Mohammad Mehdi Nassehi, the CEO of Iran Health Insurance Organization, announced that the renewal of residence permits for Afghan migrants holding Amayesh cards in Iran will be conditional upon the payment of health insurance premiums. According to him, the insurance rate for Amayesh card holders has been set at 80 percent higher than the premium paid by Iranian citizens.
The health insurance scheme in question is issued only to Afghan migrants and refugees who possess an Amayesh card. The Amayesh card is one of the temporary residency documents granted to Afghan migrants and refugees in Iran and is used to access services such as legal residence, employment, education, and healthcare.
Speaking to Iranian media, Nassehi stated that foreign nationals with legal residency and Amayesh cards must be covered by the basic health insurance program, and that the renewal of their residency status will depend on the payment of insurance premiums.
Under this plan, migrants holding Amayesh cards will be required to pay a specified amount as a health insurance premium so that, when visiting hospitals, medical centers, and pharmacies, part of their healthcare expenses will be covered by the insurance system.
The CEO of Iran Health Insurance Organization did not disclose the exact insurance premium for Afghan migrants. However, based on the 2026 (Iranian year 1405) tariff rates, the full annual health insurance premium for Iranian citizens has been set at 4,810,320 tomans. Taking into account the 80 percent increase for Amayesh card holders, their annual health insurance cost would amount to approximately 8.66 million tomans.
Nassehi also noted that currently fewer than 100,000 Afghan migrants holding Amayesh cards are covered under the vulnerable groups insurance program with financial support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
According to statistics released by the head of the Center for Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Interior, a total of 771,624 people in the country hold refugee cards known as Amayesh cards.
The statistics further indicate that among Amayesh card holders, 219,000 reside in Tehran, making it the city with the largest population of card holders in Iran.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
