RASC News Agency: A growing number of Iranian visa applicants claim that the Iranian Embassy in Kabul has been rejecting their applications “without any legal basis or justifiable explanation.” In a statement sent to RASC News Agency on Sunday, March 16, applicants reported that in recent months, numerous requests for family, tourist, pilgrimage, and medical visas have been denied “without valid justification.” According to the applicants, their submissions were fully compliant with legal requirements, meticulously prepared, and accompanied by all necessary documentation. However, they state that the Iranian embassy has failed to provide any explanation for the rejections.
Furthermore, they have voiced deep frustration over the embassy’s lack of responsiveness, the unprofessional conduct of its staff, and the opacity surrounding Iran’s visa issuance process. A travel agency official in Kabul confirmed that both the Iranian embassy and consulates in Afghanistan have been rejecting an unprecedented number of visa applications without offering any reasonable justification to their clients. He noted that in recent months, visa applications for both land and air travel have faced an exceptionally high rejection rate. Applicants are now demanding an immediate review of the issue and accountability from the Iranian diplomatic mission.
Meanwhile, officials at Kabul-based travel agencies report that Iranian authorities have deported several Afghanistani nationals even those holding valid visas and passports. One travel agency manager informed RASC News Agency that, for instance, a legally documented traveler who had obtained an Iranian visa and successfully crossed the border was arrested on the Mashhad-Tehran route and subsequently forcibly deported to Afghanistan. He further revealed that others have been detained and expelled within just two or three days of legally entering Iran. “If an individual is deported for lacking residency documents, even if they later obtain a valid visa and passport, Iranian authorities still disregard their legal status and expel them again upon arrival,” he explained.
At present, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Electronic Visa System is inaccessible from Afghanistan, preventing ordinary Afghanistani citizens from directly applying for visas. As a result, only travel agencies have the ability to process visa applications. This bureaucratic hurdle has forced many Afghanistani applicants to pay exorbitant fees to travel agencies often several times the standard visa cost in order to obtain entry permits for Iran. However, despite these excessive payments, many visa holders still face arbitrary arrest and deportation upon arrival. There have also been previous reports indicating that Iranian authorities have detained and expelled Afghanistani citizens holding valid passports and visas, with some even having their passports torn apart by Iranian law enforcement.
Since Masoud Pezeshkian assumed office as Iran’s president, the mass deportation of Afghanistani migrants has significantly escalated. Iranian officials have publicly stated their intention to expel two million Afghanistani migrants by the end of the current solar year (Persian calendar).
