In a rare emergency step, the Chinese Embassy in Iran announced late on 28 February that it will suspend visa issuance and consular legalisation services from 1 March “until further notice”. The Tehran mission will only process travel documents for Chinese citizens in urgent need, while other applicants are directed to Chinese embassies in Turkey or the UAE. The move comes as explosions rocked Tehran following U.S.–Israeli strikes, prompting many countries to raise travel alerts. For Chinese businesses operating in Iran’s energy, infrastructure and mining sectors, the freeze creates an immediate hurdle: engineers and project managers cannot obtain new M- or F-visas, and notarised documents required for contract execution or work-permit renewals will be delayed. Chinese state-owned enterprises with large onsite teams are shifting to remote monitoring and rotating essential staff through Dubai. Mobility advisers suggest reviewing personnel lists to identify visa holders nearing expiry and arranging exits before re-entry becomes impossible. Insurance providers should be notified, as many corporate policies hinge on the availability of consular support. The Tehran suspension is a reminder that even as Beijing liberalises inbound travel, outbound mobility may tighten swiftly in crisis zones. Global programmes should build embassy-closure scenarios into their risk matrices and maintain digital copies of notarised and legalised documents to minimise project delays.
