Iran has closed visa-free entry for Indians, rules will change from November 22; why was this big decision taken?

News Topical, Digital Desk : India's neighboring country, Iran, has dealt a major blow to Indian citizens. Effective November 22nd, Iran has made a major change to its visa policy. Now, Indian citizens holding ordinary passports will no longer be able to enter Iran without a visa. Previously, Iran introduced visa exemption for Indians in February 2024 to promote tourism.

"The implementation of the unilateral tourist visa cancellation rules for Indian citizens holding ordinary passports in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been suspended until November 22, 2025. From this date onwards, Indian citizens holding ordinary passports will be required to obtain a visa to enter or transit through Iran," the Iranian Embassy in India said in a post on X.

India replied 

The External Affairs Minister said that the Centre's attention has been drawn to incidents where Indian nationals were lured to Iran on false promises of employment or transit to third countries.

"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," the ministry said in a statement.

It also said that in view of such incidents, Tehran has cancelled 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 citizens holding 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 men from Punjab were kidnapped in Iran while trying to travel to Australia illegally. 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 reportedly assured them that they would be provided with accommodation in Iran. However, shortly after arriving in Iran on May 1, they were allegedly kidnapped. According to the victims' families, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of ₹1 crore (10 million rupees).

The three men were rescued after India urged Iranian authorities to intervene in the matter. In September, India had warned its citizens seeking employment in Iran to exercise heightened vigilance in light of recent cases of fraudulent job offers.

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