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” [1]).
If you are newly arrived in Iran, you may wish to approach your local BAFIA office for further information. For new arrivals from Afghanistan, the Government of Iran is still deciding on the process for registration and documentation, and UNHCR does not have details on this yet.
The UNHCR office in Iran does not accept applications for asylum in Iran and does not make decisions on asylum applications. Any new developments will be shared on our Latest News page.
If you do not have a Tazkerah and/or valid passport, you may consider approaching the Afghan Embassy in Tehran or Consulate in Mashhad for counselling and support in obtaining identity documents.
[1] 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, refugee booklet shall be issued for the refugee by the police.
