Afghan nationals, holding valid passports with any of the following types of Iranian visas 

Type A= Entry, 

Type B= Tourist, 

Type C= Pilgrimage and 

Type M= Family Reunification

With a visa validity of at least 5 days MUST apply for an appointment ONLY through the OFFICIAL Kefalat Centers Appointment WEBSITE (http://kanoonnobat.ir/) to secure the extension of their visas. Please note that Kefalat centers will not extend visas of individuals not holding appointment slips and are not in a position to make appointments. Therefore, please avoid approaching Kelafat centers without prior appointments.

Announcement Number 001/2022

Universal Public Health Insurance (UPHI)

8^th cycle for all refugees (Amayesh card 16 and Hoviat card holders)

The new 8^th cycle of Universal Public Health insurance (UPHI) has started (from 25 February 2022).

All Amayesh and Hoviat card holder refugees, who have been enrolled in the previous cycle of Universal Public Health insurance (UPHI) scheme in the year 1400 as vulnerable and had free-of-charge insurance coverage, can now approach any of the nearest Pishkhan Centers, affiliated with Iran Health Insurance Organization (IHIO), and renew their free-of-charge health insurance coverage.

As per previous cycles, other refugees (Amayesh and Hoviat card holders) who wish to enrol in the insurance coverage, can also approach any of the Pishkhan Centres affiliated with Iran Health Insurance Organization (IHIO) countrywide, pay the ratified premium fee, and receive health insurance coverage for a duration of 12 months from the date of enrolment.

All refugees should ensure that when approaching Pishkhan Centers, pre-registration is conducted at the time of enrolment. Pre-registration is conducted at Pishkhan Centres for the refugee population.

All diagnostic and treatment services for refugees are covered in all hospitals contracted with Iran Health Insurance Organization (IHIO) countrywide.

UNHCR expresses its concerns regarding the circulation of misinformation on social media and through other channels about resettlement. Do not believe rumors and unofficial statements about UNHCR registration for resettlement or UNHCR facilitation of movement to other countries.  

You may have seen an announcement by European countries about resettlement opportunities for Afghan refugees currently in Iran and UNHCR’s role in facilitating resettlement to these countries.  

Please note that UNHCR is for now NOT actively processing resettlement from Iran and resettlement opportunities are extremely limited. Therefore, UNHCR Iran does NOT currently accept applications for resettlement.  

However, it is important that Refugees with serious protection concerns contact UNHCR through our hotlines below for UNHCR to assess your needs and provide you with counselling:  

• Tehran (Alborz, Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Gilan, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan provinces) – 021- 88212520 – Sunday to Thursday from 8:30 to 15:30 
• Esfahan (Esfahan province) – 031-3444 2841 – Sunday to Wednesday from 08:30 to 15:30 
• Shiraz (Fars, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Ilam and Lorestan provinces) – 071-37229692 and 071-37236014 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30 
• Kerman (Kerman, Yazd, Sistan & Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces) – 034-32476851 and 034-32476850 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30 
• Mashhad (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, North Khorasan and Golestan provinces) – 051-37685641 – Sunday to Wednesday from 08:00 to 18:00  

Do not pay money to anyone for resettlement. All services provided by UNHCR to refugees are free of charge. Do report any case of misconduct or request of money in relation to resettlement to UNHCR at [email protected] or via our hotlines. 

For reliable information on resettlement, please regularly visit the UNHCR Iran website, Help Page, and the official UNHCR Instagram account. 

In view of the still volatile situation in Afghanistan, Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology announced that Afghan refugee students who are seeking to enroll at Iranian universities and therefore need to change their Amayesh card for a passport with a student visa can now do so from Kish Island, rather than traveling to Afghanistan. UNHCR welcomes this initiative by the Iranian government, given the still volatile situation in Afghanistan. UNHCR continues to call on all states to halt the return of Afghans to Afghanistan, regardless of their status.

Facilitating refugees’ access to higher education is one of UNHCR’s priorities in Iran. UNHCR works with the Government and the NGO Farda Development Activist Association (FDA) to implement the DAFI scholarship programme, which supports a number of refugee students in undertaking undergraduate university studies. The scholarship programme covers tuition fees and living expenses.

For more information about the DAFI scholarship programme, including the eligibility criteria, required documentation, and other programme details, please contact Provincial BAFIA, NOM or FDA. You may reach the FDA by phone or email:   

• Phone:

09914906371

09013237331

• Email:

[email protected]

For more information on the education programmes available for refugees as well as counselling and support for persons facing protection risks, please contact UNHCR through our hotlines or by email. 

UNHCR expresses its concerns regarding the circulation of misinformation on social media and through other channels about resettlement.

Do not believe rumours about registration for resettlement by UNHCR. We do not conduct registration for resettlement. Refugees with serious protection concerns should contact UNHCR through our hotlines or by email.

Do not believe unofficial statements on social media about resettlement or movement to other countries, including Canada and Europe. Some countries have recently announced opportunities for Afghan nationals who have cooperated with those countries to apply for permission to travel to those countries. These programs are established by those countries and UNHCR does not refer people to the programs or process applications.

Keep up-to-date on announcements as well as information for new arrivals on the UNHCR Help page: https://help.unhcr.org/iran/en

• Tehran(Alborz, Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Gilan, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan provinces) – 021- 88212520 – Sunday to Thursday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Esfahan(Esfahan province) – 031-3444 2841 – Sunday to Wednesday from 08:30 to 15:30
• Shiraz(Fars, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Ilam and Lorestan provinces) – 071-37229692 and 071-37236014 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Kerman(Kerman, Yazd, Sistan & Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces) – 034-32476851 and 034-32476850 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Mashhad (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, North Khorasan and Golestan provinces) – 051-37685641

UNHCR CAUTIONS REFUGEES:

DO NOT believe rumours or informal information circulating on social media about movement to other countries, including Turkey and Europe.

DO NOT believe what smugglers, human traffickers or others who may be posing as travel guides are promising. In order to undertake international travel, you need a valid travel document. If you are travelling without valid documentation (passport and visa), smugglers and human traffickers may take advantage of you, including by asking you to pay large sums of money.

DO NOT put yourself, your family or your children at risk by crossing borders without valid documentation; you may risk arrest, deportation to your country of origin and annulment of your Amayesh card.

Please remember that all services provided by UNHCR to refugees are free of charge. Do report any case of misconduct or request of money in relation to resettlement to UNHCR.

For more information, please email us at [email protected] or call one of our offices: 

Click for Contact Numbers

Amayesh 16 registration is currently underway, until 21 September 2021. However, the new cards being issued by BAFIA to refugees contain new and different codes as compared to previous years. UNHCR highly recommends that you make a copy, scan or take a photo of the Amayesh 15 card of all your family members, before approaching the nearest Kefalat centres to renew your cards. This will ensure that UNHCR can continue to quickly identify your case files in the UNHCR internal database, when you approach us for counselling or support.

UNHCR encourages refugees to renew their Amayesh cards in a timely manner. Individuals who do not renew their cards risk becoming undocumented and may no longer be eligible to continue receiving support and services from the Government of Iran. Undocumented individuals also run the risk of being asked to leave Iran.

For more information, you can contact your nearest BAFIA office or Kefalat centre (click here) . You can also contact UNHCR via our hotlines or by email at [email protected] for additional information or advice.

Every child has a right to go to school. Making sure that all children have access to education is at the heart of UNHCR’s mandate. In 2015, Iran began allowing all children of school age to attend primary and secondary school regardless of their documentation status and without having to pay additional fees.

It is important to ensure that you register any non-Iranian child within your care in a timely manner, to ensure they get a place in school in the next academic year, starting in September.

If the child holds a valid document (Amayesh or Hoviat card, valid Laissez-Passer or passport with a valid Iranian visa), please approach the school closest to your place of residence, before 16 June 2021. If the child does not currently hold any valid document, please approach your nearest Kefalat centre, before 16 July 2021.

A list of all Kefalat centers in the country along with their addresses can be found via the YJC website.

For additional information or assistance, please contact UNHCR via our hotlines or by email at [email protected].

• Tehran (Alborz, Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Gilan, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan provinces) – 021- 88212520 – Sunday to Thursday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Esfahan (Esfahan province) – 031-3444 2841 – Sunday to Wednesday from 08:30 to 15:30
• Shiraz (Fars, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Ilam and Lorestan provinces) – 071-37229692 and 071-37236014 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Kerman (Kerman, Yazd, Sistan & Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces) – 034-32476851 and 034-32476850 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Mashhad (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, North Khorasan and Golestan provinces) – 051-37685641 – Sunday to Wednesday from 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:00

UNHCR expresses its concerns regarding the circulation of misinformation on social media and through other channels about resettlement.

Do not believe rumours about registration for resettlement by UNHCR. We do not conduct registration for resettlement. Refugees with serious protection concerns should contact UNHCR through our hotlines or by email.

Do not believe unofficial statements on social media about resettlement or movement to other countries, including Canada and Europe. For reliable information, please visit the UNHCR Iran website and the official UNHCR Instagram account.

Do not pay money to anyone for resettlement. All services provided by UNHCR to refugees are free of charge. Do report any case of misconduct or request of money in relation to resettlement to UNHCR at [email protected] or via our hotlines.

• Tehran (Alborz, Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Gilan, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan provinces) – 021- 88212520 – Sunday to Thursday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Esfahan (Esfahan province) – 031-3444 2841 – Sunday to Wednesday from 08:30 to 15:30
• Shiraz (Fars, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Ilam and Lorestan provinces) – 071-37229692 and 071-37236014 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Kerman (Kerman, Yazd, Sistan & Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces) – 034-32476851 and 034-32476850 – Sunday to Wednesday from 8:30 to 15:30
• Mashhad (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, North Khorasan and Golestan provinces) – 051-37685641 – Sunday to Wednesday from 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:00