Iran has banned visa-free entry for Indian citizens from November 22, 2025, amid alleged growing criminals activates of Indian nationals, fake job offers and incidents of kidnapping for ransom.
According to the Iranian government, India badly misused the visa-free facility. Indian citizens would arrive in Iran through fake agents, after which criminal groups there would use them for illegal activities, smuggling, money laundering, and in some cases even terrorist networks. Many Indian nationals allegedly entered Iran under false pretenses and tried to create instability within the country.
Attacks on Iran’s interests in India, social media propaganda campaigns, and an anti-Iran narrative in Indian circles also harmed relations between the two countries. Iran said clearly that the “suspicious activities” of Indian citizens compelled it to take this step.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has hastily issued a new advisory admitting that many Indian citizens arrived in Iran on the basis of false promises of employment and were then kidnapped.
According to the Indian government, such incidents increased to the extent that Iran was forced to end the visa-free facility. This was the same facility Iran had offered specifically to India in the name of “friendship,” but it was misused to such a degree that the door has now been completely closed.
Under Iran’s new regulations, any Indian citizen must obtain a visa even to enter Iran or simply transit through the country. Airlines have been strictly instructed not to board any Indian passenger without a visa. A crackdown is also being demanded against fake Indian agents who were sending Indians to Iran through deception.
