Angels are a Rare Species

A European woman, married to a Tunisian man, will find living with him here is in many ways quite different from her previous life with him in Europe. She may be a modern, independent woman, better educated, with more money than her "better half", yet Tunisian authorities still have those images in their head from the "good old days" whereby a woman  can not be trusted to walk on her own legs and therefore require a man as her guardian. Thus the Tunisian husband has to sign a paper saying he'll provide for her and be her guardian. The authorities want to make sure foreign wifes won't become beggars or expect the state to provide for them. How else could it be otherwise? I beg you pardon? This new generation of Tunisian females have (generally speaking) such a big mouth, so that such regulation can surely only apply to women with a foreign nationality, even though perhaps married to a Tunisian for "donkey's years". - You can not buy a house here unless you've been a resident for at least 5 years. If you are stinking rich there'll be different rules, as always ("All are equal, some are more equal than others" famous quote from  George Orwell, Animal Farm).You can of course take your money and get the house registered in your husband's name. I would advise against this, because if your marriage breaks up - for whatever reasons - he can keep the house and you may have to leave the country without compensation. On the other hand, once you fulfil the condition that entitles you to become a house owner (wanting to be on the save side, also in case he passes away before you, pos. problems with the family), in order to do so, you have to officially buy the house from your husband. Even if he agrees not to take money from you for buying your own property, you'll have to pay tax at the current rate in accordance with the estimated value of the house. I've been told several women lost all their money,  while the ex-husband is now a happy house owner, perhaps with a new wife taking over, while the previous one is left with the hope, maybe one day he'll get what he deserves. Encountering a lot of envy (from the uneducated), reminds me of the engraving on an one hundred year old house in Germany: "May God give to all who know us twice as much as they don't begrudge us." If you want to be popular in Tunisia, don't ever criticize any one, not a trifle bit. The folks here never make any mistakes (don't say he who doesn't work, doesn't make mistakes....). When you believe you discovered one, just watch it, it is really amazing how everything will be turned upside down and back again, so it's in the end actually your mistake! Surprising such brilliant people, why aren't they more successful with ingenious inventions?