Driving rules in Iran
Driving rules in Iran: driving in Iran calls for special skills to cope with the different habits of driving in the country, some people call traffic in Iran busy and chaotic, nonetheless, self-driving is a very good way of visiting Iran. Here are some important points about the driving culture in Iran.
The main road traffic rules
- Driving is on the right side of the road and they are supposed to overtake from the left.
- The minimum age for driving is 18 years.
- All the cars occupants must wear seatbelts.
- The third party insurance is mandatory and personal insurance is required.
- It is not permitted to drink and drive, the legal blood alcohol level is 0.0%.
- Iranian police have the right to testing drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
- Iran has a high rate of road traffic accidents as many local drivers ignore traffic rules.
- Roads are generally in good condition and all bigger cities are connected by highways.
- By the way, Iran is an Islamic country but Women are allowed to drive in Iran.
- You are not allowed to talk on the phone while driving and you can’t eat or drink as well.
Speed limit
- The speed limits are:
- In built-up areas: 50 Km/h
- Outside built-up areas: from 70 to 110 Km/h
- On highways: from 70 to 120 Km/h
License
- In Iran there are four types of driving licenses:
- Motorcycle permit
- Second-grade driver license (drive vehicle up to 3500 Kg gross vehicle weight)
- First-grade driver license (to drive the vehicle above 3500 Kg gross vehicle weight)
- Specific driver license (it is required from drivers to be at least 23 years old)
Traffic signs
In Iran the traffic signs are international and we use the same signs as all the countries all around the world.
As an example, this is the speed limits sign you can see that even the numbers are in English not Persian.
The other example is the No parking sign but in cities like Tehran or some other big cities you can find some local people the park their cars but you don’t do that because we as local people know what to do but you don’t and if you do the police will take your car to the parking and you get in trouble.
Iranian Car Plate
Iranian license plates have had European standard dimensions since 2005. Each province in Iran has multiple unique, two-digit codes that are included at the right end of license plates in distinguished square outline, above which the word IRAN has been written. In Tehran, the first code to be issued for the province was code 11 and subsequent codes all increased by 11 as well (meaning codes 11,22,33, 44, …,99 are unique to Tehran). Ever since code 99 was fully issued, the new codes for Tehran have started from 10 and subsequently increased by 10.
Private cars of people with disabilities
The plate is black on white. To distinguish the type of the plate, there is a wheelchair symbol put on the plate. The wheelchair symbol in the plate is fixed for all the private cars of people with disabilities.
Taxis
The plate is black on yellow. To distinguish the type of the plate, there is the letter T which standards for the Taxi put on the plate and the English word TAXI above it.
The plates for the Public Cars, Governmental Cars, Protocol Vehicles, Police Vehicles, historical Vehicles, and Temporary passage are different like the ones I mentioned above for the Taxis and the private cars of people with disabilities.
People in Iran Drive Crazy
Crazy is probably the one word most tourists would use to describe the way Iranian people are driving in this country. To the foreign eye, it seems there are no traffic rules and streets are dominated by anarchy, where everyone just does what they feel like. Driving in Iran seems like a suicidal adventure. As opposed to some other Muslim countries, Iranian women are allowed to drive cars. In bigger cities such as Tehran or Shiraz, you will also find female taxi drivers that take only female passengers.
Some foreigners prefer to visit Iran with their own vehicle and some of them do the Mongol Rally pass through Iran need to know about the rules, by reading this article you can get all your answers.
Do I need a guide?
The guide is necessary and mandatory for the US, UK, and Canada. If you are from these three regions you cannot drive without a guide.
At the border: Carnet de passage and Insurance
To bring your own vehicle into Iran travelers must possess a valid international driving license and be over 18 years of age. You will also need a carnet de passage, which is an international validation for your vehicle to pass through Iran. If you want to skip getting carnet de passage at the border they import your car and we can’t do anything for you so make sure to get it before arriving at the border and it is recommended to avoid driving off-road near the border of Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. There are many speed bumps and usually, there are no warning signs before. You also need insurance (the third party insurance valid within Iran) and the complete documents of your vehicle.
If you want to know more read these two articles as well: