Many travelers prefer driving in Iran, rather than using other transportation measures. While this sounds like a cool idea, you need to have information about the driving rules in Iran. It goes without saying that you need to carry along specific documents. You should also pay certain taxes to be allowed to enter the country with your vehicle. In this case, nothing can help you as much as a reliable and an informative guide.

This article explains comprehensive information about traveling to Iran with your own car and driving laws in Iran.

Driving In Iran

Can I drive through Iran?

Driving a car in Iran, whether rented or one’s own, is an option many travelers choose. So, yes you can drive a vehicle through Iran, but you must keep in mind that:

You need to present special documents, at first you have to have Iran visa.
You need to show that you have paid the related and necessary taxes before entering the country.
You need to have an insurance for your vehicle.
You need to know that while everyone follows the driving rules in Iran, at times it seems like no one does so. Well, you can see what we mean scrolling this page further down.

So far so good. But exactly what do we mean by what we just said? I say, let’s keep on reading.

Driving in Iran for British, Canadian and American nationals

British, Canadian, and American citizens are required to be accompanied by an official tour guide in Iran. Hence, these nationals are not allowed to drive their personal cars in Iran.

While driving own or rented vehicle is not possible, they can book a tour or a driver guide to tour Iran. These guides are especially authorized to guide British, Canadian, and American nationals across Iran. All you need to do is to rely on an official travel agency. They will take care of all you need for an enjoyable trip in Iran.

How do I get a driver’s license in Iran?

Imagine a local officer wants to check your documents for whatever reason. The first documents you need to present are your passport and driver’s license. But what if your license is in a language other than Persian? How should the officer check its validity? And the same problem goes with renting a car.

To be able to drive your own car or a rented one in Iran, you don’t need to get involved in obtaining a driver’s license from scratch. You just need to have an international driving permit (IDP), which is acceptable in Iran.

An international driving license is a booklet with the translation of your original driving license to 12 languages. In order to be able to drive in many countries, you need to present this document. But in addition to this document, you need to have your official driver’s license, issued by the country where you obtained it.

In Iran, you can apply for an IDP by visiting the website for the Touring and Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But this might take some of the short time you have foreseen for traveling. Therefore, we recommend obtaining your IDP before visiting Iran.

What documents do I need while driving in Iran?

In addition to an international driving permit, you also need to carry along:

Your original driver’s license
Your passport
Carnet de passages en douane
Car insurance
The ownership document of your car
Cabotage

What’s a carnet de passages en douane?

You might not be familiar with a carnet de passages Iran (CPD) document. In some middle eastern countries, the document is also called a “trip ticket”. This is an international customs document, which is required for temporarily bringing your vehicle in a country. In Iran, you are also required to carry along this document.

According to the website of carnet de passages organization, “A CPD is a globally insured customs guarantee document confirming that customs duties and taxes will be paid in case the vehicle does not return to the country of registration. It means a CPD holder will not be required to pay customs guarantee deposit in the country where the vehicle is brought on a temporary importation basis.”

In addition to this, with the carnet de passages in iran it is possible to identify your vehicle with its type, model, size, color, etc. This document also ensures that all driving rules will be followed in the destination.

Why is it better than a customs payment at the border?

Because it may take a duration of weeks or months for your deposit to be returned to you.

Also, according to the organization, “Once the CPD has been used and is no longer needed, before its expiry date, the vehicle owner can return it back to the CPD-issuing organization in the country of vehicle registration. At the same time, he will be refunded the guarantee deposit he paid when the CPD (Trip Ticket) was issued.”

what about visa? Can someone get visa at the land border?

It depends, for info checkout Iran visa on arrival .

How can I get the document?

As this information is also sensitive, we thought it’s better to quote CPD’s terms:

The authentic CPD (or “trip ticket”) can be issued by members of the Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT) and Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in strict accordance with the terms of the United Nations Customs Convention of 1954 and 1956.

The AIT & FIA network has over 230 affiliated associations operating in 124 countries around the world. All CPD-issuing members are approved by the customs authorities of their countries and AIT/FIA CPDs guarantee uninterrupted border crossing.

So, make sure to get your CPD from an official association. Also, make sure to use it within the specified period of time. If you want do it online you can apply through carnet de passage iran website (CPD official website).

Car insurance in Iran

Having a car insurance is not a must in Iran. However, it is better to have your car insured by a firm either in your home country or in Iran. But Alessie is an international company that is specialized in temporary insurance for automobiles, campers and motorcycles.

Fuel prices, fuel cards, and fuel stations in Iran

First, let’s have a language class. Gasoline is called ‘benzin’, and diesel fuel is called both ‘gazoeel’ or ‘sookhte dizel’. Fuel is available at fuel stations inside the cities. On the roads, you will also be able to find fuel stations. However, depending on the region, you might find it a little hard to find fuel stations at close distances outside cities and residential areas.

People use especial fuel cards in order to fill up the tanks of their cars. But you shouldn’t worry, as you can have your tank filled without these cards, but for a higher price.

With a fuel card, Iranians can only use normal gasoline, which is 1500 tomans per litre. Without the fuel card, normal gasoline is 3000 tomans per litre. Super fuels are worth 3500 tomans per litre, and are available only without fuel cards.

Every Iranian can use their fuel cards for a limit of 60 litres per month. For amounts above that limit, the normal price must be paid. In addition to gasoline, if your car runs on compress natural gas fuels (cng) it is possible to refuel your car in Iran.

Streets and roads in Iran

On the streets of Iran, you will see pedestrians and drivers who very well know the driving rules in Iran, but often don’t follow them. Yes, that’s true, and welcome to Iran!

Crossing the street or driving on Iranian avenues may seem like daunting tasks in the beginning. To the extent that many foreigners in Iran may think Iranian driving laws are different from other countries. But the truth is, almost all driving rules are the same. It’s just that the people sometimes feel free to violate some of them, such as, not using the crosswalks to cross the streets, break in your line or overtake without indicating and sometimes even from the right side of the car rather than the left side (cars are supposed to overtake on the left side), or disrespecting the speed limit. These are only some of the violations.

So, this might make it hard for foreigners to drive in Iran, or cross the street. But this is not something to worry about. It’s all about getting used to the situation, being extra careful, and be prepared to see insane driving habits. Smiles.

Despite the streets, the roads are easier for driving. Even though violations take place there as well, they are relatively calmer and less crowded. Also, sometimes the experience on some of the roads is priceless because they lead to amazing natural sceneries and locations. But then again, you should expect violations and sometimes life-threatening encounters with other drivers.

Also checkout Iran tour packages for finding best destination.

Things you might like to know:

There are resting areas on the roads between the cities. At these places you can fill up your tank, take nature’s call, have a meal, or shop at the supermarket. However, not all roads may have the same number of resting areas. So, we recommend you to use the ones you see on the road.

On the borderlines of cities and provinces, there are security checks and stations where sometimes you need to pay road taxes. You can find restrooms and gas stations at some of these security points as well.

Drinking alcohol in the car, as well as not wearing hijab for women is in Iran. If you get caught with an alcoholic drink in your car, drunk, or with the woman passengers’ hijab off, then you might be fined.

also checkout: Alcohol in Iran

Accidents on roads and highways are hit high rates in Iran. Yes, with the freestyle driving habits of some Iranians, this doesn’t sound surprising at all.

Motorbikes often don’t take traffic rules seriously.

Safety note:

You might see people waiting for cars on the side of the roads or streets. They might even try to flag you down or might look in need of help. It is our strong recommendation to you to ignore them and keep on driving. Unfortunately, some such incidents have made crime cases where the owner of the car is robbed of his/her property in the best-case scenario.

Traffic in the cities of Iran

Driving on streets and roads where disrespecting driving laws is common, is already hard. You can expect the situation get more complicated on streets and highways with heavy traffic.

Generally speaking, during the rush hours, on national and religious holidays, as well as the weekends (on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday especially at nights) the streets get more loaded with cars. Expect getting stuck in traffic in major cities like Tehran.

Driving rules in Iran

Here are some of the most important driving rules in Iran:

The minimum age for driving in Iran is 18.

All drivers are required to have a driver’s license, the documents related to the ownership of the car, and insurance.

It is also important to have the documents related to the recent technical examination of the car.

Having a third-party insurance is necessary.

Iranians drive on the right side of the road. This means for overtaking others, they need to go to the left side of the street.

Wearing a seatbelt is mandatory.

Drivers must not driver under the influence of alcoholic drinks or narcotics.

Talking on the phone while driving is not allowed.

Women with a valid driving license are allowed to drive in Iran.

For people with disabilities, there is a special disabled sign on the car plate.

There are 4 types of driving licenses in Iran:

first grade driver license (to drive vehicles more than 3500 kg, the driver must be at least 23 years old)

specific driver license (to drive vehicles more than 3500 kg, the driver must be at least 23 years old)

second grade driver license (to drive vehicles up to 3500 kg, the driver must be at least 18 years old)

motorcycle permit (to drive vehicles up to 3500 kg, the driver must be at least 18 years old)

Speed limits on the roads, highways, and streets of Iran

The speed limit may vary on the roads, highways, and streets, as well as residential and non-residential areas.

50 km/h, on streets in residential areas
70-110 km/h, outside residential areas
70-120 km/h, on the highways

Spare parts and repair shops

I wouldn’t like a problem with my car on a trip to a country I have just started exploring. But ugh, you can’t avoid it! It’s only a relief that Iranians are skillful craftsmen, who will gladly help you. Sometimes they won’t take money, or would ask to have a picture with you. This comes from the Iranian hospitality for foreigners. You will be able to find repair shop in both small and big cities. Even on the roads, you can find repair shops either at small villages, or at the checkpoints on the road.

As for spare parts, to be honest, it might sometimes be hard to find original spare parts for your particular vehicle. The sanctions imposed by the USA on Iran, play a major part here. Many brands of vehicles do not have a branch in Iran or their spare parts are not imported directly. If you find the pieces, sometimes you should wait for the shop owner to import it from another country, like the UAE. And sometimes, the price may be really high. Instead, Iranians usually use the Chinese copy of these parts.

The age limit for driving in Iran

The driving age in Iran or the age limit for obtaining a driving license in Iran and driving vehicles in Iran is 18. Drivers under the set age limit will be considered guilty, fined, and face punishment in case they get involved in an accident.

In case your vehicle runs into a problem in Iran

In case your vehicle runs into a problem on the road, you can:

Try to get to the closest residential area or checkpoint.

Call emergency support numbers which will send mechanics to the rescue. Each road has its own rescue teams. Before hitting the road, it is better to find the contact information for rescue teams on the road you will take. But in case you forget to do that, you can call any of these service providers:

Emdad Khodro Iran: 096440
Emdad Khodro Saypa: 096550

Getting involved in a car crash

In such a situation, first thing to do is to call the police. The Iranian counterpart might try to convince you to not to call, they might try to escape, or try to convince that it was your fault even if it was not. Just try to be patient, and call the police. Both parties are usually required not to move their cars until the police comes.

The number for the police station is 110. When you call, they will ask your location so they can send the officers on duty nearest to your location.

In case people are injured then you need to call an ambulance in addition to the police. The number for ambulance is 115. Again, they will ask your location and might require some explanation. Try to explain the situation in plain English.

But if the accident is more serious and you think you need fire fighters’ assistance 125 is their number.

Some emergency numbers

Here is a short list of the important emergency numbers which work in all provinces of Iran:

Police: 110
Ambulance: 115
Fire Station: 125
Car maintenance: 096440 or 096550

The vehicles allowed in Iran

Motorbikes over 250 cc are not allowed to drive across Iran. These cars only get a 5-day transit visa.

Also, for cars above 40,000 dollars or with an engine capacity of 2500 cc are not allowed to enter Iran.

How to rent a car in Iran?

Rather than driving your own car in Iran, you might like to have other options. Driving in Iran as a tourist, or I assume any where else in the world, is a popular activity. But sometimes it also comes with complications. Anyhow, for whatever reason, you might prefer to rent a car.

Tourists can rent cars in Iran. There are various car rental services in Iran which let you rent your car in one location and drop it off in another. You might have heard of Europecar. It is also available in Iran!

FAQ

can women drive in Iran?

Yes, Sure. Women can drive in Iran without any restrictions.

Also checkout: Iran dress code

Is Iran safe to drive through?

Iran is a vast country with hospitable people. Chances are, 95% of the people you run into are eager to help foreign travelers no matter what. However, I can’t say it is perfectly safe and you won’t face any challenges.
In addition to your common sense, be extra careful on remote roads. Try to take the roads most people take, and try to drive during the day rather than the night. Also, if you see someone flagging down cars on streets or roads, or somehow appearing to be needing help, do Not stop. Such encounters are likely to make troubles for you. Besides, chances are you won’t be able to help them anyway.
In addition to this, road hazards, traffic jams, and accidents are very frequent in Iran. Be sure to avoid driving in rush hours or when you feel sleepy. Also, we can’t brag about the culture of driving in Iran. You will need to be extra careful, because you will see the most stupid violations and accidents in Iran.

How do I get a driver’s license in Iran?

Getting a driving license in Iran is a process of at least a month. First you need to undergo some health examinations to prove your health and sanity. Then you need to find a licensed institute where you can learn driving, and sign up for classes. In the first round, you will have some technical courses and after that the practical lessons will be held. At the end, you will have 2 tests including both technical and practical lessons.
You can also apply for an international driving license. For this, you need the following documents:
A valid driving license
Photos with off-white backgrounds, in 3*4 sizes (if you wear glasses on a usual basis, then you need to wear glasses for your license too)
Copies of your passport’s first image
A filled-in application form
Application fees
However, it is better to get an international driver’s license in your home country, as the process might take some time in Iran.

Can I drive in Iran with a driving license issued in UK?

Unfortunately, drivers from the UK are not allowed to drive across Iran. They are required to book a tour and travel across Iran with and officially licensed tour guide.

On what side of the road do they drive in Iran?

They drive on the right side in Iran.