Iran Amends Marriage Law for Foreign Spouses; Child Citizenship Tied to DNA Testing

DID Press: An Iranian lawmaker announced major changes to regulations governing marriages between Iranian citizens and foreign nationals, removing the recognition of informal religious marriages and requiring DNA testing to confirm the parentage of children from such unions.

Abolfazl Aboutorabi, a member of Iran’s Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs, said the previous reference to “religious marriage” in the law had led to abuses by some foreign nationals and harmed underage girls in border provinces.

According to the new law, only officially registered civil marriages will be legally recognized, and the citizenship registration process for children born from these marriages will require a court ruling and a DNA test to verify lineage.

Aboutorabi stressed that if a marriage is deemed fraudulent and intended solely to exploit Iran’s citizenship laws, the foreign spouse will not be granted nationality — only residency — and may face deportation if abuse continues.

He added that the duration of residency will be determined by a council composed of security and law-enforcement bodies and chaired by Iran’s Interior Minister.

“The main goal of this reform is to prevent abuse and protect the rights of Iranian women and children,” Aboutorabi said.