US EditionIran formally allows women to ride motorcycles
The new resolution mandates police training, supervised exams, and license issuance to women, addressing legal ambiguities and insurance issues that affected female riders, officials said.
- On Wednesday, February 04, 2026, Iran formally allowed women to obtain motorcycle licences after First Vice‑President Mohammad Reza Aref signed a resolution following Iran's cabinet approval in late January.
- Because authorities had long refused to issue licences despite no explicit ban, Iranian authorities created a legal grey area that left women liable in accidents after Mahsa Amini's 2022 death and last month's nationwide demonstrations.
- Under the new rules, exams will be organised under direct traffic‑police supervision and by female officers, with mandatory practical training at licensed motorcycle training schools and male officers assigned only if shortages arise and religious conditions are met.
- The change should let women obtain licences and insurance, addressing legal issues tied to unlicensed riding, though Saina said it is `too late` as women riding to school, work or social clubs already do so.
- The decision arrives amid nationwide unrest during which Tehran acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths and authorities arrested over 50,553 people, while the HRANA rights group reported more than 6,872 deaths.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Iran clarifies law, officially allows women to ride motorcycles
Women in Iran have been granted the right to obtain motorcycle riding licences, local media reported on Wednesday. Previously, Iranian law did not explicitly prohibit women from riding motorcycles or scooters. However, in practice, authorities routinely declined to issue licences to female applicants, leaving many women legally unprotected. As a result, female riders were often held liable in road accidents, even when they were not at fault. The…
In Iran, women are officially allowed to ride motorcycles from now on.
Iranian women can now officially ride motorcycles, as they have only now been allowed to obtain driving licenses for them, according to media reports. The law did not prohibit them from riding motorcycles and scooters, but in practice the authorities refused to issue them driving licenses. As a result, they were legally responsible for accidents, even if they were victims.
The moral police in Iran severely restricts women's rights, but the recent wave of protests seems to have at least achieved something: the Vice-President is changing traffic regulations for women.
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