MEA cautions against job fraud cases as Iran suspends visa-free access for Indians

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs has issued an advisory for Indian nationals travelling to Iran, cautioning them against fake job scams. This advisory comes after Tehran suspended the visa-free facility due to a surge in trafficking cases.

The suspension takes effect on November 22, 2025, and applies to all Indian citizens holding ordinary passports. In the advisory, MEA alerted the Indian nationals about the multiple incidents where the Indian were deceived into travelling to Iran with promises of high-paying jobs. The MEA stated that many of these individuals were then kidnapped on arrival, with criminal gangs demanding ransom from their families.

“The attention of the government has been drawn to several incidents of Indian nationals being lured to Iran on false promises of employment or with assurances of onward transit to third countries. These individuals were tricked into journeying to Iran by taking advantage of the visa waiver facility available for ordinary Indian passport holders. On arrival in Iran, many of them were kidnapped for ransom”, MEA said in the advisory.

MEA issues advisory on suspension of visa waiver facility extended to Indian nationals travelling to Iran

“The attention of Government has been drawn to several incidents of Indian nationals being lured to Iran on false promises of employment or with assurances of onward transit… pic.twitter.com/lRUgKnX6LC

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2025

The MEA also noted Iran’s decision to suspend the visa waiver facility following the surge in these cases. “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has accordingly suspended the visa waiver facility available to ordinary Indian passport holders visiting Iran with effect from 22 November 2025. This measure is intended to prevent further misuse of the facility by criminal elements. From this date, Indian nationals with ordinary passports would be required to obtain a visa to enter or transit through Iran”, MEA stated. “All Indian nationals intending to visit Iran are strongly advised to remain vigilant and avoid agents offering visa-free travel or onward transit to third countries via Iran”, it added.

In September, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a similar warning to Indian citizens about the risks of travelling to Iran for employment purposes. In a weekly briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, MEA official spokesperson, highlighted that several Indian nationals have fallen prey to criminal gangs, being kidnapped upon arrival in Iran and held for ransom

“There have been a number of recent cases involving Indian citizens who have been lured to travel to Iran on false promises of employment, or with assurances that they would be sent further to third countries for employment. Upon reaching Iran, these Indian nationals have been kidnapped by criminal gangs and ransoms have been demanded from their families for securing their release”, said Jaiswal.

The visa-free entry is exclusively for tourism purposes, valid for 15 days once every six months, and doesn’t cover employment. Criminals are luring Indians with false promises of jobs, often collaborating with unscrupulous agents.
The ministry also reminded citizens that employment-related travel must be carefully verified to avoid falling prey to organised rackets. The alert comes amid growing concern over the rising number of job scams targeting Indian workers abroad. (ANI)