Complete Guide to Iranian Law
Child Custody and Visitation Rights in Iran
Custody after divorce, the child’s best interests, removing or changing custody, visitation schedules, child support and travel abroad
Custody under Iranian law
Under Article 1169 of the Civil Code the mother has priority for custody until the child turns seven, after which custody passes to the father. If the parents disagree after age seven, the court decides according to the child’s best interests, and Article 45 of the Family Protection Act requires every decision to protect the child’s welfare.
Age is therefore not the only factor: the child’s emotional state, living environment, attachment, each parent’s capacity and, for older children, the child’s own wishes all count.
Removing or changing custody
Under Article 1173 the court may intervene when the custodial parent’s neglect or moral decline endangers the child—harmful addiction, serious mental illness, abuse or excessive violence. Claims without evidence such as social-work reports, psychological opinions or records rarely succeed.
The non-custodial parent has a right of visitation (Article 1174); the court sets the schedule if the parents disagree, and obstructing a custody or visitation order is an offence under Article 40 of the Family Protection Act.
Child support and travel
Custody and support are separate: the father must pay child support even when the mother has custody. Taking a minor abroad requires the father’s permission or a court order.
Shahin Group’s lawyers frame the claim precisely—custody, visitation, support or travel—build the evidence and prepare clients for social-work and expert sessions.
