A practitioner's guide to company registration in iran for foreign investors: framework, opportunities, figures and entry routes.
Company registration in Iran
Company registration in Iran establishes a legal entity but does not replace activity licences, tax registration, employer obligations or banking review. The sequence and document requirements depend on the chosen vehicle and activity.
Reviewed by Global Investment Iran advisers.
Three Farsi names filed with the Companies Registration Office; the approved name is reserved against the file.
Parent-company documents notarised, legalised at an Iranian consulate and translated by a sworn translator. Start this first — it is the critical path.
Articles of association drafted for the chosen vehicle; capital deposited into a blocked bank account.
File with the Companies Registration Office, receive the registration number and national ID, publish in the Official Gazette.
Open the tax file and taxpayer number, register for VAT and open the employer file with the social security organisation.
Open corporate IRR and FX accounts and, where goods move, obtain the trade card and customs code.
| Item | Quotation basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Registration fees & gazette | Request a scoped quotation | Depends on capital and vehicle |
| Legalisation & sworn translation | Request a scoped quotation | Per corporate shareholder |
| Local counsel & filing agent | Request a scoped quotation | Full-service registration |
| Registered office (per year) | Request a scoped quotation | Tehran; lower in the provinces |
| Accounting & tax compliance (per year) | Request a scoped quotation | Monthly bookkeeping and filings |
| Work permit per expatriate (per year) | Request a scoped quotation | Renewable |
Send us your sector, ownership structure and target timeline and we will return a scoped fee and schedule.
Request a quoteCompany registration in Iran establishes a legal entity but does not replace activity licences, tax registration, employer obligations or banking review. The sequence and document requirements depend on the chosen vehicle and activity.
The structural choice — Private Joint Stock Company, limited liability company, branch or representative office — determines governance, capital rules and the ease of later bringing in a partner or exiting.
The PJSC is the default for investment projects: it supports share transfers, board governance and future capital raises. The LLC is simpler and cheaper but transfers of participation require partner consent, which complicates exits.
A branch has no separate legal personality and is used where the parent contracts directly, typically for engineering and service contracts. A representative office cannot trade and exists only for marketing and liaison.
Name reservation, drafting of the articles of association, notarised and legalised shareholder documents, capital deposit into a blocked bank account, submission to the Companies Registration Office, then publication in the Official Gazette.
Registration is followed by the operational layer most investors underestimate: tax file and taxpayer number, VAT registration, social security employer file, corporate bank account and, where goods move, a trade card and customs code.
Corporate shareholders provide certificate of incorporation, articles, a board resolution authorising the investment, a register of directors and beneficial owners, and a power of attorney for the local agent — each notarised, legalised and translated by a sworn translator.
Individual shareholders provide passport copies, proof of address and source-of-funds evidence. Document legalisation is the longest lead item and should start before name reservation.
Reserve time for activity permissions, tax and employer registration, signing authorities and banking after incorporation. Receiving a company certificate is not permission for every business activity.
Review the shareholder documents, legalisation requirements and beneficial ownership early. Any FIPPA application should be matched to the planned investment and registered capital flows.
Three to six weeks from name reservation to gazette publication with a complete, legalised document set. Legalisation of foreign corporate documents is usually the critical path.
The statutory minimum is nominal, but banks, licensing bodies and FIPPA review expect capital proportionate to the declared business plan.
No. Most sectors permit 100% foreign ownership. Local partners are a commercial choice for market access, not a legal requirement.
No residency requirement applies to directors, but at least one signatory with practical access to the banking system is needed for day-to-day operations.
We advise foreign investors on market entry, licensing and structuring in Iran.
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