Germany’s Federal Foreign Office has quietly reduced the scope of operations at its embassy in Tehran, limiting consular and visa services to emergencies only. In a statement to Iran International on 24 July 2026, Berlin confirmed that staffing levels at the mission have been cut and routine appointments for passports, legalisations and visa processing are suspended until further notice. Iranian restrictions on diplomatic accreditations, coupled with a worsening regional security environment, were cited as the immediate triggers. The warning is not new—Germany first urged its citizens to leave Iran in 2022 after mass demonstrations and a series of arbitrary detentions of dual nationals—but Friday’s reiteration is the clearest sign yet that Berlin sees little prospect of a rapid improvement. Officials are asking any remaining Germans to register on the ELEFAND crisis-preparedness portal so they can be reached quickly if an evacuation is required. For global mobility managers the decision translates into longer lead-times for German assignees who still need entry visas for Iran or who require civil-status services (birth certificates, legalisations, etc.). Corporate travel teams have been advised to reroute essential personnel through the German embassies in Ankara or Abu Dhabi, both of which still offer full Schengen-visa services for Iranian nationals who work with German companies. The episode also underscores the continuing fragility of corporate footprints in the wider Gulf region. Organisations with supply-chain exposure to Iran should refresh their contingency plans, verify emergency-extraction providers and review insurance coverage for locally hired staff. German authorities emphasise they will keep the embassy open “as long as conditions allow,” but cannot guarantee normal consular capacity in the coming weeks.
Source: Iran International / Shabtabnews
