Southern Asia · Capital Tehran
Each opens that government's own advisory for Iran — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.
Score raised to 75 by the advisory rule: governments currently advise against travel here. Why
Iran is one of the most rewarding places in the region to travel and one of the riskiest to travel to, and the risk has almost nothing to do with ordinary crime. Iranians are famously hospitable and street crime against visitors is low.
The danger is the state and the isolation: foreign and dual nationals have been detained for long periods on unclear charges, and sanctions mean no foreign bank card works anywhere in the country. Most Western governments advise against all or all but essential travel.
Risk is rarely spread evenly across a country. The base colour is the code the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives Iran as a whole; shaded regions are those the UK Foreign Office names in an advisory against travel.
This map reads stronger than the world map's colour, and both are right. The world map shades Iran by its Atlas Risk Score — 75, High — which blends government advice with crime, health, roads and natural hazards. This map shows the advice alone, and the strongest level anywhere in Iran is “do not travel”.
Shading marks whole regions named in an advisory, but a warning is often narrower — a border strip, one road, or a single city. Read the wording, and check the official advisory linked below.
Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.
Biggest factor here: official advisories. What the US, UK and Dutch governments currently tell their own citizens about travelling here.
The things worth knowing before you land.
Average daytime high and nightly low for Tehran, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.
Mildest and driest around April to May, and September to October.
Patterns reported repeatedly by travellers and local police. None of this is about individual businesses — it's about set-ups you can learn to spot in seconds.
Prices are quoted in toman, worth ten rial, while banknotes are denominated in rial. A price of "fifty" can mean either, and the ambiguity costs visitors a factor of ten. There are also two exchange rates, official and market, differing enormously.
How to avoid it: Confirm rial or toman for every price, and count the zeros on the note. Change money at licensed exchange offices rather than on the street.
Drivers approach arrivals with fares many times the normal rate. With no working cards, every dispute is a cash dispute.
How to avoid it: Arrange a transfer through your hotel or guide in advance. Snapp is the local ride-hailing app, though it needs an Iranian phone number.
Specific places that come up again and again — either in government advisories or in traveller reports. Everywhere else in Iran is not automatically fine, but these are the areas worth a plan.
No consular protection and a documented pattern of long detentions. Several governments advise dual nationals not to go.
Kidnapping, banditry and militant activity. Standing advice against all travel within 100km of the Pakistani border.
Cross-border militancy, periodic military operations and restricted zones.
Demonstrations are met with force and foreigners photographing them have been arrested. Internet is throttled or cut during unrest.
Iran does not recognise dual nationality. If you hold Iranian citizenship — including by descent, and including if you have never used an Iranian passport — you are treated as Iranian only, and your other government has no consular right to reach you.
British-Iranian, American-Iranian and other dual nationals have been arrested and held for years on charges that were never substantiated. Several governments advise dual nationals not to travel to Iran at all.
Sanctions mean Visa, Mastercard and every foreign bank card are unusable. There are no working ATMs for foreign cards. You must carry the entire cost of your trip in cash — euros or dollars, exchanged locally — with no way to replace it if it is lost or stolen.
Citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada cannot travel independently: a government-approved guide must accompany them for the whole trip, arranged before a visa is issued.
Hijab is legally required for women, including foreign visitors, and enforcement has fluctuated sharply since the 2022 protests. Loose clothing covering arms and legs is expected of everyone.
Photographing government buildings, military sites and airports is prohibited and taken seriously. Alcohol is illegal. Social media posts critical of the state, including ones made before travelling, have led to arrests.
Vaccinations, malaria and outbreaks. This atlas does not give medical advice — it is personal, it changes, and it is the one thing worth getting from a doctor. Both national services publish current advice for Iran:
Check the official advisory before you book. This page reflects data as of August 2026. Advisories change without warning, and only your own government's advice affects your travel insurance.
