Official Says Europeans Rejecting Visas For Iranian Truck Drivers

The chairman of Iran’s Transportation and Logistics Federation has raised concerns that European countries refuse to issue visas for Iranian drivers of transit trucks.

“Currently, Iranian trucks are not allowed to enter Germany, and visas are not being issued for Iranian drivers,” ILNA, Iran’s labor news agency, quoted Ali Mahmoudi Saray as saying.

Six months ago, the last round of negotiations was held with the German embassy in Iran to resolve the problem but things have not changed, he went on to say.

According to the official, Italy used to issue visas for 20 Iranian drivers per week but the Italian embassy in Tehran has also stopped the process.

“It is likely that the Italian embassy’s visa regulations for Iranian drivers will become similar to those of the German embassy,” he remarked.

Mahmoudi Saray added that with regard to the current situation, Iran’s cargo fleet to Europe has been “paralyzed” and Turkish trucks have replaced Iranian ones in European routes.

Only those Iranian drivers who already had visas are still working, but their visas will expire soon and they will have to stop working as well, he warned.

Earlier in January, Reza Rostami, the head of the Transportation Commission of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, said that the imposition of sanctions on Iran's Central Insurance has led to European countries not issuing visas to Iranian transit drivers.

Expressing concern for the future, he emphasized a potential shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers in the coming years.

In a related development in November, an Iranian official disclosed that economic hardships, coupled with the government’s neglect of truck drivers’ demands, have prompted many to contemplate emigration.