National Transit Headquarters Caps Border Sampling Holds at Two Hours and Allows Clearance at Inland Customs; Fuel Stations to Leave Border Terminals Within a Year

A new resolution of the National Transit Headquarters moves customs formalities to inland customs offices to cut the time goods sit at border terminals, Mehr reported on Friday 23 October 2026 (1 Aban 1405). Mohammadreza Farooghi, head of the Customs Commission of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, said that under the resolution goods can be sent from authorised entry and exit points to other customs locations, regardless of the destination in the shipping or order-registration documents, with assessment and permits handled at the destination customs office.

The border hold for animal and plant quarantine sampling is capped at two hours, and licensing bodies must begin sampling within two hours of the customs notice. Joint tests and the issuing or renewal of permits must run around the clock and finish within five days; for time-consuming tests the deadlines are 24 hours and seven days, and with a valid inspection certificate the three-day deadline applies. Mismatches with the order registration in year of manufacture, country of origin, value, destination customs office and border of entry do not block clearance, within legal limits; however, any extra foreign exchange needed after a corrected order value is the goods owner's responsibility.

The National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company must move retail fuel stations out of border terminal compounds within one year of the resolution's notification. Farooghi said final clearance of goods covered by health, pharmaceutical and food rules remains subject to the relevant legal requirements, and that implementation depends on coordination among the licensing bodies.