following entry into force if Article 2 of this 

Agreement is not in effect for either Party pursuant to paragraph 9 of this Article by 

that date. 

Article 4

Application of FATCA to Tunisian Financial Institutions

1. Treatment of Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions. Each Reporting Tunisian

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Financial Institution shall be treated as complying with, and not subject to withholding under,

section 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code if Tunisia complies with its obligations under 

Articles 2 and 3 of this Agreement with respect to such Reporting Tunisian Financial

Institution, and the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution:

a) identifies U.S. Reportable Accounts and reports annually to the Tunisian

Competent Authority the information required to be reported in subparagraph

2(a) of Article 2 of this Agreement in the time and manner described in Article 

3 of this Agreement;

b) for each of 2015 and 2016, reports annually to the Tunisian Competent

Authority the name of each Nonparticipating Financial Institution to which it

has made payments and the aggregate amount of such payments;

c) complies with the applicable registration requirements on the IRS FATCA

registration website;

d) to the extent that a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is (i) acting as a 

qualified intermediary (for purposes of section 1441 of the U.S. Internal

Revenue Code) that has elected to assume primary withholding responsibility

under chapter 3 of subtitle A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, (ii) a foreign 

partnership that has elected to act as a withholding foreign partnership (for

purposes of both sections 1441 and 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code), 

or (iii) a foreign trust that has elected to act as a withholding foreign trust (for

purposes of both sections 1441 and 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code), 

withholds 30 percent of any U.S. Source Withholdable Payment to any

Nonparticipating Financial Institution; and 

e) in the case of a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution that is not described in 

subparagraph 1(d) of this Article and that makes a payment of, or acts as an

intermediary with respect to, a U.S. Source Withholdable Payment to any

Nonparticipating Financial Institution, the Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution provides to any immediate payor of such U.S. Source Withholdable

Payment the information required for withholding and reporting to occur with

respect to such payment.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution with respect to 

which the conditions of this paragraph 1 are not satisfied shall not be subject to withholding

under section 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code unless such Reporting Tunisian Financial

Institution is treated by the IRS as a Nonparticipating Financial Institution pursuant to

subparagraph 2(b) of Article 5 of this Agreement.

2. Suspension of Rules Relating to Recalcitrant Accounts. The United States shall not

require a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution to withhold tax under section 1471 or 1472 

of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code with respect to an account held by a recalcitrant account 

holder (as defined in section 1471(d)(6) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code), or to close such 

account, if the U.S. Competent Authority receives the information set forth in subparagraph

2(a) of Article 2 of this Agreement, subject to the provisions of Article 3 of this Agreement,

with respect to such account.

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3. Specific Treatment of Tunisian Retirement Plans. The United States shall treat as

deemed-compliant FFIs or exempt beneficial owners, as appropriate, for purposes of sections

1471 and 1472 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, Tunisian retirement plans described in

Annex II. For this purpose, a Tunisian retirement plan includes an Entity established or located 

in, and regulated by, Tunisia, or a predetermined contractual or legal arrangement, operated to 

provide pension or retirement benefits or earn income for providing such benefits under the

laws of Tunisia and regulated with respect to contributions, distributions, reporting, 

sponsorship, and taxation. 

4. Identification and Treatment of Other Deemed-Compliant FFIs and Exempt 

Beneficial Owners. The United States shall treat each Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution as a deemed-compliant FFI or as an exempt beneficial owner, as appropriate, for

purposes of section 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. 

5. Special Rules Regarding Related Entities and Branches That Are

Nonparticipating Financial Institutions. If a Tunisian Financial Institution, that otherwise

meets the requirements described in paragraph 1 of this Article or is described in paragraph 3 

or 4 of this Article, has a Related Entity or branch that operates in a jurisdiction that prevents

such Related Entity or branch from fulfilling the requirements of a participating FFI or deemedcompliant FFI for purposes of section 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code or has a Related 

Entity or branch that is treated as a Nonparticipating Financial Institution solely due to the 

expiration of the transitional rule for limited FFIs and limited branches under relevant U.S. 

Treasury Regulations, such Tunisian Financial Institution shall continue to be in compliance

with the terms of this Agreement and shall continue to be treated as a deemed-compliant FFI 

or exempt beneficial owner, as appropriate, for purposes of section 1471 of the U.S. Internal

Revenue Code, provided that:

a) the Tunisian Financial Institution treats each such Related Entity or branch as a

separate Nonparticipating Financial Institution for purposes of all the reporting

and withholding requirements of this Agreement and each such Related Entity

or branch identifies itself to withholding agents as a Nonparticipating Financial 

Institution;

b) each such Related Entity or branch identifies its U.S. accounts and reports the 

information with respect to those accounts as required under section 1471 of the 

U.S. Internal Revenue Code to the extent permitted under the relevant laws 

pertaining to the Related Entity or branch; and

c) such Related Entity or branch does not specifically solicit U.S. accounts held by

persons that are not resident in the jurisdiction where such Related Entity or

branch is located or accounts held by Nonparticipating Financial Institutions 

that are not established in the jurisdiction where such Related Entity or branch

is located, and such Related Entity or branch is not used by the Tunisian

Financial Institution or any other Related Entity to circumvent the obligations

under this Agreement or under section 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, 

as appropriate.

6. Coordination of Timing. Notwithstanding paragraphs 3 and 5 of Article 3 of this

Agreement: 

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a) Tunisia shall not be obligated to obtain and exchange information with respect 

to a calendar year that is prior to the calendar year with respect to which similar 

information is required to be reported to the IRS by participating FFIs pursuant

to relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations;

b) Tunisia shall not be obligated to begin exchanging information prior to the date

by which participating FFIs are required to report similar information to the IRS

under relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations;

c) the United States shall not be obligated to obtain and exchange information with

respect to a calendar year that is prior to the first calendar year with respect to 

which Tunisia is required to obtain and exchange information; and

d) the United States shall not be obligated to begin exchanging information prior

to the date by which Tunisia is required to begin exchanging information.

7. Coordination of Definitions with U.S. Treasury Regulations. Notwithstanding

Article 1 of this Agreement and the definitions provided in the Annexes to this Agreement, in

implementing this Agreement, Tunisia may use, and may permit Tunisian Financial Institutions 

to use, a definition in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations in lieu of a corresponding definition

in this Agreement, provided that such application would not frustrate the purposes of this 

Agreement.

Article 5

Collaboration on Compliance and Enforcement

1. Minor and Administrative Errors. A Competent Authority shall notify the

Competent Authority of the other Party when the first-mentioned Competent Authority has

reason to believe that administrative errors or other minor errors may have led to incorrect or

incomplete information reporting or resulted in other infringements of this Agreement. The 

Competent Authority of such other Party shall apply its domestic law (including applicable 

penalties) to obtain corrected and/or complete information or to resolve other infringements of 

this Agreement. 

2. Significant Non-Compliance.

a) A Competent Authority shall notify the Competent Authority of the other Party

when the first-mentioned Competent Authority has determined that there is 

significant non-compliance with the obligations under this Agreement with

respect to a Reporting Financial Institution in the other jurisdiction. The

Competent Authority of such other Party shall apply its domestic law (including

applicable penalties) to address the significant non-compliance described in the

notice. 

b) If, in the case of a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution, such enforcement

actions do not resolve the non-compliance within a period of 18 months after

notification of significant non-compliance is first provided, the United States 

shall treat the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution as a Nonparticipating

Financial Institution pursuant to this subparagraph 2(b).

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3. Reliance on Third Party Service Providers. Each Party may allow Reporting

Financial Institutions to use third party service providers to fulfill the obligations imposed on

such Reporting Financial Institutions by a Party, as contemplated in this Agreement, but these

obligations shall remain the responsibility of the Reporting Financial Institutions.

4. Prevention of Avoidance. The Parties shall implement as necessary requirements to 

prevent Financial Institutions from adopting practices intended to circumvent the reporting 

required under this Agreement.

Article 6

Mutual Commitment to Continue to Enhance the Effectiveness of Information

Exchange and Transparency

1. Reciprocity. The Government of the United States acknowledges the need to achieve

equivalent levels of reciprocal automatic information exchange with Tunisia. The

Government of the United States is committed to further improve transparency and enhance

the exchange relationship with Tunisia by pursuing the adoption of regulations and 

advocating and supporting relevant legislation to achieve such equivalent levels of reciprocal 

automatic information exchange.

2. Treatment of Passthru Payments and Gross Proceeds. The Parties are committed 

to work together, along with Partner Jurisdictions, to develop a practical and effective

alternative approach to achieve the policy objectives of foreign passthru payment and gross 

proceeds withholding that minimizes burden. 

3. Documentation of Accounts Maintained as of the Determination Date. With 

respect to Reportable Accounts maintained by a Reporting Financial Institution as of the 

Determination Date:

a) The United States commits to establish, by January 1, 2017, for reporting with

respect to 2017 and subsequent years, rules requiring Reporting U.S. Financial 

Institutions to obtain and report the Tunisian TIN of each Account Holder of a

Tunisian Reportable Account as required pursuant to subparagraph 2(b)(1) of 

Article 2 of this Agreement; and

b) Tunisia commits to establish, by January 1, 2017, for reporting with respect to

2017 and subsequent years, rules requiring Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institutions to obtain the U.S. TIN of each Specified U.S. Person as required 

pursuant to subparagraph 2(a)(1) of Article 2 of this Agreement.

Article 7 

Consistency in the Application of FATCA to Partner Jurisdictions 

1. Tunisia shall be granted the benefit of any more favorable terms under Article 4 or 

Annex I of this Agreement relating to the application of FATCA to Tunisian Financial 

Institutions afforded to another Partner Jurisdiction under a signed bilateral agreement pursuant 

to which the other Partner Jurisdiction commits to undertake the same obligations as Tunisia 

described in Articles 2 and 3 of this Agreement, and subject to the same terms and conditions 

as described therein and in Articles 5 through 9 of this Agreement. 

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ll) The United States shall notify Tunisia of any such more favorable terms, and such more

favorable terms shall apply automatically under this Agreement as if such terms were specified 

in this Agreement and effective as of the date of signing of the agreement incorporating the

more favorable terms, unless Tunisia declines in writing the application thereof.

Article 8 

Consultations and Amendments 

1. In case any difficulties in the implementation of this Agreement arise, either Party may 

request consultations to develop appropriate measures to ensure the fulfillment of this 

Agreement. 

2. This Agreement may be amended by written mutual agreement of the Parties. Unless 

otherwise agreed upon, such an amendment shall enter into force through the same procedures 

as set forth in paragraph 1 of Article 10 of this Agreement. 

Article 9 

Annexes 

The Annexes form an integral part of this Agreement. 

Article 10

Term of Agreement

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of Tunisia’s written notification to the

United States that Tunisia has completed its necessary internal procedures for entry into force

of this Agreement. 

2. Either Party may terminate this Agreement by giving notice of termination in writing 

to the other Party. Such termination shall become effective on the first day of the month

following the expiration of a period of 12 months after the date of the notice of termination.

3. The Parties shall consult in good faith to amend this Agreement as necessary to reflect 

progress on the commitments set forth in Article 6 of this Agreement.

In witness whereof, the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective

Governments, have signed this Agreement.

Done at Tunis, in duplicate, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally 

authentic, this 13th day of May, 2019.

16 
 

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA:

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ANNEX I 

DUE DILIGENCE OBLIGATIONS FOR IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING ON U.S. 

REPORTABLE ACCOUNTS AND ON PAYMENTS TO CERTAIN 

NONPARTICIPATING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 

I. General.

A. Tunisia shall require that Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions apply the

due diligence procedures contained in this Annex I to identify U.S. ReportableAccounts

and accounts held by Nonparticipating Financial Institutions. 

B. For purposes of the Agreement,

1. All dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars and shall be read to include the

equivalent in other currencies.

2. Except as otherwise provided herein, the balance or value of an account

shall be determined as of the last day of the calendar year or other appropriate

reporting period.

3. Where a balance or value threshold is to be determined as of the 

Determination Date under this Annex I, the relevant balance or value shall be

determined as of that day or the last day of the reporting period ending

immediately before the Determination Date, and where a balance or value

threshold is to be determined as of the last day of a calendar year under this

Annex I, the relevant balance or value shall be determined as of the last day of 

the calendar year or other appropriate reporting period.

4. Subject to subparagraph E(1) of section II of this Annex I, an account

shall be treated as a U.S. Reportable Account beginning as of the date it is

identified as such pursuant to the due diligence procedures in this Annex I.

5. Unless otherwise provided, information with respect to a U.S. 

Reportable Account shall be reported annually in the calendar year following

the year to which the information relates.

C. As an alternative to the procedures described in each section of this Annex I,

Tunisia may permit Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions to rely on the procedures 

described in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations to establish whether an account is a

U.S. Reportable Account or an account held by a Nonparticipating Financial Institution. 

Tunisia may permit Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions to make such election 

separately for each section of this Annex I either with respect to all relevant Financial 

Accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified group of such accounts

(such as by line of business or the location of where the account is maintained). 

II. Preexisting Individual Accounts. The following rules and procedures apply for 

purposes of identifying U.S. Reportable Accounts among Preexisting Accounts held by

individuals (“Preexisting Individual Accounts”).

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A. Accounts Not Required to Be Reviewed, Identified, or Reported. Unless the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution elects otherwise, either with respect to all

Preexisting Individual Accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified 

group of such accounts, where the implementing rules in Tunisia provide for such an 

election, the following Preexisting Individual Accounts are not required to be reviewed,

identified, or reported as U.S. Reportable Accounts:

1. Subject to subparagraph E(2) of this section, a Preexisting Individual

Account with a balance or value that does not exceed $50,000 as of the 

Determination Date.

2. Subject to subparagraph E(2) of this section, a Preexisting Individual

Account that is a Cash Value Insurance Contract or an Annuity Contract with a

balance or value of $250,000 or less as of the Determination Date.

3. A Preexisting Individual Account that is a Cash Value Insurance

Contract or an Annuity Contract, provided the law or regulations of Tunisia or 

the United States effectively prevent the sale of such a Cash Value Insurance

Contract or an Annuity Contract to U.S. residents (e.g., if the relevant Financial 

Institution does not have the required registration under U.S. law, and the law

of Tunisia requires reporting or withholding with respect to insurance products 

held by residents of Tunisia).

4. A Depository Account with a balance of $50,000 or less.

B. Review Procedures for Preexisting Individual Accounts With a Balance or

Value as of the Determination Date, that Exceeds $50,000 ($250,000 for a Cash

Value Insurance Contract or Annuity Contract), But Does Not Exceed $1,000,000 

(“Lower Value Accounts”).

1. Electronic Record Search. The Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution must review electronically searchable data maintained by the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution for any of the following U.S. indicia:

a) Identification of the Account Holder as a U.S. citizen or resident;

b) Unambiguous indication of a U.S. place of birth;

c) Current U.S. mailing or residence address (including a U.S. post

office box);

d) Current U.S. telephone number;

e) Standing instructions to transfer funds to an account maintained 

in the United States;

f) Currently effective power of attorney or signatory authority

granted to a person with a U.S. address; or

g) An “in-care-of” or “hold mail” address that is the sole address

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the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution has on file for the Account

Holder. In the case of a Preexisting Individual Account that is a Lower

Value Account, an “in-care-of” address outside the United States or 

“hold mail” address shall not be treated as U.S. indicia. 

2. If none of the U.S. indicia listed in subparagraph B(1) of this section are

discovered in the electronic search, then no further action is required until there

is a change in circumstances that results in one or more U.S. indicia being 

associated with the account, or the account becomes a High Value Account 

described in paragraph D of this section.

3. If any of the U.S. indicia listed in subparagraph B(1) of this section are

discovered in the electronic search, or if there is a change in circumstances that 

results in one or more U.S. indicia being associated with the account, then the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the account as a U.S. 

Reportable Account unless it elects to apply subparagraph B(4) of this section 

and one of the exceptions in such subparagraph applies with respect to that

account.

4. Notwithstanding a finding of U.S. indicia under subparagraph B(1) of 

this section, a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is not required to treat an

account as a U.S. Reportable Account if:

a) Where the Account Holder information unambiguously indicates 

a U.S. place of birth, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution

obtains, or has previously reviewed and maintains a record of:

(1) A self-certification that the Account Holder is neither a

U.S. citizen nor a U.S. resident for tax purposes (which may be

on an IRS Form W-8 or other similar agreed form);

(2) A non-U.S. passport or other government-issued 

identification evidencing the Account Holder’s citizenship or 

nationality in a country other than the United States; and

(3) A copy of the Account Holder’s Certificate of Loss of

Nationality of the United States or a reasonable explanation of: 

(a) The reason the Account Holder does not have

such a certificate despite relinquishing U.S. citizenship;

or

(b) The reason the Account Holder did not obtain 

U.S. citizenship at birth.

b) Where the Account Holder information contains a current U.S.

mailing or residence address, or one or more U.S. telephone numbers

that are the only telephone numbers associated with the account, the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution obtains, or has previously

reviewed and maintains a record of:

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(1) A self-certification that the Account Holder is neither a 

U.S. citizen nor a U.S. resident for tax purposes (which may be

on an IRS Form W-8 or other similar agreed form); and

(2) Documentary evidence, as defined in paragraph D of 

section VI of this Annex I, establishing the Account Holder’s 

non-U.S. status.

c) Where the Account Holder information contains standing

instructions to transfer funds to an account maintained in the United

States, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution obtains, or has

previously reviewed and maintains a record of:

(1) A self-certification that the Account Holder is neither a 

U.S. citizen nor a U.S. resident for tax purposes (which may be

on an IRS Form W-8 or other similar agreed form); and

(2) Documentary evidence, as defined in paragraph D of

section VI of this Annex I, establishing the Account Holder’s 

non-U.S. status.

d) Where the Account Holder information contains a currently 

effective power of attorney or signatory authority granted to a person

with a U.S. address, has an “in-care-of” address or “hold mail”

address that is the sole address identified for the Account Holder, or

has one or more U.S. telephone numbers (if a non-U.S. telephone

number is also associated with the account), the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution obtains, or has previously reviewed and maintains 

a record of:

(1) A self-certification that the Account Holder is neither a 

U.S. citizen nor a U.S. resident for tax purposes (which may be

on an IRS Form W-8 or other similar agreed form); or

(2) Documentary evidence, as defined in paragraph D of 

section VI of this Annex I, establishing the Account Holder’s 

non-U.S. status.

C. Additional Procedures Applicable to Preexisting Individual Accounts That 

Are Lower Value Accounts.

1. Review of Preexisting Individual Accounts that are Lower Value

Accounts for U.S. indicia must be completed within two years from the

Determination Date. 

2. If there is a change of circumstances with respect to a Preexisting

Individual Account that is a Lower Value Account that results in one or more

U.S. indicia described in subparagraph B(1) of this section being associated with

the account, then the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the

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account as a U.S. Reportable Account unless subparagraph B(4) of this section

applies.

3. Except for Depository Accounts described in subparagraph A(4) of this 

section, any Preexisting Individual Account that has been identified as a U.S.

Reportable Account under this section shall be treated as a U.S. Reportable 

Account in all subsequent years, unless the Account Holder ceases to be a

Specified U.S. Person.

D. Enhanced Review Procedures for Preexisting Individual Accounts With a

Balance or Value That Exceeds $1,000,000 as of the Determination Date, or

December 31 of 2015 or Any Subsequent Year (“High Value Accounts”).

1. Electronic Record Search. The Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution must review electronically searchable data maintained by the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution for any of the U.S. indicia described in 

subparagraph B(1) of this section.

2. Paper Record Search. If the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution’s

electronically searchable databases include fields for, and capture all of the 

information described in, subparagraph D(3) of this section, then no further

paper record search is required. If the electronic databases do not capture all of 

this information, then with respect to a High Value Account, the Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution must also review the current customer master file

and, to the extent not contained in the current customer master file, the following 

documents associated with the account and obtained by the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution within the last five years for any of the U.S. indicia 

described in subparagraph B(1) of this section:

a) The most recent documentary evidence collected with respect to 

the account;

b) The most recent account opening contract or documentation;

c) The most recent documentation obtained by the Reporting 

Tunisian Financial Institution pursuant to AML/KYC Procedures or for

other regulatory purposes;

d) Any power of attorney or signature authority forms currently in

effect; and

e) Any standing instructions to transfer funds currently in effect.

3. Exception Where Databases Contain Sufficient Information. A 

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is not required to perform the paper 

record search described in subparagraph D(2) of this section if the Reporting 

Tunisian Financial Institution’s electronically searchable information includes

the following:

a) The Account Holder’s nationality or residence status;

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b) The Account Holder’s residence address and mailing address 

currently on file with the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution;

c) The Account Holder’s telephone number(s) currently on file, if

any, with the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution;

d) Whether there are standing instructions to transfer funds in the

account to another account (including an account at another branch of

the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution or another Financial

Institution);

e) Whether there is a current “in-care-of” address or “hold mail”

address for the Account Holder; and

f) Whether there is any power of attorney or signatory authority for

the account. 

4. Relationship Manager Inquiry for Actual Knowledge. In addition to

the electronic and paper record searches described above, the Reporting 

Tunisian Financial Institution must treat as a U.S. Reportable Account any High

Value Account assigned to a relationship manager (including any Financial 

Accounts aggregated with such High Value Account) if the relationship manager 

has actual knowledge that the Account Holder is a Specified U.S. Person.

5. Effect of Finding U.S. Indicia.

a) If none of the U.S. indicia listed in subparagraph B(1) of this 

section are discovered in the enhanced review of High Value Accounts

described above, and the account is not identified as held by a Specified

U.S. Person in subparagraph D(4) of this section, then no further action 

is required until there is a change in circumstances that results in one or

more U.S. indicia being associated with the account.

b) If any of the U.S. indicia listed in subparagraph B(1) of this 

section are discovered in the enhanced review of High Value Accounts

described above, or if there is a subsequent change in circumstances that

results in one or more U.S. indicia being associated with the account,

then the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the account 

as a U.S. Reportable Account unless it elects to apply subparagraph B(4)

of this section and one of the exceptions in such subparagraph applies 

with respect to that account.

c) Except for Depository Accounts described in subparagraph A(4) 

of this section, any Preexisting Individual Account that has been

identified as a U.S. Reportable Account under this section shall be

treated as a U.S. Reportable Account in all subsequent years, unless the

Account Holder ceases to be a Specified U.S. Person. 

E. Additional Procedures Applicable to High Value Accounts.

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1. If a Preexisting Individual Account is a High Value Account as of the

Determination Date, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must complete 

the enhanced review procedures described in paragraph D of this section with

respect to such account within one year from the Determination Date. If based

on this review such account is identified as a U.S. Reportable Account on or

before December 31, 2014, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must

report the required information about such account with respect to 2014 in the 

first report on the account and on an annual basis thereafter. In the case of an

account identified as a U.S. Reportable Account after December 31, 2014, the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is not required to report information 

about such account with respect to 2014, but must report information about the

account on an annual basis thereafter.

2. If a Preexisting Individual Account is not a High Value Account as of

the Determination Date, but becomes a High Value Account as of the last day

of 2015 or any subsequent calendar year, the Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution must complete the enhanced review procedures described in

paragraph D of this section with respect to such account within six months after 

the last day of the calendar year in which the account becomes a High Value 

Account. If based on this review such account is identified as a U.S. Reportable 

Account, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must report the required 

information about such account with respect to the year in which it is identified 

as a U.S. Reportable Account and subsequent years on an annual basis, unless

the Account Holder ceases to be a Specified U.S. Person.

3. Once a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution applies the enhanced 

review procedures described in paragraph D of this section to a High Value 

Account, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is not required to re-apply

such procedures, other than the relationship manager inquiry described in

subparagraph D(4) of this section, to the same High Value Account in any

subsequent year.

4. If there is a change of circumstances with respect to a High Value

Account that results in one or more U.S. indicia described in subparagraph B(1)

of this section being associated with the account, then the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution must treat the account as a U.S. Reportable Account unless 

it elects to apply subparagraph B(4) of this section and one of the exceptions in

such subparagraph applies with respect to that account.

5. A Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must implement procedures 

to ensure that a relationship manager identifies any change in circumstances of 

an account. For example, if a relationship manager is notified that the Account

Holder has a new mailing address in the United States, the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution is required to treat the new address as a change in 

circumstances and, if it elects to apply subparagraph B(4) of this section, is

required to obtain the appropriate documentation from the Account Holder.

F. Preexisting Individual Accounts That Have Been Documented for Certain

Other Purposes. A Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution that has previously

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obtained documentation from an Account Holder to establish the Account Holder’s 

status as neither a U.S. citizen nor a U.S. resident in order to meet its obligations under 

a qualified intermediary, withholding foreign partnership, or withholding foreign trust 

agreement with the IRS, or to fulfill its obligations under chapter 61 of Title 26 of the

United States Code, is not required to perform the procedures described in subparagraph 

B(1) of this section with respect to Lower Value Accounts or subparagraphs D(1) 

through D(3) of this section with respect to High Value Accounts.

III. New Individual Accounts. The following rules and procedures apply for purposes of

identifying U.S. Reportable Accounts among Financial Accounts held by individuals and

opened after the Determination Date (“New Individual Accounts”).

A. Accounts Not Required to Be Reviewed, Identified, or Reported. Unless the

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution elects otherwise, either with respect to all New

Individual Accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified group of such 

accounts, where the implementing rules in Tunisia provide for such an election, the

following New Individual Accounts are not required to be reviewed, identified, or

reported as U.S. Reportable Accounts:

1. A Depository Account unless the account balance exceeds $50,000 at

the end of any calendar year or other appropriate reporting period. 

2. ACash Value Insurance Contract unless the Cash Value exceeds $50,000

at the end of any calendar year or other appropriate reporting period. 

B. Other New Individual Accounts. With respect to New Individual Accounts 

not described in paragraph A of this section, upon account opening(or within 90 days

after the end of the calendar year in which the account ceases to be described in 

paragraph A of this section),the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must obtain a

self-certification, which may be part of the account opening documentation, that allows

the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution to determine whether the Account Holder

is resident in the United States for tax purposes (for this purpose, a U.S. citizen is 

considered to be resident in the United States for tax purposes, even if the Account

Holder is also a tax resident of another jurisdiction) and confirm the reasonableness of

such self-certification based on the information obtained by the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution in connection with the opening of the account, including any

documentation collected pursuant to AML/KYC Procedures.

1. If the self-certification establishes that the Account Holder is resident in

the United States for tax purposes, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution 

must treat the account as a U.S. Reportable Account and obtain a selfcertification that includes the Account Holder’s U.S. TIN (which may be an IRS

Form W-9 or other similar agreed form).

2. If there is a change of circumstances with respect to a New Individual 

Account that causes the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution to know, or 

have reason to know, that the original self-certification is incorrect or unreliable, 

the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution cannot rely on the original selfcertification and must obtain a valid self-certification that establishes whether

the Account Holder is a U.S. citizen or resident for U.S. tax purposes. If the 

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Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is unable to obtain a valid selfcertification, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the account 

as a U.S. Reportable Account.

IV. Preexisting Entity Accounts. The following rules and procedures apply for purposes

of identifying U.S. Reportable Accounts and accounts held by Nonparticipating Financial

Institutions among Preexisting Accounts held by Entities (“Preexisting Entity Accounts”).

A. Entity Accounts Not Required to Be Reviewed, Identified or Reported.

Unless the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution elects otherwise, either with respect 

to all Preexisting Entity Accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified 

group of such accounts, where the implementing rules in Tunisia provide for such an 

election, a Preexisting Entity Account with an account balance or value that does not 

exceed $250,000 as of the Determination Date, is not required to be reviewed, 

identified, or reported as a U.S. Reportable Account until the account balance or value

exceeds $1,000,000.

B. Entity Accounts Subject to Review. A Preexisting Entity Account that has an 

account balance or value that exceeds $250,000 as of the Determination Date, and a 

Preexisting Entity Account that does not exceed $250,000 as of the Determination Date

but the account balance or value of which exceeds $1,000,000 as of the last day of 2015 

or any subsequent calendar year, must be reviewed in accordance with the procedures 

set forth in paragraph D of this section. 

C. Entity Accounts With Respect to Which Reporting Is Required. With

respect to Preexisting Entity Accounts described in paragraph B of this section, only

accounts that are held by one or more Entities that are Specified U.S. Persons, or by

Passive NFFEs with one or more Controlling Persons who are U.S. citizens or residents,

shall be treated as U.S. Reportable Accounts. In addition, accounts held by

Nonparticipating Financial Institutions shall be treated as accounts for which aggregate

payments as described in subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of the Agreement are reported

to the Tunisian Competent Authority.

D. Review Procedures for Identifying Entity Accounts With Respect to Which

Reporting Is Required. For Preexisting Entity Accounts described in paragraph B of 

this section, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must apply the following 

review procedures to determine whether the account is held by one or more Specified 

U.S. Persons, by Passive NFFEs with one or more Controlling Persons who are U.S.

citizens or residents, or by Nonparticipating Financial Institutions:

1. Determine Whether the Entity Is a Specified U.S. Person.

a) Review information maintained for regulatory or customer

relationship purposes (including information collected pursuant to

AML/KYC Procedures) to determine whether the information indicates 

that the Account Holder is a U.S. Person. For this purpose, information 

indicating that the Account Holder is a U.S. Person includes a U.S. place

of incorporation or organization, or a U.S. address.

b) If the information indicates that the Account Holder is a U.S.

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Person, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the

account as a U.S. Reportable Account unless it obtains a selfcertification from the Account Holder (which may be on an IRS Form

W-8 or W-9, or a similar agreed form), or reasonably determines based 

on information in its possession or that is publicly available, that the 

Account Holder is not a Specified U.S. Person.

2. Determine Whether a Non-U.S. Entity Is a Financial Institution.

a) Review information maintained for regulatory or customer

relationship purposes (including information collected pursuant to

AML/KYC Procedures) to determine whether the information indicates 

that the Account Holder is a Financial Institution.

b) If the information indicates that the Account Holder is a

Financial Institution, or the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution

verifies the Account Holder’s Global Intermediary Identification 

Number on the published IRS FFI list, then the account is not a U.S. 

Reportable Account. 

3. Determine Whether a Financial Institution Is a Nonparticipating

Financial Institution Payments to Which Are Subject to Aggregate

Reporting Under Subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of the Agreement.

a) Subject to subparagraph D(3)(b) of this section, a Reporting 

Tunisian Financial Institution may determine that the Account Holder is 

a Tunisian Financial Institution or other Partner Jurisdiction Financial

Institution if the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution reasonably

determines that the Account Holder has such status on the basis of the

Account Holder’s Global Intermediary Identification Number on the

published IRS FFI list or other information that is publicly available or 

in the possession of the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution, as

applicable. In such case, no further review, identification, or reporting

is required with respect to the account.

b) If the Account Holder is a Tunisian Financial Institution or other

Partner Jurisdiction Financial Institution treated by the IRS as a

Nonparticipating Financial Institution, then the account is not a U.S. 

Reportable Account, but payments to the Account Holder must be

reported as contemplated in subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of the

Agreement.

c) If the Account Holder is not a Tunisian Financial Institution or 

other Partner Jurisdiction Financial Institution, then the Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the Account Holder as a

Nonparticipating Financial Institution payments to which are reportable

under subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of the Agreement, unless the 

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution:

(1) Obtains a self-certification (which may be on an IRS

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Form W-8 or similar agreed form) from the Account Holder that 

it is a certified deemed-compliant FFI, or an exempt beneficial 

owner, as those terms are defined in relevant U.S. Treasury

Regulations; or

(2) In the case of a participating FFI or registered deemedcompliant FFI, verifies the Account Holder’s Global 

Intermediary Identification Number on the published IRS FFI 

list.

4. Determine Whether an Account Held by an NFFE Is a U.S. 

Reportable Account. With respect to an Account Holder of a Preexisting 

Entity Account that is not identified as either a U.S. Person or a Financial 

Institution, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must identify (i)

whether the Account Holder has Controlling Persons, (ii) whether the Account

Holder is a Passive NFFE, and (iii) whether any of the Controlling Persons of

the Account Holder is a U.S. citizen or resident. In making these determinations 

the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must follow the guidance in 

subparagraphs D(4)(a) through D(4)(d) of this section in the order most

appropriate under the circumstances.

a) For purposes of determining the Controlling Persons of an 

Account Holder, a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution may rely on

information collected and maintained pursuant to AML/KYC

Procedures.

b) For purposes of determining whether the Account Holder is a 

Passive NFFE, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must obtain

a self-certification (which may be on an IRS Form W-8 or W-9, or on a

similar agreed form) from the Account Holder to establish its status,

unless it has information in its possession or that is publicly available, 

based on which it can reasonably determine that the Account Holder is

an Active NFFE.

c) For purposes of determining whether a Controlling Person of a

Passive NFFE is a U.S. citizen or resident for tax purposes, a Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution may rely on: 

(1) Information collected and maintained pursuant to 

AML/KYC Procedures in the case of a Preexisting Entity

Account held by one or more NFFEs with an account balance or 

value that does not exceed $1,000,000; or

(2) A self-certification (which may be on an IRS Form W-8 

or W-9, or on a similar agreed form) from the Account Holder or 

such Controlling Person in the case of a Preexisting Entity

Account held by one or more NFFEs with an account balance or 

value that exceeds $1,000,000. 

d) If any Controlling Person of a Passive NFFE is a U.S. citizen or 

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resident, the account shall be treated as a U.S. Reportable Account.

E. Timing of Review and Additional Procedures Applicable to Preexisting

Entity Accounts.

1. Review of Preexisting EntityAccounts with an account balance or value

that exceeds $250,000 as of the Determination Date must be completed within

two years from the Determination Date.

2. Review of Preexisting EntityAccounts with an account balance or value 

that does not exceed $250,000 as of the Determination Date, but exceeds 

$1,000,000 as of December 31 of 2015 or any subsequent year, must be

completed within six months after the last day of the calendar year in which the

account balance or value exceeds $1,000,000.

3. If there is a change of circumstances with respect to a Preexisting Entity

Account that causes the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution to know, or 

have reason to know, that the self-certification or other documentation

associated with an account is incorrect or unreliable, the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution must redetermine the status of the account in accordance

with the procedures set forth in paragraph D of this section.

V. New Entity Accounts. The following rules and procedures apply for purposes of 

identifying U.S. Reportable Accounts and accounts held by Nonparticipating Financial 

Institutions among Financial Accounts held by Entities and opened after the Determination 

Date (“New Entity Accounts”). 

A. Entity Accounts Not Required to Be Reviewed, Identified or Reported.

Unless the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution elects otherwise, either with respect

to all New Entity Accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified group 

of such accounts, where the implementing rules in Tunisia provide for such election, a 

credit card account or a revolving credit facility treated as a New Entity Account is not

required to be reviewed, identified, or reported, provided that the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution maintaining such account implements policies and procedures to 

prevent an account balance owed to the Account Holder that exceeds $50,000.

B. Other New Entity Accounts. With respect to New Entity Accounts not

described in paragraph A of this section, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution

must determine whether the Account Holder is: (i) a Specified U.S. Person; (ii) a

Tunisian Financial Institution or other Partner Jurisdiction Financial Institution; (iii) a

participating FFI, a deemed-compliant FFI, or an exempt beneficial owner, as those

terms are defined in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations; or (iv) an Active NFFE or

Passive NFFE. 

1. Subject to subparagraph B(2) of this section, a Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution may determine that the Account Holder is an Active NFFE, 

a Tunisian Financial Institution, or other Partner Jurisdiction Financial

Institution if the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution reasonably determines 

that the Account Holder has such status on the basis of the Account Holder’s

Global Intermediary Identification Number or other information that is publicly

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available or in the possession of the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution, as

applicable. 

2. If the Account Holder is a Tunisian Financial Institution or other Partner

Jurisdiction Financial Institution treated by the IRS as a Nonparticipating

Financial Institution, then the account is not a U.S. Reportable Account, but

payments to the Account Holder must be reported as contemplated in

subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of the Agreement.

3. In all other cases, a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must obtain

a self-certification from the Account Holder to establish the Account Holder’s

status. Based on the self-certification, the following rules apply:

a) If the Account Holder is a Specified U.S. Person, the Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution must treat the account as a U.S. 

Reportable Account.

b) If the Account Holder is a Passive NFFE, the Reporting 

Tunisian Financial Institution must identify the Controlling Persons as

determined under AML/KYC Procedures, and must determine whether

any such person is a U.S. citizen or resident on the basis of a selfcertification from the Account Holder or such person. If any such person 

is a U.S. citizen or resident, the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution

must treat the account as a U.S. Reportable Account.

c) If the Account Holder is: (i) a U.S. Person that is not a Specified

U.S. Person; (ii) subject to subparagraph B(3)(d) of this section, a

Tunisian Financial Institution or other Partner Jurisdiction Financial

Institution; (iii) a participating FFI, a deemed-compliant FFI, or an

exempt beneficial owner, as those terms are defined in relevant U.S.

Treasury Regulations; (iv) an Active NFFE; or (v) a Passive NFFE none

of the Controlling Persons of which is a U.S. citizen or resident, then the

account is not a U.S. Reportable Account, and no reporting is required

with respect to the account.

d) If the Account Holder is a Nonparticipating Financial Institution 

(including a Tunisian Financial Institution or other Partner Jurisdiction

Financial Institution treated by the IRS as a Nonparticipating Financial 

Institution), then the account is not a U.S. Reportable Account, but 

payments to the Account Holder must be reported as contemplated in

subparagraph 1(b) of Article 4 of the Agreement.

VI. Special Rules and Definitions. The following additional rules and definitions apply

in implementing the due diligence procedures described above:

A. Reliance on Self-Certifications and Documentary Evidence. A Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution may not rely on a self-certification or documentary

evidence if the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution knows or has reason to know

that the self-certification or documentary evidence is incorrect or unreliable.

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B. Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this Annex I.

1. AML/KYC Procedures. “AML/KYC Procedures” means the customer 

due diligence procedures of a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution

pursuant to the anti-money laundering or similar requirements of Tunisian

to which such Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is subject. 

2. NFFE. An “NFFE” means any Non-U.S. Entity that is not an FFI as defined 

in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations or is an Entity described in

subparagraph B(4)(j) of this section, and also includes any Non-U.S. Entity

that is established in Tunisia or another Partner Jurisdiction and that is not a

Financial Institution.

3. Passive NFFE. A “Passive NFFE” means any NFFE that is not (i) an Active

NFFE, or (ii) a withholding foreign partnership or withholding foreign trust 

pursuant to relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations.

4. Active NFFE. An “Active NFFE” means any NFFE that meets any of the 

following criteria:

a) Less than 50 percent of the NFFE’s gross income for the preceding

calendar year or other appropriate reporting period is passive income

and less than 50 percent of the assets held by the NFFE during the 

preceding calendar year or other appropriate reporting period are

assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income;

b) The stock of the NFFE is regularly traded on an established 

securities market or the NFFE is a Related Entity of an Entity the

stock of which is regularly traded on an established securities 

market;

c) The NFFE is organized in a U.S. Territory and all of the owners of

the payee are bona fide residents of that U.S. Territory;

d) The NFFE is a government (other than the U.S. government), a 

political subdivision of such government(which, for the avoidance

of doubt, includes a state, province, county, or municipality), or a

public body performing a function of such government or a political 

subdivision thereof, a government of a U.S. Territory, an

international organization, a non-U.S. central bank of issue, or an

Entity wholly owned by one or more of the foregoing; 

e) Substantially all of the activities of the NFFE consist of holding (in 

whole or in part) the outstanding stock of, or providing financing 

and services to, one or more subsidiaries that engage in trades or 

businesses other than the business of a Financial Institution, except 

that an entity shall not qualify for NFFE status if the entity functions 

(or holds itself out) as an investment fund, such as a private equity 

fund, venture capital fund, leveraged buyout fund, or any investment 

vehicle whose purpose is to acquire or fund companies and then hold 

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interests in those companies as capital assets for investment 

purposes; 

f) The NFFE is not yet operating a business and has no prior operating 

history, but is investing capital into assets with the intent to operate 

a business other than that of a Financial Institution, provided that the 

NFFE shall not qualify for this exception after the date that is 24 

months after the date of the initial organization of the NFFE; 

g) The NFFE was not a Financial Institution in the past five years, and 

is in the process of liquidating its assets or is reorganizing with the 

intent to continue or recommence operations in a business other than 

that of a Financial Institution; 

h) The NFFE primarily engages in financing and hedging transactions 

with, or for, Related Entities that are not Financial Institutions, and 

does not provide financing or hedging services to any Entity that is 

not a Related Entity, provided that the group of any such Related 

Entities is primarily engaged in a business other than that of a 

Financial Institution; 

i) The NFFE is an “excepted NFFE” as described in relevant U.S. 

Treasury Regulations; or

j) The NFFE meets all of the following requirements: 

i. It is established and operated in its jurisdiction of residence 

exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, artistic, 

cultural, athletic, or educational purposes; or it is established 

and operated in its jurisdiction of residence and it is a 

professional organization, business league, chamber of 

commerce, labor organization, agricultural or horticultural 

organization, civic league or an organization operated 

exclusively for the promotion of social welfare; 

ii. It is exempt from income tax in its jurisdiction of residence; 

iii. It has no shareholders or members who have a proprietary or 

beneficial interest in its income or assets; 

iv. The applicable laws of the NFFE’s jurisdiction of residence or 

the NFFE’s formation documents do not permit any income or 

assets of the NFFE to be distributed to, or applied for the 

benefit of, a private person or non-charitable Entity other than 

pursuant to the conduct of the NFFE’s charitable activities, or 

as payment of reasonable compensation for services rendered, 

or as payment representing the fair market value of property 

which the NFFE has purchased; and

v. The applicable laws of the NFFE’s jurisdiction of residence or 

the NFFE’s formation documents require that, upon the 

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NFFE’s liquidation or dissolution, all of its assets be 

distributed to a governmental entity or other non-profit 

organization, or escheat to the government of the NFFE’s

jurisdiction of residence or any political subdivision thereof. 

5. Preexisting Account. A “Preexisting Account” means a Financial Account

maintained by a Reporting Financial Institution as of the Determination 

Date. 

6. Determination Date. The “Determination Date” means the date, which 

may be prior to entry into force of this Agreement, on which the Treasury 

Department determines not to apply withholding under section 1471 of the 

U.S. Internal Revenue Code to Tunisian Financial Institutions. That date is: 

(a) June 30, 2014, in the case of (i) a jurisdiction that signed an agreement 

with the United States to implement FATCA or facilitate FATCA 

implementation on or before June 30, 2014, or (ii) a jurisdiction that the 

Treasury Department determined reached such an agreement in substance 

on or before June 30, 2014, and is included on the Treasury Department list 

of such jurisdictions, (b) November 30, 2014, in the case of a jurisdiction 

that the Treasury Department determined reached such an agreement in 

substance on or after July 1, 2014, and on or before November 30, 2014, 

and is included on the Treasury Department list of such jurisdictions, or (c) 

the date of signature of such an agreement, in the case of any other 

jurisdiction. The Determination Date for Tunisia is November 30, 2014. 

C. Account Balance Aggregation and Currency Translation Rules.

1. Aggregation of Individual Accounts. For purposes of determining the 

aggregate balance or value of Financial Accounts held by an individual, a

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is required to aggregate all Financial

Accounts maintained by the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution, or by a

Related Entity, but only to the extent that the Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution’s computerized systems link the Financial Accounts by reference to 

a data element such as client number or taxpayer identification number, and

allow account balances or values to be aggregated. Each holder of a jointly held 

Financial Account shall be attributed the entire balance or value of the jointly

held Financial Account for purposes of applying the aggregation requirements

described in this paragraph 1.

2. Aggregation of Entity Accounts. For purposes of determining the

aggregate balance or value of Financial Accounts held by an Entity, a Reporting

Tunisian Financial Institution is required to take into account all Financial 

Accounts that are maintained by the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution,

or by a Related Entity, but only to the extent that the Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institution’s computerized systems link the Financial Accounts by

reference to a data element such as client number or taxpayer identification

number, and allow account balances or values to be aggregated.

3. Special Aggregation Rule Applicable to Relationship Managers. For 

purposes of determining the aggregate balance or value of Financial Accounts

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held by a person to determine whether a Financial Account is a High Value 

Account, a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is also required, in the case

of any Financial Accounts that a relationship manager knows, or has reason to 

know, are directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or established (other than in

a fiduciary capacity) by the same person, to aggregate all such accounts.

4. Currency Translation Rule. For purposes of determining the balance

or value of Financial Accounts denominated in a currency other than the U.S.

dollar, a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must convert the U.S. dollar 

threshold amounts described in this Annex I into such currency using a

published spot rate determined as of the last day of the calendar year preceding 

the year in which the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution is determining the

balance or value.

D. Documentary Evidence. For purposes of this Annex I, acceptable 

documentary evidence includes any of the following:

1. A certificate of residence issued by an authorized government body (for 

example, a government or agency thereof, or a municipality) of the jurisdiction

in which the payee claims to be a resident.

2. With respect to an individual, any valid identification issued by an 

authorized government body (for example, a government or agency thereof, or 

a municipality), that includes the individual’s name and is typically used for

identification purposes.

3. With respect to an Entity, any official documentation issued by an

authorized government body (for example, a government or agency thereof, or 

a municipality) that includes the name of the Entity and either the address of its

principal office in the jurisdiction (or U.S. Territory) in which it claims to be a

resident or the jurisdiction (or U.S. Territory) in which the Entity was 

incorporated or organized.

4. With respect to a Financial Account maintained in a jurisdiction with

anti-money laundering rules that have been approved by the IRS in connection

with a QI agreement (as described in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations), any

of the documents, other than a Form W-8 or W-9, referenced in the jurisdiction’s 

attachment to the QI agreement for identifying individuals or Entities.

5. Any financial statement, third-party credit report, bankruptcy filing, or

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission report.

E. Alternative Procedures for Financial Accounts Held by Individual 

Beneficiaries of a Cash Value Insurance Contract. A Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution may presume that an individual beneficiary (other than the owner) of a Cash 

Value Insurance Contract receiving a death benefit is not a Specified U.S. Person and 

may treat such Financial Account as other than a U.S. Reportable Account unless the 

Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that 

the beneficiary is a Specified U.S. Person. A Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution 

has reason to know that a beneficiary of a Cash Value Insurance Contract is a Specified 

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U.S. Person if the information collected by the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution 

and associated with the beneficiary contains U.S. indicia as described in subparagraph 

(B)(1) of section II of this Annex I. If a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution has 

actual knowledge, or reason to know, that the beneficiary is a Specified U.S. Person, 

the Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution must follow the procedures in 

subparagraph B(3) of section II of this Annex I. 

F. Reliance on Third Parties. Regardless of whether an election is made under 

paragraph C of section I of this Annex I, Tunisia may permit Reporting Tunisian

Financial Institutions to rely on due diligence procedures performed by third parties, to

the extent provided in relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations.

G. Alternative Procedures for New Accounts Opened Prior to Entry Into 

Force of this Agreement. 

1. Applicability. If Tunisia has provided a written notice to the United 

States prior to entry into force of this Agreement that, as of the Determination 

Date, Tunisia lacked the legal authority to require Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institutions either: (i) to require Account Holders of New Individual Accounts 

to provide the self-certification specified in section III of this Annex I, or (ii) to 

perform all the due diligence procedures related to New Entity Accounts 

specified in section V of this Annex I, then Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institutions may apply the alternative procedures described in subparagraph 

G(2) of this section, as applicable, to such New Accounts, in lieu of the 

procedures otherwise required under this Annex I. The alternative procedures 

described in subparagraph G(2) of this section shall be available only for those 

New Individual Accounts or New Entity Accounts, as applicable, opened prior 

to the earlier of: (i) the date Tunisia has the ability to compel Reporting Tunisian 

Financial Institutions to comply with the due diligence procedures described in 

section III or section V of this Annex I, as applicable, which date Tunisia shall 

inform the United States of in writing by the date of entry into force of this 

Agreement, or (ii) the date of entry into force of this Agreement. If the 

alternative procedures for New Entity Accounts opened after the Determination 

Date, and before January 1, 2015, described in paragraph H of this section are 

applied with respect to all New Entity Accounts or a clearly identified group of 

such accounts, the alternative procedures described in this paragraph G may not 

be applied with respect to such New Entity Accounts. For all other New 

Accounts, Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions must apply the due 

diligence procedures described in section III or section V of this Annex I, as 

applicable, to determine if the account is a U.S. Reportable Account or an 

account held by a Nonparticipating Financial Institution. 

2. Alternative Procedures. 

a) Within one year after the date of entry into force of this 

Agreement, Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions must: (i) with 

respect to a New Individual Account described in subparagraph G(1) of 

this section, request the self-certification specified in section III of this 

Annex I and confirm the reasonableness of such self-certification 

consistent with the procedures described in section III of this Annex I, 

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and (ii) with respect to a New Entity Account described in subparagraph 

G(1) of this section, perform the due diligence procedures specified in 

section V of this Annex I and request information as necessary to 

document the account, including any self-certification, required by 

section V of this Annex I. 

b) Tunisia must report on any New Account that is identified 

pursuant to subparagraph G(2)(a) of this section as a U.S. Reportable 

Account or as an account held by a Nonparticipating Financial 

Institution, as applicable, by the date that is the later of: (i) September 

30 next following the date that the account is identified as a U.S. 

Reportable Account or as an account held by a Nonparticipating 

Financial Institution, as applicable, or (ii) 90 days after the account is 

identified as a U.S. Reportable Account or as an account held by a 

Nonparticipating Financial Institution, as applicable. The information 

required to be reported with respect to such a New Account is any 

information that would have been reportable under this Agreement if the 

New Account had been identified as a U.S. Reportable Account or as an 

account held by a Nonparticipating Financial Institution, as applicable, 

as of the date the account was opened. 

c) By the date that is one year after the date of entry into force of 

this Agreement, Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions must close 

any New Account described in subparagraph G(1) of this section for 

which it was unable to collect the required self-certification or other 

documentation pursuant to the procedures described in subparagraph 

G(2)(a) of this section. In addition, by the date that is one year after the 

date of entry into force of this Agreement, Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institutions must: (i) with respect to such closed accounts that prior to 

such closure were New Individual Accounts (without regard to whether 

such accounts were High Value Accounts), perform the due diligence 

procedures specified in paragraph D of section II of this Annex I, or (ii) 

with respect to such closed accounts that prior to such closure were New 

Entity Accounts, perform the due diligence procedures specified in 

section IV of this Annex I. 

d) Tunisia must report on any closed account that is identified 

pursuant to subparagraph G(2)(c) of this section as a U.S. Reportable 

Account or as an account held by a Nonparticipating Financial 

Institution, as applicable, by the date that is the later of: (i) September 

30 next following the date that the account is identified as a U.S. 

Reportable Account or as an account held by a Nonparticipating 

Financial Institution, as applicable, or (ii) 90 days after the account is 

identified as a U.S. Reportable Account or as an account held by a 

Nonparticipating Financial Institution, as applicable. The information 

required to be reported for such a closed account is any information that 

would have been reportable under this Agreement if the account had 

been identified as a U.S. Reportable Account or as an account held by a 

Nonparticipating Financial Institution, as applicable, as of the date the 

account was opened. 

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H. Alternative Procedures for New Entity Accounts Opened after the 

Determination Date, and before January 1, 2015. For New Entity Accounts opened 

after the Determination Date, and before January 1, 2015, either with respect to all New 

Entity Accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified group of such 

accounts, Tunisia may permit Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions to treat such 

accounts as Preexisting Entity Accounts and apply the due diligence procedures related 

to Preexisting Entity Accounts specified in section IV of this Annex I in lieu of the due 

diligence procedures specified in section V of this Annex I. In this case, the due 

diligence procedures of section IV of this Annex I must be applied without regard to 

the account balance or value threshold specified in paragraph A of section IV of this 

Annex I. 

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ANNEX II 

NON-REPORTING TUNISIAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 

AND EXCLUDED ACCOUNTS 

The following Entities shall be treated as exempt beneficial owners or deemed-compliant FFIs, 

as the case may be, and the following accounts are excluded from the definition of Financial 

Accounts. 

This Annex II may be modified by a mutual written decision entered into between the Competent

Authorities of Tunisia and the United States: (1) to include additional Entities and accounts that

present a low risk of being used by U.S. Persons to evade U.S. tax and that have similar

characteristics to the Entities and accounts described in this Annex II as of the date of signature

of the Agreement; or (2) to remove Entities and accounts that, due to changes in circumstances,

no longer present a low risk of being used by U.S. Persons to evade U.S. tax. Any such addition 

or removal shall be effective on the date of signature of the mutual decision, unless otherwise

provided therein. Procedures for reaching such a mutual decision may be included in the mutual 

agreement or arrangement described in paragraph 6 of Article 3 of the Agreement. 

I. Exempt Beneficial Owners other than Funds. The following Entities shall be treated as 

Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions and as exempt beneficial owners for purposes 

of sections 1471 and 1472 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, other than with respect to a 

payment that is derived from an obligation held in connection with a commercial financial 

activity of a type engaged in by a Specified Insurance Company, Custodial Institution, or 

Depository Institution. 

A. Governmental Entity. The government of Tunisia, any political subdivision of Tunisia 

(which, for the avoidance of doubt, includes a state, province, county, or municipality), or 

any wholly owned agency or instrumentality of Tunisia or any one or more of the 

foregoing (each, a “Tunisian Governmental Entity”). This category is comprised of the 

integral parts, controlled entities, and political subdivisions of Tunisia. 

1. An integral part of Tunisia means any person, organization, agency, bureau, fund, 

instrumentality, or other body, however designated, that constitutes a governing 

authority of Tunisia. The net earnings of the governing authority must be credited to 

its own account or to other accounts of Tunisia, with no portion inuring to the benefit 

of any private person. An integral part does not include any individual who is a 

sovereign, official, or administrator acting in a private or personal capacity. 

2. A controlled entity means an Entity that is separate in form from Tunisia or that 

otherwise constitutes a separate juridical entity, provided that: 

a) The Entity is wholly owned and controlled by one or more Tunisian 

Governmental Entities directly or through one or more controlled entities; 

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b) The Entity’s net earnings are credited to its own account or to the accounts of one 

or more Tunisian Governmental Entities, with no portion of its income inuring to 

the benefit of any private person; and 

c) The Entity’s assets vest in one or more Tunisian Governmental Entities upon 

dissolution. 

3. Income does not inure to the benefit of private persons if such persons are the 

intended beneficiaries of a governmental program, and the program activities are 

performed for the general public with respect to the common welfare or relate to the 

administration of some phase of government. Notwithstanding the foregoing, 

however, income is considered to inure to the benefit of private persons if the income 

is derived from the use of a governmental entity to conduct a commercial business, 

such as a commercial banking business, that provides financial services to private 

persons. 

B. International Organization. Any international organization or wholly owned agency or 

instrumentality thereof. This category includes any intergovernmental organization 

(including a supranational organization) (1) that is comprised primarily of non-U.S. 

governments; (2) that has in effect a headquarters agreement with Tunisia; and(3) the 

income of which does not inure to the benefit of private persons. 

C. Central Bank. An institution that is by law or government sanction the principal 

authority, other than the government of Tunisia itself, issuing instruments intended to 

circulate as currency. Such an institution may include an instrumentality that is separate 

from the government of Tunisia, whether or not owned in whole or in part by Tunisia. 

II. Funds that Qualify as Exempt Beneficial Owners. The following Entities shall be treated 

as Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions and as exempt beneficial owners for 

purposes of sections 1471 and 1472 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. 

A. Treaty-Qualified Retirement Fund. A fund established in Tunisia, provided that the 

fund is entitled to benefits under an income tax treaty between Tunisia and the United 

States on income that it derives from sources within the United States (or would be 

entitled to such benefits if it derived any such income) as a resident of Tunisia that 

satisfies any applicable limitation on benefits requirement, and is operated principally to 

administer or provide pension or retirement benefits. 

B. Broad Participation Retirement Fund. A fund established in Tunisia to provide 

retirement, disability, or death benefits, or any combination thereof, to beneficiaries that 

are current or former employees (or persons designated by such employees) of one or 

more employers in consideration for services rendered, provided that the fund: 

1. Does not have a single beneficiary with a right to more than five percent of the fund’s

assets; 

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2. Is subject to government regulation and provides information reporting to the tax 

authorities in Tunisia; and 

3. Satisfies at least one of the following requirements: 

a) The fund is generally exempt from tax in Tunisia on investment income under the 

laws of Tunisia due to its status as a retirement or pension plan; 

b) The fund receives at least 50 percent of its total contributions (other than transfers 

of assets from other plans described in paragraphs A through D of this section or 

from retirement and pension accounts described in subparagraph A(1) of section 

V of this Annex II) from the sponsoring employers; 

c) Distributions or withdrawals from the fund are allowed only upon the occurrence 

of specified events related to retirement, disability, or death (except rollover 

distributions to other retirement funds described in paragraphs A through D of this 

section or retirement and pension accounts described in subparagraph A(1) of 

section V of this Annex II), or penalties apply to distributions or withdrawals 

made before such specified events; or 

d) Contributions (other than certain permitted make-up contributions) by employees 

to the fund are limited by reference to earned income of the employee or may not 

exceed $50,000 annually, applying the rules set forth in Annex I for account 

aggregation and currency translation. 

C. Narrow Participation Retirement Fund. A fund established in Tunisia to provide 

retirement, disability, or death benefits to beneficiaries that are current or former 

employees (or persons designated by such employees) of one or more employers in 

consideration for services rendered, provided that: 

1. The fund has fewer than 50 participants; 

2. The fund is sponsored by one or more employers that are not Investment Entities or 

Passive NFFEs; 

3. The employee and employer contributions to the fund (other than transfers of assets 

from treaty-qualified retirement funds described in paragraph A of this section or 

retirement and pension accounts described in subparagraph A(1) of section V of this 

Annex II)are limited by reference to earned income and compensation of the 

employee, respectively; 

4. Participants that are not residents of Tunisia are not entitled to more than 20 percent 

of the fund’s assets; and 

5. The fund is subject to government regulation and provides information reporting to 

the tax authorities in Tunisia. 

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D. Pension Fund of an Exempt Beneficial Owner. A fund established in Tunisia by an 

exempt beneficial owner to provide retirement, disability, or death benefits to 

beneficiaries or participants that are current or former employees of the exempt beneficial 

owner (or persons designated by such employees), or that are not current or former 

employees, if the benefits provided to such beneficiaries or participants are in 

consideration of personal services performed for the exempt beneficial owner. 

E. Investment Entity Wholly Owned by Exempt Beneficial Owners. An Entity that is a 

Tunisian Financial Institution solely because it is an Investment Entity, provided that 

each direct holder of an Equity Interest in the Entity is an exempt beneficial owner, and 

each direct holder of a debt interest in such Entity is either a Depository Institution (with 

respect to a loan made to such Entity) or an exempt beneficial owner. 

III. Small or Limited Scope Financial Institutions that Qualify as Deemed-Compliant FFIs. 

The following Financial Institutions are Non-Reporting Tunisian Financial Institutions that 

shall be treated as deemed-compliant FFIs for purposes of section 1471 of the U.S. Internal 

Revenue Code. 

A. Financial Institution with a Local Client Base. A Financial Institution satisfying the 

following requirements: 

1. The Financial Institution must be licensed and regulated as a financial institution 

under the laws of Tunisia; 

2. The Financial Institution must have no fixed place of business outside of Tunisia. For 

this purpose, a fixed place of business does not include a location that is not 

advertised to the public and from which the Financial Institution performs solely 

administrative support functions; 

3. The Financial Institution must not solicit customers or Account Holders outside 

Tunisia. For this purpose, a Financial Institution shall not be considered to have 

solicited customers or Account Holders outside Tunisia merely because the Financial 

Institution (a) operates a website, provided that the website does not specifically 

indicate that the Financial Institution provides Financial Accounts or services to 

nonresidents, and does not otherwise target or solicit U.S. customers or Account 

Holders, or (b) advertises in print media or on a radio or television station that is 

distributed or aired primarily within Tunisia but is also incidentally distributed or 

aired in other countries, provided that the advertisement does not specifically indicate 

that the Financial Institution provides Financial Accounts or services to nonresidents, 

and does not otherwise target or solicit U.S. customers or Account Holders; 

4. The Financial Institution must be required under the laws of Tunisia to identify 

resident Account Holders for purposes of either information reporting or withholding 

of tax with respect to Financial Accounts held by residents or for purposes of 

satisfying Tunisia’s AML due diligence requirements; 

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5. At least 98 percent of the Financial Accounts by value maintained by the Financial 

Institution must be held by residents (including residents that are Entities) of Tunisia; 

6. By the later of the Determination Date, or the date that the Financial Institution 

claims treatment as a deemed-compliant FFI pursuant to this paragraph A, the 

Financial Institution must have policies and procedures, consistent with those set 

forth in Annex I, to prevent the Financial Institution from providing a Financial 

Account to any Nonparticipating Financial Institution and to monitor whether the 

Financial Institution opens or maintains a Financial Account for any Specified U.S. 

Person who is not a resident of Tunisia (including a U.S. Person that was a resident of 

Tunisia when the Financial Account was opened but subsequently ceases to be a 

resident of Tunisia) or any Passive NFFE with Controlling Persons who are U.S. 

residents or U.S. citizens who are not residents of Tunisia; 

7. Such policies and procedures must provide that if any Financial Account held by a 

Specified U.S. Person who is not a resident of Tunisia or by a Passive NFFE with 

Controlling Persons who are U.S. residents or U.S. citizens who are not residents of 

Tunisia is identified, the Financial Institution must report such Financial Account as 

would be required if the Financial Institution were a Reporting Tunisian Financial 

Institution (including by following the applicable registration requirements on the IRS 

FATCA registration website) or close such Financial Account; 

8. With respect to a Preexisting Account held by an individual who is not a resident of 

Tunisia or by an Entity, the Financial Institution must review those Preexisting 

Accounts in accordance with the procedures set forth in Annex I applicable to 

Preexisting Accounts to identify any U.S. Reportable Account or Financial Account 

held by a Nonparticipating Financial Institution, and must report such Financial 

Account as would be required if the Financial Institution were a Reporting Tunisian 

Financial Institution (including by following the applicable registration requirements 

on the IRS FATCA registration website)or close such Financial Account; 

9. Each Related Entity of the Financial Institution that is a Financial Institution must be 

incorporated or organized in Tunisia and, with the exception of any Related Entity 

that is a retirement fund described in paragraphs A through D of section II of this 

Annex II, satisfy the requirements set forth in this paragraph A; and 

10. The Financial Institution must not have policies or practices that discriminate against 

opening or maintaining Financial Accounts for individuals who are Specified U.S. 

Persons and residents of Tunisia. 

B. Local Bank. A Financial Institution satisfying the following requirements: 

1. The Financial Institution operates solely as (and is licensed and regulated under the 

laws of Tunisia as) (a) a bank or (b) a credit union or similar cooperative credit 

organization that is operated without profit; 

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2. The Financial Institution’s business consists primarily of receiving deposits from and 

making loans to, with respect to a bank, unrelated retail customers and, with respect 

to a credit union or similar cooperative credit organization, members, provided that 

no member has a greater than five percent interest in such credit union or cooperative 

credit organization; 

3. The Financial Institution satisfies the requirements set forth in subparagraphs A(2) 

and A(3) of this section, provided that, in addition to the limitations on the website 

described in subparagraph A(3) of this section, the website does not permit the 

opening of a Financial Account; 

4. The Financial Institution does not have more than $175 million in assets on its 

balance sheet, and the Financial Institution and any Related Entities, taken together, 

do not have more than $500 million in total assets on their consolidated or combined 

balance sheets; and 

5. Any Related Entity must be incorporated or organized in Tunisia, and any Related 

Entity that is a Financial Institution, with the exception of any Related Entity that is 

a retirement fund described in paragraphs A through D of section II of this Annex II 

or a Financial Institution with only low-value accounts described in paragraph C of 

this section, must satisfy the requirements set forth in this paragraph B. 

C. Financial Institution with Only Low-Value Accounts. A Tunisian Financial Institution 

satisfying the following requirements: 

1. The Financial Institution is not an Investment Entity; 

2. No Financial Account maintained by the Financial Institution or any Related Entity 

has a balance or value in excess of $50,000, applying the rules set forth in Annex I 

for account aggregation and currency translation; and 

3. The Financial Institution does not have more than $50 million in assets on its 

balance sheet, and the Financial Institution and any Related Entities, taken together, 

do not have more than $50 million in total assets on their consolidated or combined 

balance sheets. 

D. Qualified Credit Card Issuer. A Tunisian Financial Institution satisfying the following 

requirements: 

1. The Financial Institution is a Financial Institution solely because it is an issuer of 

credit cards that accepts deposits only when a customer makes a payment in excess of 

a balance due with respect to the card and the overpayment is not immediately 

returned to the customer; and 

2. By the later of the Determination Date, or the date that the Financial Institution 

claims treatment as a deemed-compliant FFI pursuant to this paragraph D, the 

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Financial Institution implements policies and procedures to either prevent a customer 

deposit in excess of $50,000,or to ensure that any customer deposit in excess of 

$50,000, in each case applying the rules set forth in Annex I for account aggregation 

and currency translation, is refunded to the customer within 60 days. For this 

purpose, a customer deposit does not refer to credit balances to the extent of disputed 

charges but does include credit balances resulting from merchandise returns. 

IV. Investment Entities that Qualify as Deemed-Compliant FFIs and Other Special Rules. 

The Financial Institutions described in paragraphs A through E of this section are NonReporting Tunisian Financial Institutions that shall be treated as deemed-compliant FFIs for 

purposes of section 1471 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. In addition, paragraph F of this 

section provides special rules applicable to an Investment Entity. 

A. Trustee-Documented Trust. A trust established under the laws of Tunisia to the extent 

that the trustee of the trust is a Reporting U.S. Financial Institution, Reporting Model 1 

FFI, or Participating FFI and the trustee reports all information required to be reported 

pursuant to the Agreement as would be required if the trust were a Reporting Tunisian 

Financial Institution (including by following the applicable registration requirements on 

the IRS FATCA registration website). 

B. Sponsored Investment Entity and Controlled Foreign Corporation. A Financial 

Institution described in subparagraph B(1) or B(2) of this section having a sponsoring 

entity that complies with the requirements of subparagraph B(3) of this section. 

1. A Financial Institution is a sponsored investment entity if (a) it is an Investment 

Entity established in Tunisia that is not a qualified intermediary, withholding foreign 

partnership, or withholding foreign trust pursuant to relevant U.S. Treasury 

Regulations; and (b) an Entity has agreed with the Financial Institution to act as a 

sponsoring entity for the Financial Institution. 

2. A Financial Institution is a sponsored controlled foreign corporation if (a) the 

Financial Institution is a controlled foreign corporation1 organized under the laws of 

Tunisia that is not a qualified intermediary, withholding foreign partnership, or 

withholding foreign trust pursuant to relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations; (b) the 

Financial Institution is wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by a Reporting U.S. 

Financial Institution that agrees to act, or requires an affiliate of the Financial 

Institution to act, as a sponsoring entity for the Financial Institution; and (c) the 

Financial Institution shares a common electronic account system with the sponsoring 

entity that enables the sponsoring entity to identify all Account Holders and payees of 

1 A “controlled foreign corporation” means any foreign corporation if more than 50 percent of the total combined 

voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to vote, or the total value of the stock of such 

corporation, is owned, or is considered as owned, by “United States shareholders” on any day during the taxable 

year of such foreign corporation. The term a “United States shareholder” means, with respect to any foreign

corporation, a United States person who owns, or is considered as owning, 10 percent or more of the total 

combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote of such foreign corporation. 

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the Financial Institution and to access all account and customer information 

maintained by the Financial Institution including, but not limited to, customer 

identification information, customer documentation, account balance, and all 

payments made to the Account Holder or payee. 

3. The sponsoring entity complies with the following requirements: 

a) The sponsoring entity is authorized to act on behalf of the Financial Institution 

(such as a fund manager, trustee, corporate director, or managing partner) to 

fulfill applicable registration requirements on the IRS FATCA registration

website; 

b) The sponsoring entity has registered as a sponsoring entity with the IRS on the

IRS FATCA registration website; 

c) If the sponsoring entity identifies any U.S. Reportable Accounts with respect to 

the Financial Institution, the sponsoring entity registers the Financial Institution 

pursuant to applicable registration requirements on the IRS FATCA registration

website on or before the later of December 31, 2016 and the date that is 90 days 

after such a U.S. Reportable Account is first identified; 

d) The sponsoring entity agrees to perform, on behalf of the Financial Institution, all 

due diligence, withholding, reporting, and other requirements that the Financial 

Institution would have been required to perform if it were a Reporting Tunisian 

Financial Institution; 

e) The sponsoring entity identifies the Financial Institution and includes the 

identifying number of the Financial Institution (obtained by following applicable 

registration requirements on the IRS FATCA registration website)in all reporting 

completed on the Financial Institution’s behalf; and 

f) The sponsoring entity has not had its status as a sponsor revoked. 

C. Sponsored, Closely Held Investment Vehicle. A Tunisian Financial Institution 

satisfying the following requirements: 

1. The Financial Institution is a Financial Institution solely because it is an Investment 

Entity and is not a qualified intermediary, withholding foreign partnership, or 

withholding foreign trust pursuant to relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations; 

2. The sponsoring entity is a Reporting U.S. Financial Institution, Reporting Model 1 

FFI, or Participating FFI, is authorized to act on behalf of the Financial 

Institution(such as a professional manager, trustee, or managing partner),and agrees 

to perform, on behalf of the Financial Institution, all due diligence, withholding, 

reporting, and other requirements that the Financial Institution would have been 

required to perform if it were a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution; 

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3. The Financial Institution does not hold itself out as an investment vehicle for 

unrelated parties; 

4. Twenty or fewer individuals own all of the debt interests and Equity Interests in the 

Financial Institution(disregarding debt interests owned by Participating FFIs and 

deemed-compliant FFIs and Equity Interests owned by an Entity if that Entity owns 

100 percent of the Equity Interests in the Financial Institution and is itself a sponsored 

Financial Institution described in this paragraph C); and 

5. The sponsoring entity complies with the following requirements: 

a) The sponsoring entity has registered as a sponsoring entity with the IRS on the 

IRS FATCA registration website; 

b) The sponsoring entity agrees to perform, on behalf of the Financial Institution, all 

due diligence, withholding, reporting, and other requirements that the Financial 

Institution would have been required to perform if it were a Reporting Tunisian 

Financial Institution and retains documentation collected with respect to the 

Financial Institution for a period of six years; 

c) The sponsoring entity identifies the Financial Institution in all reporting 

completed on the Financial Institution’s behalf; and 

d) The sponsoring entity has not had its status as a sponsor revoked. 

D. Investment Advisors and Investment Managers. An Investment Entity established in 

Tunisia that is a Financial Institution solely because it (1) renders investment advice to, 

and acts on behalf of, or (2) manages portfolios for, and acts on behalf of, a customer for 

the purposes of investing, managing, or administering funds deposited in the name of the 

customer with a Financial Institution other than a Nonparticipating Financial Institution. 

E. Collective Investment Vehicle. An Investment Entity established in Tunisia that is 

regulated as a collective investment vehicle, provided that all of the interests in the 

collective investment vehicle (including debt interests in excess of $50,000) are held by 

or through one or more exempt beneficial owners, Active NFFEs described in 

subparagraph B(4) of section VI of Annex I, U.S. Persons that are not Specified U.S. 

Persons, or Financial Institutions that are not Nonparticipating Financial Institutions. 

F. Special Rules. The following rules apply to an Investment Entity: 

1. With respect to interests in an Investment Entity that is a collective investment 

vehicle described in paragraph E of this section, the reporting obligations of any 

Investment Entity (other than a Financial Institution through which interests in the 

collective investment vehicle are held) shall be deemed fulfilled. 

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2. With respect to interests in: 

a) An Investment Entity established in a Partner Jurisdiction that is regulated as a 

collective investment vehicle, all of the interests in which (including debt interests 

in excess of $50,000) are held by or through one or more exempt beneficial 

owners, Active NFFEs described in subparagraph B(4) of section VI of Annex I, 

U.S. Persons that are not Specified U.S. Persons, or Financial Institutions that are 

not Nonparticipating Financial Institutions; or 

b) An Investment Entity that is a qualified collective investment vehicle under 

relevant U.S. Treasury Regulations; 

the reporting obligations of any Investment Entity that is a Tunisian Financial 

Institution (other than a Financial Institution through which interests in the collective 

investment vehicle are held) shall be deemed fulfilled. 

3. With respect to interests in an Investment Entity established in Tunisia that is not 

described in paragraph E or subparagraph F(2) of this section, consistent with 

paragraph 3 of Article 5 of the Agreement, the reporting obligations of all other 

Investment Entities with respect to such interests shall be deemed fulfilled if the 

information required to be reported by the first-mentioned Investment Entity pursuant 

to the Agreement with respect to such interests is reported by such Investment Entity 

or another person. 

4. An Investment Entity established in Tunisia that is regulated as a collective 

investment vehicle shall not fail to qualify under paragraph E or subparagraph F(2) of 

this section, or otherwise as a deemed-compliant FFI, solely because the collective 

investment vehicle has issued physical shares in bearer form, provided that: 

a) The collective investment vehicle has not issued, and does not issue, any physical 

shares in bearer form after December 31, 2012; 

b) The collective investment vehicle retires all such shares upon surrender; 

c) The collective investment vehicle (or a Reporting Tunisian Financial Institution) 

performs the due diligence procedures set forth in Annex I and reports any 

information required to be reported with respect to any such shares when such 

shares are presented for redemption or other payment; and 

d) The collective investment vehicle has in place policies and procedures to ensure 

that such shares are redeemed or immobilized as soon as possible, and in any 

event prior to January 1, 2017. 

V. Accounts Excluded from Financial Accounts. The following accounts are excluded from 

the definition of Financial Accounts and therefore shall not be treated as U.S. Reportable 

Accounts. 

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A. Certain Savings Accounts. 

1. Retirement and Pension Account. A retirement or pension account maintained in 

Tunisia that satisfies the following requirements under the laws of Tunisia. 

a) The account is subject to regulation as a personal retirement account or is part of a 

registered or regulated retirement or pension plan for the provision of retirement 

or pension benefits (including disability or death benefits); 

b) The account is tax-favored (i.e., contributions to the account that would otherwise 

be subject to tax under the laws of Tunisia are deductible or excluded from the 

gross income of the account holder or taxed at a reduced rate, or taxation of 

investment income from the account is deferred or taxed at a reduced rate); 

c) Annual information reporting is required to the tax authorities in Tunisia with 

respect to the account; 

d) Withdrawals are conditioned on reaching a specified retirement age, disability, or 

death, or penalties apply to withdrawals made before such specified events; and 

e) Either (i) annual contributions are limited to $50,000 or less, or (ii) there is a 

maximum lifetime contribution limit to the account of $1,000,000 or less, in each 

case applying the rules set forth in Annex I for account aggregation and currency 

translation. 

2. Non-Retirement Savings Accounts. An account maintained in Tunisia (other than an 

insurance or Annuity Contract) that satisfies the following requirements under the 

laws of Tunisia. 

a) The account is subject to regulation as a savings vehicle for purposes other than 

for retirement; 

b) The account is tax-favored (i.e., contributions to the account that would otherwise 

be subject to tax under the laws of Tunisia are deductible or excluded from the 

gross income of the account holder or taxed at a reduced rate, or taxation of 

investment income from the account is deferred or taxed at a reduced rate); 

c) Withdrawals are conditioned on meeting specific criteria related to the purpose of 

the savings account (for example, the provision of educational or medical 

benefits), or penalties apply to withdrawals made before such criteria are met; and 

d) Annual contributions are limited to $50,000 or less, applying the rules set forth in 

Annex I for account aggregation and currency translation. 

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B. Certain Term Life Insurance Contracts. A life insurance contract maintained in 

Tunisia with a coverage period that will end before the insured individual attains age 90, 

provided that the contract satisfies the following requirements: 

1. Periodic premiums, which do not decrease over time, are payable at least annually 

during the period the contract is in existence or until the insured attains age 90, 

whichever is shorter; 

2. The contract has no contract value that any person can access (by withdrawal, loan, or 

otherwise) without terminating the contract; 

3. The amount (other than a death benefit) payable upon cancellation or termination of 

the contract cannot exceed the aggregate premiums paid for the contract, less the sum 

of mortality, morbidity, and expense charges (whether or not actually imposed) for 

the period or periods of the contract’s existence and any amounts paid prior to the 

cancellation or termination of the contract; and 

4. The contract is not held by a transferee for value. 

C. Account Held By an Estate. An account maintained in Tunisia that is held solely by an 

estate if the documentation for such account includes a copy of the deceased’s will or 

death certificate. 

D. Escrow Accounts. An account maintained in Tunisia established in connection with any 

of the following: 

1. A court order or judgment. 

2. A sale, exchange, or lease of real or personal property, provided that the account 

satisfies the following requirements: 

a) The account is funded solely with a down payment, earnest money, deposit in an 

amount appropriate to secure an obligation directly related to the transaction, or a 

similar payment, or is funded with a financial asset that is deposited in the 

account in connection with the sale, exchange, or lease of the property; 

b) The account is established and used solely to secure the obligation of the 

purchaser to pay the purchase price for the property, the seller to pay any 

contingent liability, or the lessor or lessee to pay for any damages relating to the 

leased property as agreed under the lease; 

c) The assets of the account, including the income earned thereon, will be paid or 

otherwise distributed for the benefit of the purchaser, seller, lessor, or lessee 

(including to satisfy such person’s obligation) when the property is sold, 

exchanged, or surrendered, or the lease terminates; 

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d) The account is not a margin or similar account established in connection with a 

sale or exchange of a financial asset; and 

e) The account is not associated with a credit card account. 

3. An obligation of a Financial Institution servicing a loan secured by real property to 

set aside a portion of a payment solely to facilitate the payment of taxes or insurance 

related to the real property at a later time. 

4. An obligation of a Financial Institution solely to facilitate the payment of taxes at a 

later time. 

E. Partner Jurisdiction Accounts. An account maintained in Tunisia and excluded from 

the definition of Financial Account under an agreement between the United States and 

another Partner Jurisdiction to facilitate the implementation of FATCA, provided that 

such account is subject to the same requirements and oversight under the laws of such 

other Partner Jurisdiction as if such account were established in that Partner Jurisdiction 

and maintained by a Partner Jurisdiction Financial Institution in that Partner Jurisdiction. 

VI. Definitions. The following additional definitions shall apply to the descriptions above: 

A. Reporting Model 1 FFI. The term Reporting Model 1 FFI means a Financial Institution 

with respect to which a non-U.S. government or agency thereof agrees to obtain and 

exchange information pursuant to a Model 1 IGA, other than a Financial Institution 

treated as a Nonparticipating Financial Institution under the Model 1 IGA. For purposes 

of this definition, the term Model 1 IGA means an arrangement between the United 

States or the Treasury Department and a non-U.S. government or one or more agencies 

thereof to implement FATCA through reporting by Financial Institutions to such nonU.S. government or agency thereof, followed by automatic exchange of such reported 

information with the IRS. 

B. Participating FFI. The term Participating FFI means a Financial Institution that has 

agreed to comply with the requirements of an FFI Agreement, including a Financial 

Institution described in a Model 2 IGA that has agreed to comply with the requirements 

of an FFI Agreement. The term Participating FFI also includes a qualified intermediary 

branch of a Reporting U.S. Financial Institution, unless such branch is a Reporting Model 

1 FFI. For purposes of this definition, the term FFI Agreement means an agreement that 

sets forth the requirements for a Financial Institution to be treated as complying with the 

requirements of section 1471(b) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. In addition, for 

purposes of this definition, the term Model 2 IGA means an arrangement between the 

United States or the Treasury Department and a non-U.S. government or one or more 

agencies thereof to facilitate the implementation of FATCA through reporting by 

Financial Institutions directly to the IRS in accordance with the requirements of an FFI 

Agreement, supplemented by the exchange of information between such non-U.S. 

government or agency thereof and the IRS. 

Annex II – 13