Iranian officials have moved to tighten travel restrictions on Afghan migrants, banning the sale of bus tickets to undocumented individuals and prohibiting travel even for documented migrants to certain provinces.
At a high-level meeting on Saturday, 2 August, officials reviewed the deportation process for Afghan migrants. Vahid Golikani, head of the General Directorate for Foreign Nationals and Migrant Affairs in Tehran province, said that “Afghan migrants with legal documents are not permitted to travel to restricted provinces, and selling tickets or transporting them to these areas is illegal.”
He warned transportation companies against selling tickets or transporting Afghan nationals to provinces where their presence is prohibited, stressing that violations would be met with legal consequences.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Interior, Afghan migrants, documented or undocumented, are banned from residing in or travelling to 15 provinces, including East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, North Khorasan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Sistan and Baluchistan, Khuzestan, and Hamedan.
Golikani stated that the deportation of undocumented migrants requires full coordination between agencies and should only occur after proper registration through designated detention and processing centres. He added that unauthorised removals pose significant legal and humanitarian challenges.
He also announced that Afghan nationals wishing to return voluntarily must register at the Khavaran Return Centre. Once repatriated, they are not permitted to re-enter Iran.
Hamidreza Rahmani, head of Iran’s Terminals and Transportation Organisation, reiterated that undocumented Afghans are not allowed to work in passenger transport services, commercial stalls, or as contractors. He said that security forces are actively monitoring bus terminals to prevent the sale of tickets to Afghan migrants and to ensure continued coordination among agencies to maintain public order.
Iran enforces some of the strictest restrictions on Afghan migrants in the region. Authorities have previously directed employers not to hire Afghans and instructed landlords not to rent property to them.
According to the Taliban, nearly two million Afghans have been forcibly deported from Iran in the past three months alone.
