Government greenlights motorcycle licenses for women
Iran’s cabinet approved a nationwide framework on Wednesday to provide formal motorcycle training and pave the way for issuing licenses to women, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said after the weekly meeting, marking the first executive move to operationalize a policy long debated within the administration.
Under the decision, the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces is tasked with organizing practical motorcycle training for female applicants as a prerequisite for licensing, IRNA reported.
Training will be delivered primarily by female instructors, with examinations conducted by female officers; male officers may be used only where staffing is insufficient and subject to Islamic and legal requirements, Mohajerani said.
The regulation prioritizes electric motorcycles and sets out detailed safety standards, including mandatory certified helmets and technical requirements related to braking and road safety, she added. Oversight will be carried out directly by traffic police.
Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs Zahra Behrouz-Azar said the licensing decision had been finalized and that implementation would begin in the coming days.
She described motorcycle mobility as a practical response to daily transport needs, traffic congestion and air pollution, noting that the absence of licenses had prevented women from obtaining insurance. With the cabinet regulation now in place, she said, there would be no remaining obstacle to issuing licenses, and inter-agency coordination had concluded.
Behrouz-Azar added that the regulation specifies the format of training and calls on the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, Iran National Standards Organization (INSO) and other relevant bodies to support the rollout of standardized electric motorcycles and appropriate safety gear.
Following the cabinet decision, the Motorcycle & Automobile Federation of Iran said registration had opened immediately at its specialized academies.
Federation president Reza Pazandmehr said infrastructure was in place to deliver training on standard tracks under full safety protocols, with dedicated coaches available for women, and that competitive events would also be organized in line with technical standards to support professional development.
The move builds on the government’s earlier position in September that there was no legal ban on women receiving motorcycle licenses, articulated by Mohajerani, when Behrouz-Azar said existing regulations were sufficient and implementation required only administrative cooperation.