Despite relatively high oil export revenues and steady economic growth, Iran continues to face budgetary pressures, a rapidly growing, young population with limited job prospects and high levels of unemployment, and heavy dependence on oil revenues. Companies investing in Iran today are the ones reaping the benefits in the futuer. This report seeks to provide the reader with a summary of the most important issues facing investments in Iran, as well as serving as a general business reference tool. The contents of the Guide are based on nine years of experience by Atieh Bahar Consulting in catering to the needs of international businesses interested in Iran as the leading independent strategic consultancy in this country. Investment Guide to Iran contains the business intelligence that foreign companies have shown the greatest demand for, including the political environment, a review of key sectors, business laws as well as practical tips for visiting the country and dealing with Iranians.
Table of Contents
1- Country Information. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-2 Geography. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-3 Religion. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-4 Population. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-5 Language. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-6 Climate. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-7 Environment Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-8 Infrastructure. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1-9 Regional Divisions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2- Political Environment. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1 System of Government Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1-1 Leadership: The Supreme Leader. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1-2 The President’s Office. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1-3 The Parliament (Majles) Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1-4 The Guardian Council. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1-5 The Expediency Council. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-1-6 The Supreme National Security Council. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-2 Power Structure. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-3 Other Power Centers & Political Forces. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-3-1 Local Councils. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-3-2 The Iranian Foundations: Bonyads. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-3-3 Chamber of Commerce, Industry, & Mines. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-3-4 Labor Unions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2-4 Existing Political Mindsets. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3- Economic Environment. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-1-1 Economic Policies. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-1-2 Decision Making Process. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-2 Macroeconomic Data. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-3 Economic Trends. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-4 Economic Sectors. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-5 Trade Patterns. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-5-1 Composition of Trade. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-5-2 Top Trade Partners. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-5-3 Foreign Trade Challenges. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-6 Economic Development Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-6-1 The First-Five Year Plan (1989-1994) Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-6-2 The Second-Five Year Plan (1995-2000) Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-6-3 The Third Five-Year Plan (2000-2005) Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-6-4 The Fourth Five-Year Plan (2005-2010) Error! Bookmark not defined.
3-7 The Budget Error! Bookmark not defined.
4- Legal Environment. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-1 Foreign Investment Law.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-1-1 Without FIPPA. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2 Taxation Laws. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-1 Corporate and Profit Tax. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-2 Tax on Liaison, Representative and Branch Offices. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-3 Tax on Property. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-4 Value Added Tax (VAT) Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-5 Withholding Tax. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-6 Tax Advantages & Exemptions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-7 Personal Income Tax of Local Employees. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-8 Personal Income Tax of Foreign Employees. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-2-9 Challenges. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3 Labor Laws. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-1 Provisions of Employment Contract. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-2 Suspension of Employment Contract. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-3 Termination of Employment Contract. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-4 Dismissal of an Employee. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-5 Severance & Termination Benefits. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-6 Working Hours & Overtime. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-7 Holidays & Leave. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-8 Maternity Leave. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-9 Employment of Foreign Nationals. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-10 Exemption. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-3-11 Challenges. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-4 Tender procedures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-4-1 Tender Notice. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-4-2 Tender Commission. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-4-3 Other Conditions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-5 Intellectual Property Rights. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-5-1 Patent Rights. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-5-2 Trademarks. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4-5-3 Copyrights. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5- Investment Climate. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-1 Potential Approaches to the Market Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-1-1 Joint Ventures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-1-2 Buy-Back. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-1-3 Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-1-4 Summary Table. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-2 Market Entry Strategy. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-2-1 Step 1: Show Your Commitment. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-2-2 Step 2: Initial Contracts. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-2-3 Step 3: Business Is Picking Up. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-3 Free Trade Zones. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-3-1 Types of Investment. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-3-2 Evaluation of Capital. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-3-3 Repatriation of Profits, Investment Guarantees & Dispute Resolution. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-4 Special Economic Zones. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-4-1 Differences with FTZs. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-5 Special Cases. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-5-1 Non Banking Credit Institutions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-5-2 Private Banks. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-5-3 Tehran Stock Exchange. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-6 Additional Information. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-6-1 Visa Requirement. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-6-2 Import Licensing, Tariffs and Taxes. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-6-3 Pre-shipment Inspection and Documentation. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-6-4 Samples and Advertising Matter. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-7 Business Operations Indicators. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5-8 Conclusions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6- Key Sector Conditions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1 Agriculture. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1-3 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1-4 Key Players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-1-6 Useful Information Sources/Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2 Power Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2-3 Policies and plan. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2-4 Key players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-2-6 Useful Information Sources / Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3 Oil and Gas. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3-3 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3-4 Key Players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-3-6 Useful Information sources/ Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4 Telecommunications. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4-3 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4-4 Key Players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-4-6 Useful Information Sources / Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5 Pharmaceuticals. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5-3 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5-4 Key players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-5-6 Useful Information Sources/ Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6 Mines and Metals. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6-3 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6-4 Key players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-6-6 Useful information and websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7 Automotive. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7-3 Key Players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7-4 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-7-6 Useful Information Sources / Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8 Construction. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8-1 Overview.. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8-2 Facts and Figures. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8-3 Policies and Plans. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8-4 Key Players. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8-5 Opportunities. Error! Bookmark not defined.
6-8-6 Useful Information Sources/Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7- Practical Hints & Tips. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-1 Etiquettes & Customs. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-1-1 Social Customs. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-1-2 Business Etiquette. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-1-3 Languages. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-2 Islamic Standards. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-2-1 Islamic Requirements. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-2-2 Dress Code. Error! Bookmark not defined.
7-2-3 Calendar. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Appendices. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Appendix 1– FIPPA Act Error! Bookmark not defined.
Appendix 2- Important Contact Info/Websites. Error! Bookmark not defined.