Before you leave Iran — a 9-point checklist
Most of the problems Iranians abroad have with Iranian banks and portals were preventable with five minutes of work before leaving. This list comes from the real experience of people who worked it out too late. If you are still in Iran, or have a trip coming up, do these.
1. Enable your bank's in-app password generator
If you do only one thing on this list, make it this. Generate the dynamic password inside the banking app so you are no longer dependent on SMS. Activation usually needs one confirmation text — trivial while you are in Iran, a serious problem once you have gone. Do it for every bank you hold an account with, not just your main one. Full explanation here.
2. Decide what happens to your SIM
A prepaid SIM is cancelled after a long period of disuse, and with it goes access to everything tied to that number — banking, government portals, Divar, all of it. You have three options: convert it to postpaid (never cancelled, and the bill can be paid from abroad), keep it alive on roaming, or leave it with someone in Iran who uses it every few months.
Whichever you choose, decide now. Recovering a cancelled number from abroad is close to impossible.
3. Update your bank contact details
Make sure the email registered with the bank is one you actually read, and that your bank card is not about to expire. Reissuing a card is a physical errand in Iran; if the expiry date is near, renew it before you go.
4. Wake up dormant accounts
Any account you have not touched in a long time — make a small transaction now to keep it active. A dormant account cannot be revived from abroad and usually needs a branch visit or a power of attorney.
5. If you own property, arrange a power of attorney
A formal power of attorney given to someone you trust is the difference between “this can be sorted out” and “you have to fly back”. It is needed to sell property, transfer a vehicle title, revive an account and most notary business. Arranging it takes an afternoon while you are there.
6. Complete Sejam and identity verification
If you hold a trading code or Sahame Edalat shares, make sure your Sejam profile is complete and verified and the registered IBAN is correct. The Sahame Edalat dividend is paid into that IBAN; if it belongs to an account that has since been closed, the dividend goes nowhere.
7. File your property self-declaration
If property is registered in your name, the Amlak va Eskan system requires a self-declaration, and it is tied to tax. It can be done from abroad, but it is easier while you are there — and at minimum you get to see what is recorded in your name.
8. Store your passwords somewhere safe
Iranian systems tend to have poor password recovery, and “forgot my password” often ends at the same SMS you cannot receive. Get a password manager and put everything in it: banking, government portals, your operator, all of it.
9. Make sure someone in Iran can help you
However well you prepare, some things need a physical person. Work out who that is, and make sure they know what they do and do not have access to.
And after you have gone
Whatever you managed from this list, one thing remains: Iranian systems refuse foreign IP addresses. An in-app password generator does not help if the app will not connect at all.
That is what an Iran IP is for — we explain why here. With one, everything you prepared on this list becomes usable.