Iran has suspended its visa-free entry facility for Indian nationals following a surge in cases where Indians were trafficked into the country on fake job promises and later kidnapped for ransom. The suspension, effective from 22 November, applies to all Indian citizens holding ordinary passports.

Indian travellers will now need a valid visa for both entry into Iran and transit through the country.

In an advisory issued on Monday evening, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the decision aims to prevent organised criminal networks from misusing Iran’s visa waiver to exploit vulnerable job-seekers. The ministry said it had been alerted to several incidents in which Indians were lured with promises of high-paying jobs, easy access to Gulf nations or European transit routes and visa-free employment opportunities.

Many of these individuals were instead trafficked into Iran and kidnapped upon arrival. Criminal gangs then contacted their families in India and demanded ransom for their release. According to the MEA, these networks operate through fraudulent agents who prey on people desperate for overseas work.

The advisory said, “The attention of the Government has been drawn to several incidents of Indian nationals being lured to Iran on false promises of employment… On arrival in Iran, many of them were kidnapped for ransom.” It warned citizens to stay alert and avoid any job offers that involve travel to Iran without proper documentation.

This is the second warning issued by the MEA in recent weeks. Last month, the ministry cautioned Indians about agents sending job seekers to Iran under false pretences and emphasised that visa-free entry did not allow employment of any kind.

Iran had introduced visa-free travel for Indians in February last year as part of a broader diplomatic outreach to India and Central Asian nations. The exemption allowed Indian passport holders to enter Iran once every six months for a non-extendable period of 15 days, strictly for tourism.

With the latest suspension, the MEA has urged Indians to remain vigilant and verify all employment offers abroad.