On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Iran LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Iran country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Iran COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Iran.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Iran is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
The Islamic Republic of Iran acceded to the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol on 28 July 1976, with reservations to Article 17 (wage-earning employment), Article 23 (public relief), Article 24 (labour legislation and social security) and Article 26 (freedom of movement).
UN Iran works with the government to support national efforts for refugees. UNHCR and the World Food Program are the main UN entities with specific mandates to assist refugees. Other UN agencies, such as UNICEF, IOM, UNIDO, UNFPA also implement projects for refugees in the sectors of health, education and WASH across the country.
Despite the voluntary return of hundreds of thousands of Afghan and Iraqi refugees to their countries of origin during the past decade, Iran remains host to one of the world’s largest refugee populations.
The Government of Iran, through the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs (BAFIA), is responsible for the registration of asylum seekers and refugees as well as for Refugee Status Determination in Iran, in accordance with Iranian legislation (1963 – Regulations relating to Refugees). The Permanent Committee for Refugees in Ministry of Interior is established to attend to refugees’ affairs, including “to accept or reject” the applications for asylum (Art. 5). If the asylum application is accepted by the Committee, a refugee booklet shall be issued for the refugee by the police.
The Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) provides the overall guidance and strategic framework for the Afghan refugee response in Iran. The SSAR is a unique multi-stakeholder and multi-year regional strategy between the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan with support of UNHCR. It was launched in 2011 to ensure the protection of Afghan refugees and to find durable solutions for them, and has three main objectives: facilitating voluntary repatriation of refugees to Afghanistan, supporting sustainable reintegration of returnees in Afghanistan, and supporting the two principal host countries, Iran and Pakistan. In June 2019, the last quadripartite meeting – bringing together the three concerned countries and UNHCR – saw the SSAR extended until 2021.
Legal aid organisations
Website
Tel: +1 24 05 95 26 33
Email: maria.rohaly@gmail.com
Contact Person: Maria Rohaly
The International Coalition for the Rights of Iranian Refugees (ICRIR) is a collection of international grassroots organizations advocating for refugee rights with a specialised, though not exclusive, focus on the Iranian refugee situation. ICRIR tries to prevent illegal deportation (refoulement) and imprisonment at border detention centers; to end abusive practices by UNHCR staff and national authorities responsible for protecting the rights of asylum seekers. ICRIR also disseminates news about the condition of Iranian and other refugees with regard to their asylum process, conditions in the asylum country, and the local UNHCR offices handling of refugee cases, with the goal of informing and mobilizing the public to promote and demand just and fair treatment of Iranian and other refugees by both the host country and UNHCR. A refugee or asylum seeker can contact ICRIR directly. Refugees and asylum seekers may contact Maria Rohaly directly to ask ICRIR’s support.
Website
Tel: +98-21-88036233
Email: ir.info@nrc.no
Since 2012, NRC Iran has been assisting displaced Afghans in Iran as well as their Iranian host communities. NRC works to improve protection and access to basic humanitarian services through its programmes including, Information, counselling and legal assistance, across ten provinces: – Alborz, Hormozgan, Kerman, Khouzestan, Lorestan, Razavi Khorasan, Semnan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Tehran provinces. NRC Iran coordinates with NRC operations in Afghanistan.
Website
Address: Tehran Province, Tehran, District 3، North Sheikh Bahaei – Molla Sadra, East Emdad, No. 3, E Emdad, No. 3, Iran
Tel: +98 21 4293 9000
Email: bhoyroo@unhcr.org
In light of the recent events in Afghanistan, UNHCR has set up a Welcome to the Iran “HELP” website page of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency available both in English and Persian. This page was created to provide useful information to individuals seeking support in Iran. On this page, you will also find relevant information relating to:
- Contact UNHCR Iran
- Information for new arrivals from Afghanistan
- Latest updates on the Announcements page
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Address: No 20, Sepand St, Nejatollahi (Vila) St.Taleghani St .Tehran, Iran 1598994711
Tel: +98 21 88912785
Fax: +98 21 88912786
Mobile: +98 91 21 19 87 07
Email: hammiorg@gmail.com / info@hamiorg.org
Contact Person: Fatemeh Ashrafi, Executive Director
The Association for Protection of Refugee Women and Children (HAMI) is an Iranian non-governmental and non-profit organisation which aims to protect and empower the migrant and refugee communities, particularly women and children, in the Islamic Republic of Iran. HAMI in cooperation with Afghan domestic and international civil association organisations and institutions, has sought to play a role in reconstructing the human resources among women in Afghanistan too. HAMI focuses on the following key areas: education and empowerment; raising awareness and providing information; conducting research studies and offering pro bono counseling and legal services to migrant and refugee women.
Website
Address: No. 4, Next to Akhtar Hospital,
Azar Dead-end, Sharifi Manesh St.,
Elahieh, Tehran, Iran
Tel: +98-21-2264 5821-4
Email: teheran@icrc.org
In Iran, the ICRC promotes International Human Rights and works with the authorities in Iran and Iraq to address the consequences of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, particularly the issue of missing persons. They support local initiatives to mitigate risks related to people’s health and their exposure to mines and explosive remnants of war, and support access to health care for Afghan migrants. The ICRC work in partnership with the Iranian Red Crescent Society and other Iranian organizations and bodies in the fields of tracing, physical rehabilitation and international relief efforts.
Website
Address: Tehran Province, Tehran, District 3, Taheri St, QF82+589, 19668 65533, Iran
Tel: +98 21 2204 8887
Email: iomtehran@iom.int
The Islamic Republic of Iran had joined IOM as an observer in 1995 and was accepted as a full member in IOM’s Governors’ Council in 2001. Since 2004, IOM has changed its refugee-oriented approach and adopted a guiding programme/policy-oriented approach with the purpose of assisting the Islamic Republic of Iran in migration management issues and tackling the new challenges which the country faces.
In order for the Islamic Republic of Iran to benefit from international experiences in the area of migration management, IOM emphasizes the promotion of quality management potential and the continuation of broad-based strategies. To this end, the following activities have been undertaken:
- Technical cooperation with the Governmental entities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the area of migration management and policy development
- Combating irregular migration, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling
- Conducting researches and advisory programmes on labour migration
- Facilitating voluntary return and reintegration from and to Iran
- Cooperation in border management
- Development of national and regional migration policies and strategies.
Iran COI
Find Iran Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
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Last updated May 2023
