Free Zones are geographical boundaries which are often established in the vicinity of borders and customs port of entry to support domestic industry and facilitate the import, export, and transit of goods, and impose more limited laws and simpler customs formalities than the mainland. Those Zones are out of the scope of many mainland laws and, because of the facilities, possibilities, exemptions and privileges provided for them, are in a position to provide a good platform for producers of export goods, traders and transit industry activists.

The main focus in the development of these Zones is to encourage industrial exports, attract foreign capital and technologies, strengthen transit channels and empower the Country's position in the field of international trade.

Advantages of investment and activity in the Free Trade and Industrial Zones of Iran

The management of each free zone is the responsibility of a single organization, called the Free Zone Organization, and this makes the conditions and process of investment and business establishment in the free zones of Iran much faster and easier than the mainland. Some advantages of investment in the Free Zones of Iran include the following:

• Possibility of registration and 100% ownership of the company by individuals or companies with non-Iranian citizenship
• Complete freedom in the entry and exit of capital and profits derived from economic activities
• Special logistics access to Asian and European transit channels
• Exemption from customs duties for the importation of raw materials and industrial machinery for production units
• Custom exemptions and simpler formalities in the export and re-export of goods
• Exemption from paying income and asset tax for 20 years from the date of establishment
• Easy issuance of visas for foreign nationals working in the Zones
• Compliance with the labor laws for the Free Trade and Industrial Zones, which are different from the laws of the mainland
•  Enjoyment of flexible banking and monetary services and easy currency exchanges through Iranian banks and their branches in the Zones and foreign countries

Kish, Qeshm, Chabahar, Aras, Bandar Anzali, Arvand, Maku and Imam Khomeini -PBUH- Airport city currently constitute eight Free Trade-Industrial Zones of Iran.

In addition to the above- mentioned generalities and goals, each of the Zones, according to their geographical, climatic and social characteristics, pursue their own particular objectives and missions, which are outlined on the dedicated page of each Zone.