Dating and Marriage The government does not approve of casual dating or premarital sex and enforces the separation of the genders. Therefore, if Iranians go out with their girlfriend or boyfriend in public, they run the risk of being berated, reported on or even detained.
Cheek kissing in Iran is relatively common between friends and family. Cheek kissing between individuals of the same sex is considered normal. However, cheek kissing between male and female in public is considered to be a punishable crime by the government, but it is known to occur among some young Iranians.
Most fun websites are banned in Iran – Facebook, Twitter, Couchsurfing, Youtube, Tinder – all banned. Luckily, you can get around this by installing a VPN on your phone – an app which bounces your phone location to another, more lenient, part of the world. Once you have installed a VPN, you are good to go!
What is known as an 'inappropriate behavior of couples in public', including kissing, hugging, etc., is severely restricted in Iran. In fact, holding hands and giving hugs are a less restricted in public than kissing. Moreover, greeting people can be different in different cultures.
The permission to marry an Iranian woman with a foreign man is issued by the Iranian Interior Ministry and no marriage contractor, without this special permission, has the right to file a foreigner's marriage with Iranian nationals in these cases.
Religion: Sharia-based Iranian law states that the legal age for marriage is 13 for girls and 15 for boys, but marriages can still be carried out at a younger age with the consent of fathers and permission from court judges. This has enabled a culture whereby child marriage is considered somewhat socially acceptable.
In Iran, the customary marriage age range is 20-34 for men and 15-29 for women. According to the information provided by Mahzoon, 46% of men and 48% of women in those age ranges remain unmarried.
What is known as an 'inappropriate behavior of couples in public', including kissing, hugging, etc., is severely restricted in Iran. In fact, holding hands and giving hugs are a less restricted in public than kissing. Moreover, greeting people can be different in different cultures.
Dating and Marriage
The government does not approve of casual dating or premarital sex and enforces the separation of the genders. Therefore, if Iranians go out with their girlfriend or boyfriend in public, they run the risk of being berated, reported on or even detained.
Another thing that is worth mentioning is that Iran's law does not allow Iranian unmarried couples to live together or check into a hotel. It states people of the opposite sex are not allowed to be alone together unless they are family members or married.
Several popular social media platforms and instant messaging applications are blocked by the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Medium, and Instagram.
Is Iran a censored country? Yes, it IS a censored country, as it blocks thousands of sites and pages. WhatsApp isn't the only blocked app here, though. Much like China, the country blocks platforms like Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and many others.
Iran has unveiled a state-sanctioned Islamic dating app aimed at facilitating “lasting and informed marriage” for its youth, state television reported. Called Hamdam – Farsi for “companion” – the service allows users to “search for and choose their spouse”, the broadcaster said on Monday.
The legal aspect in Iran
In Iran, a man can marry permanently up to four women, with the consent of the previous wives.
It is rude to put your feet on the table. Burping and sniffing in front of others is considered rude. One should not touch people of the opposite gender unless they are very close family or friends.
Adultery. Adultery (zina-e-mohsen) is punishable by 100 lashes for unmarried people and by death on the fourth offense. It is punishable by death by stoning (under moratorium since 2002, officially replaced in 2012, by an unspecified punishment) for married people and in all cases of incest.
China and India have also emerged as friends of Iran; these three countries face similar challenges in the global economy as they industrialize, and consequently find themselves aligned on a number of issues. Iran maintains regular diplomatic and commercial relations with Russia and the former Soviet Republics.
Visas. You will need a visa to enter Iran as a visitor. You should make your visa application well in advance of your date of travel. The application process for an Iranian visa can be long and unpredictable.
Iran is known for its rich cultural heritage in various forms of art such as literature, architecture, and much more. Iran comprises several spectacular architectures in the form of royal palaces, ancient mosques, and historical museums.
The hijab remains the official law in Iran. But these days, all around the country, many women are going about their business hair uncovered. It's a vivid reminder of the public uproar and anti-government protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was killed in police custody in September.
Article 21 of the constitution as well as a few parliament-passed laws give women rights such as women are allowed to drive, hold public office, and attend university but not wearing a veil in public can be punished by law; and when in public, all hair and skin except the face and hands must be covered.
While the number of marriages in Iran, too, increased during the period between 2019 and 2020 by 4.4%, reaching 556,731 cases, the divorce rates rose by 3.6%, reaching 183,193 cases. This means that in 2020, for every 100 registered marriages, 32.9 divorces occurred.
The experts recalled that under the current version of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, any act deemed “offensive” to public decency is punishable by 10 days to two months in prison or 74 lashes. Women seen in public without a veil could be sentenced to between 10 days and two months in prison or a fine.
Iran. Cousin marriages are decreasing among Iranians. Since the Pahlavi era fewer Iranians have practised cousin marriages. There is a strong preference for marrying a first cousin, but no specific preference for the father's brother's daughter.