Just Landed in Iran? Your First 7 Days

Mobile coverage is good in cities and prepaid SIMs are cheap and passport-registered on the spot. Fixed and mobile internet is heavily filtered, throttled during periods of unrest, and effectively unusable for many foreign services without a VPN. Home ADSL and fibre exist through providers linked to the main telcos, but international bandwidth is deliberately limited, so expect Iranian sites to load quickly and foreign ones slowly or not at all.

Typical cost: A prepaid SIM costs roughly 100,000-300,000 toman, with monthly data bundles of 20-50GB around 200,000-500,000 toman depending on the operator and any promotion.

Iran is disconnected from Visa, Mastercard, and SWIFT, so international cards and transfers do not function at all. The domestic economy runs on cash and on the Shetab card network via local debit cards, which nearly every shop accepts through a card reader. Values swing with the free-market dollar rate, which in mid-2026 sat around 190,000 toman to one US dollar, so prices in shops and rents move noticeably from month to month.

Opening an account: Foreigners can open an account at banks such as Bank Melli, Bank Mellat, Bank Pasargad, or Bank Saderat once they hold a residence permit and a melli (national ID) code. Bring your passport, permit, and a local address, and expect Persian-only forms and an in-person branch visit. A local debit card and the bank's app for online transfers (kart be kart) quickly become essential for daily life.

Cash: Cash is king, and many rents, deposits, and large purchases are still settled in physical notes or by direct card transfer. Keep dollars or euros for exchange and always carry rial cash, because ATMs dispense and read only domestic Shetab cards. For big sums, Iranians commonly move money bank-to-bank by card number rather than handling suitcases of notes.

Tipping: Tipping is modest and optional. Round up taxi fares and leave about 10 percent in nicer restaurants, where a service charge may already appear on the bill. A small tip to hotel porters, parking attendants (who often guide you into spaces), and delivery riders is appreciated but not expected.

Foreign nationals staying long-term must hold and validate a residence permit (eqamat) through the Bureau of Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs, part of the national police (FARAJA). The permit ties to a melli code that you need for a bank account, a formal lease, and most services. Address changes and any move are recorded with the local police, and employer- or study-sponsored residents are generally registered through their sponsor, who handles much of the paperwork on their behalf.

Deadline: Within the validity window of your entry visa, typically the first few days to weeks, before it lapses; confirm the exact date stamped in your passport and do not let it expire, as overstaying carries fines and complications.

Where: The Bureau of Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (Aliens Affairs / Amaken office) of the provincial police (FARAJA), or via your employer or university, which will usually escort or guide you through the appointments.

Tehran has an extensive, cheap metro with several lines and a large BRT (bus rapid transit) network, while ride-hailing apps have largely replaced flagging street taxis. Traffic is heavy, air quality can be poor in winter, and driving is assertive, so newcomers usually rely on Snapp, Tapsi, and the metro rather than buying a car. A rechargeable smartcard covers metro and bus fares, and shared 'khatti' taxis run fixed routes for a set fare if you can follow the Persian.

From the airport: From Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA), around 50km south of Tehran, an official airport taxi or a Snapp/Tapsi ride to the city centre takes 45-75 minutes and costs roughly 500,000-1,500,000 toman depending on traffic and time of day. Metro Line 1 also connects IKA to the city with limited hours, and the smaller Mehrabad Airport (THR) handles domestic flights much closer to the centre.

Most rentals use the traditional rahn-o-ejareh system: a large upfront deposit (rahn) plus a smaller monthly rent (ejareh), with the balance between the two open to negotiation. Foreigners usually rent furnished flats in northern Tehran neighbourhoods through local agents (bongah) or the Divar and Sheypoor classifieds apps, and contracts are drafted in Persian, so a trusted Persian speaker at signing is worth the effort.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat in central or northern Tehran runs roughly 20,000,000-45,000,000 toman per month, considerably less in southern districts and far cheaper in smaller cities such as Isfahan, Shiraz, or Tabriz.

Deposit norm: A rahn deposit is very large, often equivalent to a year or more of rent (frequently hundreds of millions of toman), and is returned in full at the end of the lease. You can negotiate a higher rahn for lower monthly ejareh, and a full-rahn (rahn-e-kamel) arrangement can replace monthly rent entirely, which suits tenants who can front the lump sum.

Iran has capable private and public hospitals, with the best facilities concentrated in Tehran, Shiraz, and Mashhad, and a strong reputation for affordable specialist care. Treatment is inexpensive by Western standards but often paid in cash upfront, and sanctions cause intermittent shortages of some imported medicines and equipment, so bring a supply of anything you cannot easily replace.

How to access it: For non-emergencies, walk in to a private clinic or hospital, such as the well-regarded ones in northern Tehran, and pay directly at the desk. Dial 115 for an ambulance in a genuine emergency, or 112 which routes to emergency services from any mobile. Bring a Persian-speaking friend where you can, as English is limited outside the major private hospitals and university medical centres.

Insurance: Residents can enrol in the state Salamat or Tamin-e-Ejtemaei (Social Security) schemes through an employer, but most expats buy private Iranian health insurance or hold international cover. Crucially, verify that any international policy will actually pay out and evacuate given sanctions, because many global insurers exclude Iran or cannot transfer funds into the country.

• Women must wear a headscarf (hijab) and modest clothing covering the arms and legs in all public places, and men should avoid shorts. The dress code is legally enforced, though enforcement intensity varies over time and by area.
• Accept the ritual of taarof: offers of payment, food, or a seat are made and politely declined several times before being accepted, and a taxi driver or shopkeeper may at first refuse your money. Insisting gently once or twice is expected on both sides.
• Remove your shoes when entering a home, and accept the tea and food you are offered, since refusing outright can seem cold or ungrateful. Bringing sweets, pastries, or flowers to a host is a warmly received gesture.
• Use your right hand for giving and receiving, greet the eldest person in a room first, and stand when someone senior enters.
• Physical contact between unrelated men and women is restrained in public; wait to see if a woman offers her hand before offering yours, and greet the same sex more freely.
• Learn a few Persian courtesies such as salaam (hello), merci or mamnoon (thank you), and khoda hafez (goodbye); even a little Farsi is met with genuine delight.
• Dining is generous and communal, so pace yourself, and expect your host to keep refilling your plate as a sign of hospitality rather than an obligation to finish everything.

• Alcohol is illegal, and possession, drinking, or supplying it carries serious penalties. Do not accept or seek out home-brewed spirits from strangers, which are also a genuine poisoning risk.
• Avoid photographing government buildings, military sites, airports, and protests, and never discuss politics or criticise the state publicly or online, where monitoring is real.
• Dual nationals and Western passport holders face a heightened risk of detention and questioning; keep your documents in order and avoid areas near sensitive sites, military zones, and land borders.
• Relationships and cohabitation outside marriage are legally and socially fraught, so be discreet and cautious about who you involve.
• Follow local news and your protecting power's advice closely, because internet blackouts, fuel-price protests, and regional tensions can flare with little warning.