Dogs are not illegal in Iran under any single national law, but owning or walking one is heavily restricted in practice. There is no nationwide statute banning pet dogs. Instead, local prosecutors and police enforce city-by-city bans using broad provisions of the Islamic Penal Code, and as of mid-2025 those bans covered at least 25 Iranian cities. The result is a legal gray zone where keeping a dog indoors is generally tolerated but taking one into public can trigger fines, vehicle seizure, or confiscation of the animal.
What Happens to Dog Owners in Practice
Tehran issued its first police order banning dog walking in 2019. Enforcement was inconsistent for years. That changed in mid-2025, when judicial authorities across the country began rolling out similar bans in quick succession.
By June 2025, at least 25 cities had active dog-walking bans, including Isfahan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Hamadan, and Kerman, along with smaller cities like Boroujerd, Robat Karim, and Lavasanat. The bans typically cover parks, streets, and other public spaces. Walking a dog, carrying one in a vehicle, or being spotted with a dog in a public area can all trigger enforcement.
The crackdown reaches beyond the animals. In Isfahan, the chief prosecutor ordered police to shut down pet shops and unauthorized veterinary clinics alongside the dog-walking ban. Other cities have followed a similar pattern. For anyone living in urban Iran, exercising or transporting a dog outside the home now carries real legal risk in most major cities.
The Legal Articles Prosecutors Use
Because no dog-specific statute exists, authorities rely on two general articles of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code.
Article 688 covers threats to public health. It prohibits any act considered harmful to public well-being, listing examples such as polluting drinking water, unsanitary waste removal, and illegal animal slaughter. The article carries a penalty of up to one year in prison. Prosecutors cite it to argue that dogs in public spaces pose a health risk.1Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. Islamic Penal Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran – Book Five
Article 638 targets public morality. It punishes anyone who openly commits a sinful act in public with 10 days to two months of imprisonment or up to 74 lashes. Even where the act itself carries no inherent punishment, a person can still face penalties if the behavior is deemed harmful to public morality. Prosecutors apply this article to dog walking on the theory that it offends public sensibilities.2European Country of Origin Information Network. Iran: Dress Codes, Including Legislation, Enforcement and Criminal Penalties
Some jurisdictions also invoke Article 40 of Iran’s Constitution, which prohibits causing harm to others, as additional legal cover. The flexibility of these provisions is the point. They give local prosecutors wide discretion to act against dog owners without needing a purpose-built statute.
Penalties Owners Face
Penalties vary by city and by the officer, which is part of what makes the situation unpredictable. The most common consequences under current enforcement are:
- Confiscation of the dog. Authorities routinely seize dogs found in public.
- Vehicle impoundment. Police in multiple cities have been ordered to seize cars found transporting dogs, and this has been one of the most consistently enforced penalties during the 2025 crackdown.
- Fines and imprisonment. Article 688 violations can carry up to one year in prison. Article 638 carries 10 days to two months in prison or up to 74 lashes.
Owners in Tehran and other cities have also reported repeated fines, harassment, and eviction threats from landlords pressured by authorities. Because there is no dedicated national regulation, there is no formal appeals process and no consistent standard for what counts as a violation.
Why the Restrictions Exist
The hostility toward pet dogs draws on two overlapping forces: religious doctrine and political identity. In traditional Islamic jurisprudence, dogs are considered ritually impure, and contact with a dog’s saliva or hair is viewed as rendering a person, clothing, or surface unfit for prayer. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued a fatwa describing dog ownership as “reprehensible” except when the animal is used for shepherding, hunting, or guarding property. He added that keeping a pet dog is religiously forbidden if it amounts to imitating non-Muslim cultures.
That second point drives much of the enforcement. Iranian authorities frequently frame pet dog ownership as a form of Western cultural influence. Prosecutors announcing local bans routinely cite the need to preserve public decency and push back against foreign cultural influence. Owners face both a religious stigma and a political one, which is why enforcement can be aggressive even where the underlying religious objection is old and widely known.
Working Dogs Are Treated Differently
Not every dog draws attention. Working dogs used for herding livestock, hunting, and guarding property have long been accepted, particularly in rural areas. Khamenei’s fatwa explicitly carves out these uses. Police and security forces also use dogs without restriction.
The line authorities draw is between rural working animals and urban companions. A guard dog on a farm in a rural province is unlikely to attract any attention. A pet dog on a leash in an Isfahan park will. The restrictions target the idea of dogs as household pets in cities, which authorities treat as a cultural import rather than a practical necessity.
National Bans Have Been Proposed and Failed
Iranian lawmakers have repeatedly tried to pass a comprehensive national ban on pet ownership, and every attempt has stalled. This history matters because it explains why enforcement remains fragmented rather than uniform.
In 2014, a group of 32 lawmakers introduced a draft bill that would have criminalized walking, trading, or keeping dogs at home, with fines of 10 million to 100 million rials or 74 lashes, plus confiscation. The bill exempted police forces, farmers, and licensed hunters. It never advanced to a vote.
In 2021, 75 lawmakers backed a broader bill called the “Protection of the Public’s Rights Against Animals,” which targeted dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, snakes, and other common pets. Proposed fines ran 10 to 30 times the monthly minimum wage (roughly $1,300 to $3,900 at the time), with a three-month jail term for walking a pet in public, three-month vehicle confiscation for transporting one, and a requirement that landlords and real estate agents ban dogs in rental agreements within three months of the law taking effect. This bill also failed.
With no dedicated statute on the books, Iran’s dog restrictions run entirely through local directives and creative use of existing penal code articles.
Bringing a Dog Into Iran
Travelers considering bringing a dog into Iran face both bureaucratic requirements and the practical reality above. Iran does not require a formal import permit for pets accompanying their owner, but several veterinary requirements apply. Dogs must be microchipped with an ISO-standard chip, vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days before arrival (with the vaccination given within the prior 12 months), and vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and leptospirosis. Internal and external parasite treatments are also required.
An original health certificate must be issued in the country of origin and endorsed by the relevant national veterinary authority. Authorization from an Iranian veterinary organization is also required before entering the country. Clearing these hurdles gets the dog into the country. It does nothing to protect you from the city-level restrictions on walking or transporting the animal once you are there. The import rules and the domestic restrictions operate independently.