Iran Work Visa and Investor Residency for Foreign Nationals

Which Iran entry route fits your case?

Legal accuracy: A general “six-month Iran work visa” should not be presented as the rule for every case. Entry visas, residence permits and work permits are separate instruments. The ordinary work permit may be issued, renewed or reissued for up to one year under the Labour Law; an exceptional temporary work permit may be issued for up to three months.

Iran work visa and work-permit process

Article 120 of the Iranian Labour Law generally requires a foreign national to hold both an entry visa carrying a specified right to work and a valid work permit. A tourist, business or study visa—or company registration by itself—does not automatically authorize employment.

Typical sequence

1. Applicant review: nationality, passport or residence document, professional background, proposed role and workplace.
2. Employer file: corporate records, business license, insurance list and organizational information, depending on the case.
3. Work-entry application: review by the relevant foreign-employment authorities and, where required, the technical board.
4. Legal entry and filing: the employer submits the work-permit documents within the prescribed period; the 2022 procedure refers to one month after entry.
5. Permit issuance: the employer, role, location and validity must match the real employment.
6. Renewal or amendment: a new employer, job type or work location may require renewal, reissuance or amendment.

Common documents reviewed

• Valid passport, identity pages and relevant visa or residence documents
• Employment contract or offer and a precise job description
• Education, skills and experience evidence relevant to the position
• Employer incorporation documents and latest corporate changes
• Business license, insurance records and organizational documents where required
• Certified translations and consular or administrative legalization where applicable

Afghan, Pakistani and other foreign nationals should not be placed into one standard checklist. The applicant’s lawful stay, document category, province, occupation and employer materially affect the process.

Five-year investor residency in Iran

Cabinet Decree No. 107450/T59267H provides a route under which foreign nationals investing or making an eligible long-term deposit of at least the equivalent of USD 100,000 may be reviewed for a five-year residence permit after confirmation by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance.

The amount alone does not guarantee residence. Source and method of funds, investment structure, banking and corporate evidence, confirmation by the investment authorities and the absence of legal or security barriers remain relevant. The accepted currency equivalent and filing method must be confirmed at the time of application.

Investment structures that may be reviewed

• Direct investment in an Iranian company or approved economic project
• Share acquisition or capital increase in an existing business where new value is created
• Cash or non-cash foreign capital, including qualifying equipment, know-how or intellectual-property rights
• Eligible long-term foreign-currency deposits through accepted channels
• Approved contractual or joint-venture structures

Key evidence

• Passports and identity records for the investor and eligible family members
• Foreign-company constitutional documents, directors and signatory authority
• Investment plan, commercial rationale and operating model
• Evidence of the lawful source, entry and allocation of funds
• Investment-license records and correspondence where the selected route requires them
• Company, branch, project or joint-venture documents where relevant

Company, branch or joint venture for a foreign investor

Russian, European, East Asian and other international companies may need both a corporate vehicle and work authorization for foreign directors or specialists. These routes should be coordinated, but they remain legally distinct.

How Armani Sabt supports foreign-national and investor cases

• Initial case assessment and separation of employment, investment and corporate routes
• Company, branch, representative-office and joint-venture structure review
• Passport, parent-company, certified-translation and signatory-document control
• Work-entry visa and work-permit checklist for the employer and foreign national
• Documented coordination through the official procedures of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Interior and foreign-investment authorities, as applicable
• Integration with company registration, tax, insurance, contracts, trademark and sector licensing

Armani Sabt does not guarantee a government decision. Our role is to select the correct route, improve document quality, reduce avoidable errors and follow the case through official procedures.

Frequently asked questions