# Legal Landscape in Iran

[← Research overview](index.md)

> **Related:** the product requirement [Tax, Invoicing & Legal](../business/13-tax-invoicing-and-legal.md) and the schema [Partner Centers & Future](../data-model/13-partner-centers-and-future.md) build on the framework described here.

**Short answer: there is no law *against* the idea — but it is a regulated healthcare activity that requires Ministry of Health licensing. Operating without a permit is what's illegal, and penalties escalate to permanent revocation and judicial referral.** **✅ verified**

## 4.1 The governing framework ✅ verified
- Licensing flows through the **MoH Treatment Deputy (معاونت درمان)**, after approval by the **Article-20 medical-affairs commission** (کمیسیون قانونی تشخیص امور پزشکی موضوع ماده ۲۰), under the **Medical Affairs Law of 1334 (amended 1367)** and the **home-care bylaw approved 1378/7/17 (9 Oct 1999)** — 21 articles, 6 notes.
- **Each center receives one establishment permit (پروانه تأسیس) and one technical-director license (پروانه مسئول فنی).**
- Sources: [arakmu.ac.ir bylaw](https://arakmu.ac.ir/vct/fa/regulation/1063/), [mcls.gov.ir/fa/law/61](https://www.mcls.gov.ir/fa/law/61), [qavanin.ir (Article-20)](https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/83385).

## 4.2 The two tracks — pick the nursing track ✅ verified
| | **Home Nursing Services Center** (your vehicle) | Home Clinical Care Center |
|---|---|---|
| Persian name | مرکز مشاوره و ارائه مراقبت‌های پرستاری در منزل | مرکز خدمات و مراقبت‌های بالینی در منزل |
| Governed via | Iranian Nursing Organization (نظام پرستاری) | MoH directly |
| Who can found / direct | **A nurse** — BSc nursing + **≥5 years clinical experience** (can be both founder & technical director) | **Both founder & technical director must be physicians** |
| Fit for your idea | ✅ Elderly / post-surgery / infant / chronic home nursing | Only if you bring a physician partner |

> ⚠️ A claim that "founder/director must be physicians for *all* home care" was **disproven** — that rule applies **only to the clinical-care track.** The nursing-services track allows a qualified nurse. Sources: [mcls.gov.ir/fa/law/61](https://www.mcls.gov.ir/fa/law/61), [irannurse.ir](https://irannurse.ir), [vct.iums.ac.ir](https://vct.iums.ac.ir).

## 4.3 How the model must operate ✅ verified
- **Care must be delivered in the patient's home; performing services (injections, dressing, vaccination, visits) at the center's HQ is prohibited.** The licensed center is therefore a **dispatch/coordination entity, not a walk-in clinic** — which structurally *fits a matchmaking/dispatch platform.*
- After **principal approval (موافقت اصولی)**, the founder has **up to one year** to ready the center for final inspection before operating.

## 4.4 Online-commerce requirement — e-namad ✅ verified
- An **e-namad (نماد اعتماد الکترونیکی, electronic trust symbol)** is required for an Iranian site providing online services/sales — which includes your platform. Issued **only by the Center for E-Commerce Development (مرکز توسعه تجارت الکترونیکی)** under the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade.
- It is **de facto mandatory for a monetized site** because PSP/Shaparak rules require e-namad to obtain an online payment gateway (IPG). (Note: "mandatory" status has had some regulatory flux.) Sources: [ecommerce.gov.ir](https://ecommerce.gov.ir), [netafraz guide](https://www.netafraz.com/blog/getting-enamad-complete-guide/).

## 4.5 Labor-law gap & market recognition (⚠️ medium confidence)
- **Home-care nurses fall outside the "arduous/hazardous work" (سخت و زیان‌آور) regime** that benefits hospital nurses' insurance/retirement, because the law doesn't specifically name staff of home-care companies. As of 2019, **~700 home-medical-service companies were registered** (target ~1,000); the gap reportedly persisted into 1402–1404 with no closing legislation. Source: [ILNA interview w/ INO Supreme Council member](https://www.ilna.ir/بخش-کارگری-9/797233). *(Single 2019 source; figures are a historical floor — confirm current status.)*

## 4.6 Other obligations to plan for
- **Taxation & company registration** (ثبت شرکت, tax file, VAT where applicable) — standard for any Iranian business. **[confirm specifics with an accountant]**
- **Insurance/social-security (تأمین اجتماعی)** treatment of nurses depends on whether you classify them as employees or contractors (see [problems & risks §2.2](problems-and-risks.md)). **[get labor-law counsel — this is the highest-stakes structural decision]**
- **Penalty ladder for non-compliance:** verbal/written warning → 1–3 month closure → 3 month–1 year closure → **permanent revocation + referral to judicial authorities.** Operating unlicensed is the real legal risk. **✅ verified**
