Iranian authorities have extended a deadline for undocumented Afghan migrants to leave the country, warning that those who remain beyond mid-September will be required to pay residency fines, according to Iranian media reports.
Ahmad Masoumi-Far, head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s office in Khorasan Razavi Province, announced that Afghan nationals without valid documentation have until Sept. 6 (15th of Sunbula on the solar calendar) to exit the country voluntarily.
Speaking to local reporters, Masoumi-Far cited “inadequate infrastructure” and extreme summer heat as reasons for the two-month extension. After that period, undocumented migrants who fail to leave will be subject to penalties for overstaying.
At the same time, he emphasized that Afghan citizens who enter Iran through legal channels would be permitted to remain.
The announcement comes amid heightened tension over Iran’s treatment of Afghan migrants, with rights groups and eyewitnesses reporting widespread abuses, including forced deportations and mistreatment by security forces.
Some Afghan migrants in Iran have alleged that police officers have torn up valid residency permits and passports before forcibly removing them from the country. Several said they tried to explain that they held legal documents, only to be told, in one case, that “these papers are worthless to fools.”
According to Iranian state figures, authorities have deported nearly half a million Afghan nationals in less than two months — an average of 30,000 people per day — as Tehran escalates its crackdown on undocumented migration.
The surge in deportations has raised concern among humanitarian organizations, which warn that many returnees face dire conditions back in Afghanistan, including economic hardship, political repression and lack of access to basic services.
