Updated November 2026 Departure tax is now paid and refunded entirely online, and the rates change with each annual budget, so check the current figure before you pay.
If you paid Iran’s departure tax (known in Persian as avarez-e khorooj, or simply khorooji) and then did not travel, you can get a refund. The Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA) handles refunds online, and the money is paid back into an Iranian bank account rather than in cash. This guide explains who can claim, what you need and how the process works.
What the departure tax is
Iranian passport holders pay a departure tax each time they leave the country by air, land or sea, with exemptions for certain groups set out in the annual budget law (pilgrims on some official trips, for example, have been treated differently in past years). The amount rises with the number of trips you make in the same Iranian year: the first trip is the cheapest, the second costs more, and the third and later trips cost more again.
Because the rates are reset in each year’s budget, we do not quote a figure here. Check the current amount on the tax administration’s site or your banking app before paying, and see our Iran prices pages for a wider picture of travel costs.
How to pay
Cash payment at bank branches ended years ago. Today the tax is paid electronically, usually through:
- the INTA’s online services at tax.gov.ir;
- internet banking and mobile banking apps of Iranian banks, many of which have a departure tax option under bill or tax payments;
- payment kiosks and counters at Imam Khomeini International Airport and other border points, if you leave it to the last minute.
You will need your national ID number (kod-e melli) and passport details. Keep the receipt or tracking number (kod-e peygiri): you need it at passport control and for any refund claim. Our older guide to where to pay your departure tax in Tehran covers the background.
Who can get a refund
A refund is available if you paid the tax but did not leave the country, for example because a trip was cancelled, a visa was refused or flights were suspended. If you paid twice for the same journey by mistake, you can also claim back the duplicate payment.
Before you apply for a refund, think about whether you will travel again soon. Check the rules in force when you pay: in the past, a paid receipt could simply be used on a later trip, but validity rules can change with each budget, so confirm whether yours can be carried forward before deciding to claim it back.
How to claim a refund
- Go to the tax administration’s online services. The refund request (darkhast-e esterdad-e avarez-e khorooj) is in the departure tax section of the INTA site. The service is in Persian only, so ask a Persian-speaking friend to help if you need to.
- Enter your details. The form asks for your name, national ID number, the date of payment and the tracking number from your receipt.
- Add your bank details. Refunds are only paid by bank transfer, so you need an Iranian bank account in your own name and its Sheba (IBAN) number, which starts with IR.
- Submit and keep the reference. Note the request number so you can follow up if the money does not arrive.
Processing times vary, so allow several weeks. If the request is rejected, the most common reasons are a mismatch between the account holder and the person who paid, or an exit record showing that the receipt was in fact used at the border.
Tips
- If you do not have an Iranian bank account, you will need to open one before a refund can be paid.
- Pay the tax a few days before you fly rather than at the airport; it saves time and gives you a clear receipt for any later claim.
- Keep a screenshot or PDF of every payment. Tracking numbers are hard to recover later.
- Paying for someone else? Use their national ID number, not yours, and make sure any refund goes to an account in their name.
