Tens of thousands of Iranians living in Turkey on temporary visas are confronting increasingly difficult choices as ongoing conflict and communication blackouts in their home country complicate their already precarious legal status.

Nearly 100,000 Iranians lived in Turkey in 2025, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Since the start of the current war, approximately 89,000 Iranians have entered Turkey while around 72,000 have departed, according to UN refugee agency data. Most rely on short-term tourist visas renewable every six months to two years, creating an unstable situation that has worsened during the conflict.

The challenges facing Iranian families are illustrated by cases like Sadri Haghshenas, who operates a pastry shop in Istanbul with her husband. The couple was forced to send their 20-year-old daughter back to Iran after missing a visa renewal deadline due to financial constraints. The daughter was detained at a checkpoint and spent a night at an immigration facility before being sent home. A monthslong internet blackout in Iran has prevented the family from maintaining contact.

Economic pressures are compounding visa difficulties for many Iranian residents. Nadr Rahim, who moved to Turkey 11 years ago for his children's education, has been unable to transfer funds from his motorcycle business in Iran due to the war, sanctions, and internet disruptions. His family now has enough money to remain in Turkey for only a few more months, despite his children having grown up in the country and speaking limited Farsi.

Sedat Albayrak of the Istanbul Bar Association's Refugee and Migrant Rights Center noted that obtaining long-term international protection status remains difficult for Iranians, leading the system to encourage short-term permit applications instead. Some individuals have maintained temporary status for over a decade, but the current crisis is testing the sustainability of these arrangements.

The internet blackout has created additional hardships beyond family separation. Some Iranians are reportedly traveling to Turkey specifically to access internet connections for basic communications before returning home. Others, including professionals unable to serve Iranian clients remotely, face impossible choices between remaining in Turkey without income or returning to an uncertain situation at home.