Travelling to Iran for treatment: what to know first

Before you plan treatment in Iran, check three things: which visa route your passport needs, how you'll pay (cards issued abroad don't work there), and how you'll stay in touch if the internet is restricted. This page summarises each one from official sources, with dates, and links to our detailed guides. Iran is the first country where Sahleva coordinates treatment.

Entry and visa

Your passport decides your route. Iran's Foreign Ministry lists countries under visa waiver rules (including Iraq and Oman), 27 countries whose citizens may stay 15 days for tourism (including several Gulf states), and a Medical Visa (type T) that needs an approval letter from an authorized medical center. The 15-day limit can't be extended, and it can be shorter than a surgical recovery plus the wait before flying. The full breakdown is in our Iran medical visa guide by nationality. If you also hold Iranian nationality, ask an Iranian embassy or consulate which passport you need to travel on.

Travel insurance

Before you book, ask your insurer in writing what your policy covers for planned treatment abroad, for a problem after it, and for emergency care while you are in Iran. The NHS says travel insurance does not normally cover things going wrong in surgery.

Money and payments

The UK government says non-Iranian debit and cash cards "will not work in Iran", that getting cash is extremely difficult, and that changing money on the street is illegal. In practice you need to plan how you'll pay the hospital, your accommodation and day-to-day costs before you leave. Our guide to paying for treatment in Iran as a foreigner covers the options and the questions to ask.

Phone and internet

Internet access in Iran can be restricted. Internet Society Pulse recorded a national internet shutdown in Iran from 8 January to 26 May 2026, with connectivity only partly and unevenly restored during that period.

For a treatment trip, this means:

• Agree a backup way to reach your coordinator and your hospital (for example SMS and a local phone number) before you travel.
• Carry printed copies of your hospital address, appointment times and your doctor's contact details.
• Bring paper copies of anything you'd normally keep in an app, including your return ticket and insurance details.

What Sahleva arranges

We coordinate the logistics around your treatment. Your doctor makes every medical decision.

• Provider checks first. We verify your doctor and facility before anything is booked. If you'd like to do your own checks too, see how to verify a doctor or hospital in Iran.
• Flight and hotel options, sourced by our team with real fares, change and cancellation terms and a clear expiry date. Nothing is booked without your confirmation, and an expired option is never shown as still available.
• Local transport between the airport, your accommodation and your appointments.
• Interpreter support if you and your care team don't share a language.
• Readiness checks. Medical, entry, travel and payment checks are tracked openly on your case, so you can see what's confirmed before dates are locked in.
• If plans change, such as a delayed flight or a moved treatment date, your coordinator re-plans with you.

The full list is on what we coordinate, and our frequently asked questions give short answers on travel to Iran.

Procedures we coordinate

At launch, Sahleva coordinates rhinoplasty, hair transplant and body contouring. Start with the rhinoplasty planning guide, and see how long to plan to stay after rhinoplasty when you think about dates. For the other two, see the hair transplant planning guide, our Iran vs Turkey hair transplant comparison, and the liposuction and tummy tuck guide, which covers how long to wait before flying.

Sahleva also coordinates dental implants, which usually take two trips a few months apart. See the dental implant timeline before you plan dates.

Sahleva also coordinates four procedures on the face: an eyebrow transplant, a facelift, chin and neck liposuction and a lip lift. Each guide explains how to plan the length of your stay. For breast surgery, see the breast augmentation guide, which explains the long-term follow-up implants need after you're home, and the breast lift guide.