Tunisian RIB: structure, IBAN and verification before a transfer

The RIB (bank account identifier) identifies an account. Knowing it lets you receive a transfer; checking it prevents a payment from going to the wrong place.

How a Tunisian RIB is built

A Tunisian RIB has 20 digits, broken down as follows:

Internationally, the IBAN is used: the letters “TN”, two check digits, then the 20 digits of the RIB.

What the key is for

The key is calculated from the other 18 digits using a modulo-97 type of check. In practice, a simple typing error (one changed digit, two swapped digits) is almost always detected when the key is recalculated.

What the key does not do: it says nothing about the account holder, nor about the identity of the person who gave you the RIB. A RIB can be perfectly valid and yet not be that of the person you want to pay.

Checking a RIB before paying

• Compare the holder's name with the person or company to be paid.
• Confirm any change of RIB through a second channel (a call, a meeting): it is the most common fraud on invoices.
• Copy, don't retype: copy-pasting from a trusted document reduces typing errors.
• For a large first payment, some organizations start with a small test transfer before the full amount.

Why virement.tn verifies organizations' RIBs

A wrong or diverted RIB means money going to the wrong person — or an invoice that will never be paid. On virement.tn, an organization must have at least one verified RIB checked by the team before it can issue an invoice. Its customers thus know that the destination account has been checked.

For the basics of the payment itself, read our guide to bank transfers in Tunisia.