Card-to-card from abroad — with an Iran IP

Why card-to-card fails from abroad

Card-to-card runs on the Shetab network, and Shetab is a domestic network. The gateways that present the transfer form — inside a banking app, in internet banking, or on intermediary sites — all sit behind the same IP restriction. From outside Iran the form either does not load at all, or loads and then fails at the moment you confirm.

That second case causes the most confusion: you have entered the destination card number, received the dynamic password, pressed the button — and you get a message that sounds like a problem with the card or the balance. Usually it is not. The request came from a foreign IP and was refused there.

What happens with an Iran IP

Route through a real Iranian IP address and the gateway sees you as a domestic user. The transfer proceeds as it always did:

• Card-to-card inside the banking app — the least troublesome route.
• Card-to-card in internet banking for larger amounts.
• Paya and Satna transfers from internet banking, for amounts above the card-to-card ceiling.
• Payment gateways on Iranian sites connected to Shetab.

See the guide for your bank: Melli, Mellat, Saderat or Blu Bank.

Step by step: a transfer that goes through

1. Connect first. Open Iran IP VPN and wait for the connection to settle — before you open the banking app.
2. Open the banking app fresh. If it was already open, close it completely and reopen it.
3. Have your dynamic password ready. If it comes by SMS, the Iranian SIM has to be reachable. If you enabled the in-app generator, everything happens on the phone.
4. Enter the destination card number carefully and check the account-holder name the system returns. That is the only confirmation you get before the money moves.
5. Confirm and keep the receipt. If the transfer fails, check your statement before retrying — sometimes the amount is debited and the receipt simply never rendered.

When the money leaves but never arrives

This happens occasionally and has nothing to do with the VPN. If a transaction is left half-finished, the bank usually reverses it automatically within 24 to 72 hours. Do not send again until you are sure the first transfer genuinely did not complete — check both statements. If it is not reversed, give the bank the transaction reference number.

Ceilings and limits

• The daily card-to-card ceiling is set by the Central Bank and has nothing to do with your location. A VPN does not change it.
• A dynamic second password is required for every online transaction. Enabling the in-app generator before leaving Iran is the single most useful thing you can do — we list the rest of what to sort out first separately.
• For larger amounts, use Paya or Satna; slower, but with a far higher ceiling.
• An expired card will not work, whatever IP you have.

Security

Your transfer is protected by the bank's own encryption, and the VPN adds a layer on top of it. We do not log the sites and apps you open, your DNS queries, or the content of your traffic — see our Privacy Policy. Your card details never reach us; they pass directly between the banking app and the banking network.