Iran scraps visa-free entry for Indians, govt issues travel alert

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : India's neighboring country, Iran, has made a major change to its visa policy for Indian passport holders. Beginning November 22nd, travelers holding ordinary Indian passports will be required to obtain a visa for entry or transit into Iran.

Iran had granted visa-free entry to Indians in February 2024 to promote tourism, but this facility has now been withdrawn. The Iranian embassy stated on the social media platform X that the suspension of the unilateral "tourist visa waiver" for Indians will be implemented from November 22, 2025, after which a visa will be mandatory.

Regarding this matter, the External Affairs Minister said that the Centre has drawn attention to incidents in which Indian nationals were lured to Iran on false promises of employment or transit to third countries. The Ministry said in a statement, "People were lured into travelling to Iran by taking advantage of the visa exemption facility available to ordinary Indian passport holders. Upon reaching Iran, many of them were kidnapped for ransom." It also said that in view of such incidents, Tehran has suspended the visa exemption facility available to ordinary Indian passport holders travelling to Iran. The suspension is aimed at preventing further misuse of this facility by criminal elements. From November 22, Indian nationals with ordinary passports will be required to obtain a visa to enter or transit through Iran.

The ministry has also advised Indian nationals wishing to travel to Iran to be cautious and avoid agents offering visa-free travel or onward travel to third countries via Iran.

Fraud cases in Iran

In May this year, three people from Punjab who were trying to travel to Australia illegally were kidnapped in Iran. A Punjab agent had promised to send Hushanpreet Singh (Sangrur), Jaspal Singh (SBS Nagar), and Amritpal Singh (Hoshiarpur) to Australia via the Dubai-Iran route. He allegedly assured them that they would be provided accommodation in Iran. However, soon after arriving in Iran on May 1, they were allegedly kidnapped. According to the victims' families, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore.