Tunisia’s Independence Day, commemorating the end of the French protectorate in 1956, is observed on 20 March.
France established its protectorate over Tunisia in 1881. After years of nationalist organizing and negotiations, France recognized Tunisian independence on 20 March 1956. Muhammad VIII al-Amin was the reigning bey, while Habib Bourguiba became the country’s first prime minister and later its first president.
The holiday is marked by official ceremonies, speeches, patriotic cultural events, and public displays of the Tunisian flag. It celebrates the restoration of national sovereignty rather than the later establishment of the republic.
That distinction matters because Tunisia’s Republic Day falls on 25 July, commemorating the abolition of the monarchy in 1957. Independence Day and Republic Day therefore refer to two different milestones.