Leaving Iran: borders, flights and emergency plans (UK, Canada)

A visit to Iran cannot be judged only by how a traveler gets in. Both the UK and Canada say that leaving can be harder than arriving, that routes depend on decisions by the Iranian authorities and by neighboring countries, and that borders and airspace can close at short notice. This page sets out what the two governments say about flights, land borders and emergency planning for a visitor based in or near Esfahan. This is a reference, and it makes no case for going: both governments advise against all travel to Iran, as the decision guide for Tehran explains for the whole country.

The information comes from the UK's Iran warnings, entry requirements and safety pages, updated on 13 August 2026, and Canada's Iran page, updated on 23 July 2026, both read on 4 October 2026. Border arrangements change often, and both governments say to check the advice of the country you intend to enter before you travel to the border.

Read the full text on the UK government's Iran warnings page.

The UK says Iranian airspace may close at short notice and that there is ongoing disruption across the country. It says the US and Israel have struck infrastructure across Iran, with reports that airports have been affected among other facilities. Canada says some airlines have suspended flights to and from Iran, but that commercial flights remain available. Both advise keeping departure plans under review.

For airlines, the UK says to check the UK Air Safety List, which lists all known airlines in Iran that do not meet international safety standards and are banned from operating commercial air services to, from and within the UK, and which is maintained by the Department for Transport on advice from the Civil Aviation Authority. It also says that if your plan involves traveling directly to the UK from Iran, you may need to prove to the Iranian authorities that you have the right to enter the UK, and that you must be able to produce your British passport or a valid UK visa in your Iranian passport on request.

The practical reading is that a flight booking is not a plan. If an airline suspends a route, if airspace closes or if an airport is damaged, a ticket does not help. Keep flexible tickets where possible, keep your insurer informed and read the insurance and consular limits guide to see what a policy may and may not cover.

The UK lists the neighboring crossings one by one, and Canada names several of them. The table summarizes the points, and each original has the exact text. Both governments stress that entry to countries bordering Iran is not straightforward, that some countries ask for additional paperwork for British passport holders and that overland exit is at your own risk.

For Türkiye, the UK says the border remains open visa-free for people traveling on UK or Iranian passports for stays of up to 90 days, but that a British national intending to cross from Iran into Türkiye must request facilitation from the British Embassy in Ankara by contacting FCDO before traveling to the border, stating the border point and providing personal details. Canada says Canadian passport holders seeking visa-free entry for up to 90 days must request facilitation through the Embassy of Canada in Ankara before arriving, and names the crossings Kapıköy, Gürbulak and Esendere.

For Armenia, the UK says British nationals do not need a visa for stays of up to 180 days per year, and Canada names the Nordoz and Agarak crossing. For Azerbaijan, the UK says FCDO must register your details with the Azerbaijani authorities in advance to provide a registration code, and that you also need a visa. Canada says the Astara land border is closed and that its Ankara embassy can request special entry authorization, but you must still obtain an Azerbaijani visa in advance. For Turkmenistan, the UK says you need special permission in advance, facilitated by the British Embassy in Ashgabat, and a confirmed onward flight, and Canada says the Sarakhs crossing is fully open while others may face restrictions, and that you should carry sufficient undamaged US cash.

The UK adds that it advises against all travel to Afghanistan and Iraq and to Balochistan province in Pakistan, which border Iran, so those routes are not options for a visitor. Canada describes the border with Iraq as usually closed and the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan as open only to citizens of those countries, with foreigners near them often attracting the attention of security forces.

Leaving Iran legally depends on your documents as much as on a border being open. The UK says it is not possible to apply for a British passport from Iran, and that you can apply in a neighboring country. It says that if you are a British-Iranian dual national, the Iranian authorities consider you an Iranian national who must enter and leave on an Iranian passport. Canada says Canadian-Iranian citizens must exit with an Iranian passport and may not be able to leave unless they meet conditions, including military service for men aged 18 to 34, and that if you are denied departure it cannot intervene.

Overstaying a visa can trap a traveler. The UK says that if you overstay you may have to stay in Iran until the matter is resolved and may be detained, and Canada says overstaying may lead to detention, imprisonment and fines. If you enter with a transit pass issued by an Iranian embassy, Canada says you may have to obtain an Iranian passport to exit. The visa and entry guide sets out those entry rules.

Both governments ask travelers to have a plan that does not depend on them. The UK says you should have a contingency plan to leave Iran in an emergency, should not assume ports and borders will remain open and should carefully consider your presence if you are already in Iran. Canada says to register with its Registration of Canadians Abroad service, to try the Emergency Watch and Response Centre if you cannot, to keep travel documents up to date and to monitor local and international media.

A plan built from those pages would include several elements. Decide in advance what would count as the point to leave. Keep a charged phone, a power bank and an alternative way to communicate, since the UK says communications can be cut. Make sure someone at home knows where you are. Keep cash in the forms accepted, since cards do not work. Keep your passport and visa copies separate from the originals. And accept that the exit may involve costs and delays that no insurer or government will cover. Canada also reminds travelers that sea routes are sensitive, with the military patrolling the Gulf and foreigners navigating Iranian waters having been arrested, so sea exits are not a practical fallback.

Some travelers face extra steps. The UK says a female parent traveling with her children must have the father's permission, usually verbal, to take them out of Iran, and that immigration authorities usually assume permission unless the father has petitioned a court. Canada says women and children need the permission of the husband, or an Iranian male head of household, to obtain a passport or travel document and to leave the country, and that children of a male Iranian national are in the sole custody of their father. Dual nationals face the exit conditions described above, and men of military age may be unable to leave until their service obligation is settled.

Travelers far from a major city have a different problem. The UK says medical facilities are poor in remote areas, and Canada says road conditions vary greatly, city streets are poorly lit and trucks run at night often without headlights, so a long overland journey to a border is a risk in itself. Anyone in either group should treat the exit as the first question of the trip, not the last.

The first mistake is booking a one-way plan that depends on a single border. The second is assuming a visa-free rule in the neighboring country means no paperwork: the UK and Canada both require facilitation requests for Türkiye. The third is leaving it until a crisis to ask. The fourth is relying on a phone. The fifth is assuming a government can evacuate you: both say they cannot be relied on.

The most important mistake is treating exit planning as a substitute for the advice. Read the Iran travel advice again before any decision, compare travel insurance terms and see the guide to dress code and conduct rules in Esfahan for the legal rules that can lead to arrest. A tidy exit plan is no case for traveling, and this page makes none.