Iran Public Holidays 2017

Iran recognizes 26 national holidays per year. The majority of national holidays are based on centuries-old Islamic religious culture as well as political milestones commemorating a long struggle to obtain political freedom and equality. Iran celebrates the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad; Revolution Day; Oil Nationalization Day; Martyrdom of Fatima; Islamic Republic Day; Nature Day; Birthday of Imam Ali; Prophet’s Ascension; Imam Mahai’s Birthday; Anniversary of Khomeini’s Death; Eid-e-Ghorban, known as the Feast of Sacrifice and several other religious observances. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of Iranians practice the Islam faith. Most employers allow paid time off for religious holidays. In addition to national holidays, Labour Day is considered an official holiday for all workers, regardless of the type of employment.
Public Holidays 2017
Date

10 Feb
2 Mar
19 Mar
21 Mar
22 Mar
23 Mar
24 Mar
1 Apr
2 Apr
11 Apr
25 Apr
12 May
4 Jun
5 Jun
16 Jun
26 Jun
27 Jun
20 Jul
1 Sep
9 Sep
30 Sep
1 Oct
10 Nov
19 Nov
6 Dec
Day

Fri
Thu
Sun
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Tue
Tue
Fri
Sun
Mon
Fri
Mon
Tue
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sat
Sun
Fri
Sun
Wed
Holiday

Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution
Martyrdom of Hazrat Fatemah
Oil Nationalisation Day
Noruz (Iranian New Year)
Noruz
Noruz
Noruz
Islamic Republic Day
Sizdehbedar (Nature Day)
Imam Ali's Birthday
The Prophet's Acension
Imam Mahdi's Birthday
Demise of Imam Khomeini
Khordad National Uprising (1963)
Martyrdom of Imam Ali
Eid Al-Fitr
Eid Al-Fitr
Martyrdom of Imam Sadeq
Eid Al-Adha
Eid Al-Ghadir
Tassoua
Ashura
Arbaeen
Martyrdom of Imam Reza
Birthday of Muhammad
Recent News and Updates

  •  12 Mar 2016 Iranian 2016-2017 Public Holidays Announced (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) The Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis), has officially announced the annual official list of non-working public holidays in Iran for the upcoming Persian year 1395, running from March 20, 2016, to March 20, 2017. 
  • 16 Aug 2015 Iranian Initial 2016 Public Holidays Announced (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) The Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis), has officially announced the annual official list of non-working public holidays in Iran for the first half of the calendar year 2016.
  • 15 Mar 2015 Iranian 2015-2016 Public Holidays Announced (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) The annual official list of non-working public holidays in Iran for the upcoming Persian year 1394, running from March 21, 2015, to March 19, 2016, has been released.
  • 08 Mar 2014 Iranian 2014-2015 Public Holidays Announced (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) The annual official list of non-working public holidays in Iran for the upcoming Persian year 1393, running from March 21, 2014, to March 20, 2015, has been released.
  • 11 Mar 2013 Iranian 2013-2014 Public Holidays Officialized (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) The official list of non-working public holidays in Iran for the upcoming Persian year 1392, running from March 21, 2013, to March 20, 2014, has been released.
  • 11 Jan 2013 Iranian 2013-2014 Public Holidays Draft (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) A draft list of official public holidays in Iran for the Persian year 1392, running from March 21, 2013, to March 20, 2014, has been released.
  • 03 Jan 2013 Iranian Pollution Public Holiday January 5 (Islamic Republic News Agency-Tehran) The Governor General of the Iranian Capital, Tehran, has declared another one-off public holiday on Saturday, January 5, 2013, as a safety precaution due to Tehran's current levels of pollution.
  • 03 Dec 2012 Iranian Pollution Public Holidays Tuesday and Wednesday (Islamic Republic News Agency-Tehran) The Governor General of the Iranian Capital, Tehran, has declared a 2-day period of public holidays, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 4 and 5, 2012, as a safety precaution due to Tehran's current levels of pollution.
  • 23 Aug 2012 Iranian NAM Public Holidays Next Week (Islamic Republic News Agency-Tehran) The President's deputy of international affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced that 5 days of public holidays would be declared, next week, in Tehran to coincide with the upcoming NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) Summit being held in Tehran.
  • 24 Mar 2012 Iranian 2012-2013 Public Holidays Announced (Islamic Consultative Assembly-Majlis) Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly has released the recently-approved the list of official public holidays in Iran for the Persian year 1391, running from March 20, 2012, to March 19, 2013.
Background Information

  • Governing Law: Official public holidays in Iran are regulated by the Labour Code of 20 November 1990 (Rouznameh Rasmi, 17 February 1991, No. 13387, pp. 1­14). Article 63 of the aforementioned text specifies that Labour Day (1st May) shall be considered an official holiday for workers.
  • Official Calendar: The Persian calendar, is Iran's National Official Calendar (Hijri-Shamsi). It is a solar calendar with a starting point that matches that of the Islamic calendar and whose origin can be traced back to the 11th century. The current calendar has been used in Iran since 1925 and in Afghanistan since 1957 (except during the Taliban period). The Persian year starts on the vernal equinox; if the astronomical vernal equinox falls before noon (Tehran true time), then that day is the first day of the year. If the astronomical vernal equinox falls after noon, the following day is the first day of the year.
  • Weekends: Article 43 and 62 of the Iranian Labour Code stipulate that Friday is the weekly day of rest. However, banks, government offices and public organizations in the Islamic Republic of Iran closed on both Thursdays and Fridays, and many organizations are open half-day on Thursday.
  • Public Holidays may be extended by government decree for a day or more if they fall near the Iranian weekend (Thursday or Friday).
  • Government official working hours are Saturday to Wednesday, 8:00 to 16:00 hours and Thursday, 8:00 to 13:00 hours. Closed on Fridays andall public holidays. During the month of Ramadan government offices and many private businesses close around 14:00 hours or shortly there after.
  • Banks official working hours are Saturday to Wednesday, 8:00 to 15:00 hours and Thursday, 8:00 to 12:30 hours. Closed on Fridays andall public holidays. Source:
  • Although no official statement has been found, official government websites list Imam Reza's Birthday as an official public holiday in 2007, whereas they now omit the Martyrdom of Imam Reza which had been on previous years' official calendar of public holidays.
  • Ashura is also spelled: Ashoura, Ashoora, Aashura, Ashurah.
  • Noruz, the Iranian New year, may also be spelled in other ways: Norooz, Nowrooz, Norouz, Nowrouz. During the first 15-16 days that follow the Noruz public holiday, Government offices and banks are open but their normal operation are considerably affected by the absence of the large number of people on leave. For their part, schools and colleges are usually closed from March 19-20 until April 3-4, while bankshave a shorter holiday period. Private businesses have the choice to stay open or close during that period.
  • The beginning of Ramadan is not a holiday.
  • Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. This national holiday -- dedicated to ending Israeli rule over Jerusalem and bringing the city under Muslim control -- has been marked every year since the Iranian revolution in 1979.
  • The main annual holiday season is from early July to early September. During this period, only few Iranian businessmen are in the office. This also applies to the period around Iranian New Year (around March 21), when most businesses are closed for at least two weeks.
  • Tehran Smog Public Holidays: In the past, the municipal authorities have declared 1- or 2-day public holidays in Tehran, when the level of pollution rose above a critical level .
  • Iran International Codes IR and IRN (2 and 3-letter ISO3166 codes) and .ir (ICANN national top-level internet domain).
  • Other Sources of Information The following specialized websites are also a good source of Iran information and news: The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran central bank), and Wikipedia (includes Iran commemorative dates that are not necessarily public holidays).
Disclaimer

In many parts of the world, holidays are subject to arbitrary, last minute, changes by local authorities. While every effort has been made to present an accurate list of 2017 bank holidays, legal holidays and public holidays for Iran, we cannot accept any responsibility for any error or omission in the data presented above. You are therefore advised to verify the above dates with the embassy or consulate of Iran, before planning any trip to Iran.
Iran Public Holidays 2016