Updated November 2026 Iran lifted its restrictions on registering newer iPhones and other imported phones in 2025; the 30-day grace period for travellers using an Iranian SIM still applies.
Iran’s mobile phone registry scheme means that any handset used on an Iranian network with an Iranian SIM card must be registered against its IMEI number. If you bring a phone into the country, whether you are a tourist, a business visitor, an expat or an Iranian returning from abroad, you can use it freely for a limited period, after which it needs registering or it will lose mobile service. This guide explains how the scheme works for travellers today.
How the registry works
The scheme, introduced in 2017, links every phone’s IMEI (its unique 15-digit identity number) to a national database run by HAMTA, the registry operated under the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade. Phones sold legally in Iran are registered by the importer before sale. Phones brought in from abroad are not, so their owners have to register them and pay any customs duty due.
If you are only using roaming on your home SIM, none of this applies: the registry only affects phones running on an Iranian SIM.
The 30-day grace period
When you first put an Iranian SIM into an unregistered phone, it will work normally for about 30 days. After that, calls, texts and mobile data stop, although Wi-Fi continues to work. The clock starts with the first use of an Iranian SIM, not when you arrive, and it does not reset if you leave and come back. If you used the same phone in Iran on an earlier trip, you may have little or no grace period left.
For short visits this means no action is needed. If you are staying longer than a month, or you visit Iran regularly, register the phone.
What you need to register
- The phone’s IMEI number. Dial *#06# to display it, or check the box or the phone’s settings. Dual-SIM phones have two IMEI numbers, and both need to be entered.
- An Iranian SIM card registered in your own name with your passport.
- Your passport number and, for foreign nationals, your visa details.
- An Iranian bank card to pay the fees, as foreign cards do not work in Iran. Tourist debit cards sold to visitors can be used, or a friend can pay for you.
How to register
The process has changed several times since 2017, and the online forms are in Persian only, so many foreigners ask an Iranian friend, their hotel or their mobile operator’s shop to help. In outline:
- Declare the phone and pay customs duty. The duty is calculated from the model and its value, so a new flagship phone costs considerably more to register than a budget handset. Iranians returning from abroad normally do this through the customs administration’s online system for travellers’ phones.
- Pay the registration fee. This is a smaller charge paid online once the customs step is complete.
- Activate the phone. HAMTA sends an activation code by text message, which you use to link the IMEI to your Iranian number. This can take a few days, so do not leave it until your grace period is about to run out.
Check every digit of the IMEI before you submit. A phone registered with the wrong number will not be activated, and fees already paid are not usually refunded. Each person can register only a limited number of travellers’ phones a year, typically one, so use your allowance on the phone you will actually use in Iran.
iPhones and other restricted models
From 2023, newer iPhones (the 14 series and later) could not be registered, so they stopped working on Iranian networks after the grace period. That ban was lifted in late 2024, and in January 2025 the government removed remaining restrictions on registering imported phones, IntelliNews reported. Newer iPhones can now be registered in the normal way, although the duty on them is high.
Tips
- Staying a few weeks? Use an Iranian or tourist SIM in your own phone and skip registration altogether.
- Keep the receipts and reference numbers from each step; you will need them if activation fails.
- A registered phone works with any Iranian SIM, so you can switch operators later.
- Thinking of buying a phone locally instead? Compare the cost of duty with local prices on our Iran mobile phone prices page, and see our earlier guide to buying a mobile phone in Iran.
