GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Iran Office is located in the core business district of Tehran, the capital of Iran, providing professional Sino-Iranian cross-border legal services for Chinese-funded enterprises and individuals. The office has a full-time team consisting of Chinese foreign-related lawyers, practising lawyers registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, international sanctions compliance experts, and legal professionals proficient in Chinese, Persian and English. Core members have more than 6 years of experience in two-way legal services between China and Iran, are deeply adapted to Iran’s economic and trade policies and Islamic legal system, and focus on high-demand fields such as Chinese-funded enterprises’ investment in Iran, energy development and cross-border trade, providing integrated full-process legal support for access compliance, operation risk control and dispute resolution.
This document sets out the official unified fee schedule of GUOZUN Iran Office for 2026. All quoted prices are exclusive of value-added tax (the standard VAT rate in force in the Islamic Republic of Iran is 9%). Settlement is available in US dollars, Chinese yuan and euros, and all services fully comply with the practice supervision requirements of the Iranian Bar Association.
I. Legitimate Fee Models of GUOZUN Law Firm’s Iran Office
In strict accordance with Iran’s Law on the Practice of Law, official practice norms and fee guidelines of the Iranian Bar Association, and combined with the cross-border service needs and trading habits of Chinese clients, the following 5 standardised fee models are provided, all of which are compliant with Iran’s local legal service supervision system:
1.Fixed Fee Model: Applicable to routine legal affairs with standardised procedures and accurately estimable workload. The total service fee is locked in a lump sum upon signing the contract with no additional charges throughout the process. It mainly covers standardised affairs such as establishment of corporate entities, basic contract review, visa processing and basic intellectual property registration.
2.Hourly Rate Model: Applicable to customised services such as complex litigation and arbitration, large-scale cross-border non-litigation projects and specialised sanctions compliance consulting. Fees are charged based on the actual effective working hours of lawyers. A detailed work record is issued monthly, with fully traceable service content and time consumption details.
3.Proportionate Fee Based on Subject Matter Value: Applicable to property-related cases such as commercial disputes, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions and bulk trade disputes. Tiered decreasing rates are implemented according to the value of the subject matter of the case, in strict compliance with the common practice of Iran’s commercial legal service industry.
4.Conditional Fee Model: Applied within the scope permitted by Iranian lawyer practice norms, focusing on property-related cases such as debt recovery, tort compensation and project payment recourse. Fees are charged at an agreed proportion after a successful outcome or actual recovery of funds, with the maximum charging proportion not exceeding 30% of the recovered amount.
5.Annual Legal Advisory Retainer: Providing enterprises with annual full-coverage regular legal services, charging a fixed fee on an annual basis. Equipped with an exclusive trilingual (Chinese, Persian, English) service team, clients enjoy 48-hour priority response rights, covering full-scenario compliance and risk prevention and control needs of daily enterprise operations.
II. Hourly Rate Standards for Lawyers at GUOZUN Iran Office
All lawyers of the GUOZUN Iran team have obtained practice qualification certification from the Ministry of Justice of Iran. Core lawyers have seamless trilingual service capabilities in Chinese, Persian and English. Some partners hold practice qualifications in Gulf states and multiple EU countries, and have in-depth engagement in core fields such as energy and minerals, sanctions compliance and infrastructure engineering, implementing a standardised tiered service system.
For 2026, the overall hourly rate range for lawyers at GUOZUN Law Firm’s Iran Office is USD 100 – USD 480 per hour, covering all levels of services from junior lawyers, mid-level lawyers, senior lawyers/local partners, to experts seconded from Beijing headquarters/international partners. The final rate is determined comprehensively based on case complexity, matching degree of the lawyer’s professional field, project location and team configuration plan.
Note: For services delivered outside Tehran (such as Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, free trade zones, etc.), a 35%–55% surcharge for travel expenses and off-site case handling subsidies will apply. For 48-hour response or expedited services on statutory holidays, a uniform 50% surcharge applies. For cross-border cases involving the application of laws of multiple jurisdictions, the rate will be increased by 25%. For cases requiring simultaneous interpretation in Chinese, Persian and English for court hearings or negotiations, the rate will be increased by 15%. For cases involving the specialised application of Islamic law, the rate will be increased by 10%–25% depending on professional complexity.
III. Specific Fee Standards for Core Practice Areas
This fee schedule is formulated based on the high-frequency and essential business needs of Chinese-funded enterprises in Iran, adapted to Iran’s local legal system, special supervision rules of free trade zones and international sanctions compliance requirements, covering full-dimensional legal services for Iran’s core industries. Details are as follows:
(A) Enterprise Establishment and Free Trade Zone Compliance Services: USD 800 – USD 25,000
1.Full-process compliance agency for wholly foreign-owned enterprise registration, filing with the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Trade, and government system procedures
2.Establishment of branches and representative offices, including foreign investment access screening, sanctions compliance review and special industry approval
3.Full-process services for enterprise registration, tax incentive application and land use compliance in Qeshm Free Trade Zone, Kish Free Trade Zone and Arak Free Zone
4.Compliance services for equity change, capital adjustment, business scope change, amendment of articles of association and corporate restructuring
5.Annual tax and industrial and commercial compliance audits of enterprises, and establishment and review of a compliance system for Iran’s local employment policies
6.Full-process legal agency for company deregistration, liquidation and bankruptcy proceedings
7.Specialised legal services for settling in Sino-Iranian cooperative industrial parks, including policy declaration, compliance filing and supporting services for project implementation
(B) Specialised Legal Services for Energy, Minerals and Bulk Trade: USD 4,500 – USD 72,000
1.Handling of exploration and development licences for oil, gas and mineral resources, acquisition of franchise rights, and drafting and negotiation of industrial chain cooperation agreements
2.Full-process legal support for the development of clean energy projects such as photovoltaics and hydrogen energy, land use compliance and government approval
3.Cross-border settlement compliance, customs risk control and full-cycle performance management of bulk mineral and energy trade contracts
4.Drafting and review of EPC general contracting agreements for energy projects, and specialised handling of duration claims and settlement disputes
5.Specialised services for mergers and acquisitions in the energy and mining sector, compliance due diligence of target companies, and transfer and mortgage of mining rights
6.Sanctions risk assessment for investment in Iran, and formulation and implementation of emergency plans for cross-border trade
(C) Legal Services for Infrastructure Projects and Industrial Investment: USD 3,800 – USD 60,000
1.Bidding compliance, contract system design and risk control for municipal, transportation, industrial park and water conservancy infrastructure projects
2.Full-process legal services for performance management, cost claims and final account settlement under EPC, BOT and PPP project models
3.Review of contracts for industrial plant construction and equipment procurement and installation, and mediation and litigation agency for performance disputes
4.Specialised legal support for engineering qualification filing, work safety compliance review and environmental protection acceptance
5.Specialised handling of disputes over unpaid project payments, construction period defaults and project quality, and cross-border dispute resolution
6.Compliance due diligence for industrial project investment and full-process agency for foreign-invested factory construction approval
(D) Legal Services for Labour Employment and Human Resources Compliance: USD 300 – USD 20,000
1.Drafting and review of Chinese, Persian and English labour contracts, confidentiality agreements and non-compete agreements (Persian is the legally valid version)
2.Compliance review of employee handbooks and enterprise rules and regulations, adapted to Iranian trade union rules and collective bargaining systems
3.Application for local employment quotas in Iran, establishment of employment systems, and full agency for social security and provident fund compliance
4.Design and compliant implementation of employee dismissal and economic layoff plans to avoid administrative penalty risks
5.Full-process agency for labour dispute mediation, arbitration and litigation, and specialised legal services for trade union negotiations
6.Handling of work visas and residence permits for foreign employees, and compliance services for the implementation of salary payment systems
7.Annual audit of enterprise employment compliance, and formulation of special emergency plans for surprise inspections by regulatory authorities
(E) Sanctions Compliance and Cross-Border Commercial Legal Services: USD 1,500 – USD 50,000
1.Full-process services for international sanctions compliance screening, investment structure design and foreign investment access security review
2.Full-process services for cross-border mergers, acquisitions and restructuring, and equity and asset acquisitions, including compliance due diligence and transaction settlement control
3.Drafting and review of cross-border trade contracts and supply chain agreements, and compliance risk control for foreign exchange settlement
4.Islamic finance compliance services, investment and financing structure design, and customised compliant transaction models
5.Establishment and specialised review of enterprise compliance systems for anti-bribery, export control and sanctions evasion
6.Customs supervision, tariff planning, import and export compliance consulting, and full-process handling of trade disputes
(F) Legal Services for Intellectual Property, Data Compliance and Digital Economy: USD 250 – USD 28,000
1.Full-process agency for registration application, renewal and rights protection of trademarks, patents, copyrights and industrial designs
2.Specialised services for IP infringement investigation, administrative complaints, civil litigation and cross-border rights enforcement
3.Establishment of a compliance system under Iran’s Data Protection Law, data export review, and drafting and revision of privacy policies
4.Specialised services for cross-border e-commerce platform entry compliance, product certification and consumer rights protection
5.Specialised legal services for brand counterfeiting rights protection, trade secret protection and domain name disputes
6.Drafting and review of technology transfer licence agreements, and compliance support for digital economy project investment
(G) Dispute Resolution and Cross-Border Enforcement Legal Services: USD 1,200 – USD 420,000
1.Full-case mediation and litigation agency for small civil and commercial disputes and trade contract disputes
2.Full-process agency for first instance, second instance and retrial of complex commercial litigation and cross-border investment and trade disputes
3.Full-process agency for arbitration at the Iran National Arbitration Center, ICC International Court of Arbitration and cross-border arbitration proceedings
4.Cross-border recognition and enforcement of court judgments and arbitral awards between China and Iran (Iran is a contracting state to the New York Convention)
5.Agency for administrative reconsideration and administrative litigation, including handling of disputes related to customs penalties and administrative licences
6.Full-process specialised legal services for debt recovery, property preservation and compulsory enforcement
7.Full-process services for criminal compliance review, criminal report agency and criminal defence
Special Note: For criminal cases involving transnational smuggling, major economic crimes, drug crimes and offences punishable by a fixed-term imprisonment of more than 10 years, there is no upper limit on defence fees. A separate quotation will be provided based on case complexity, difficulty of cross-border evidence collection and scale of team input.
(H) Visa, Immigration and Personal Family Law Services: USD 600 – USD 4,000
1.Full-process services for application and extension of business visas, work visas and multiple-entry visas
2.Full-process agency for investor visas, family reunion visas and long-term residence permits
3.Consultation on permanent residence application and naturalisation policies, and full-process supporting legal services
4.Compliance services for the sale, lease and mortgage of personal real estate, and qualification review for foreign nationals purchasing property
5.Specialised legal services for cross-border inheritance, property preservation and family wealth management
6.Legal consultation and full-process dispute resolution for Islamic marriage and family disputes
7.Personal criminal legal consultation, defence and supporting legal services for consular assistance
IV. Key Factors Affecting Legal Fees
1.Jurisdictional and legal application complexity: Fees will increase accordingly for cases involving special rules of Iranian free trade zones, alignment of dual legal systems of China and Iran, cross-border evidence collection, and participation of multi-jurisdictional entities
2.Industry specialisation: Fees for specialised fields such as energy and minerals, sanctions compliance, Islamic finance and infrastructure engineering are higher than those for ordinary civil and commercial basic services
3.Compliance and case difficulty: Fees will be adjusted according to complexity for high-risk matters involving foreign investment access restrictions, international sanctions compliance and specialised application of Islamic law
4.Urgency: A 50% expedited service fee will be charged as stipulated for urgent cases to be initiated within 48 hours, completed within a time limit, or expedited services on public holidays
5.Service scope and procurement model: Choosing annual legal advisory services saves an average of 20%–30% of overall costs compared with purchasing multiple services separately
6.Team configuration: Fees will be adjusted according to team size for projects requiring coordination of headquarters experts, joint handling by lawyers in multiple fields, and exclusive trilingual team services
7.Expected case outcome: The charging proportion for conditional fee cases is directly related to case difficulty, probability of success, payment recovery cycle and enforcement difficulty
V. Additional Third-Party Fees to Be Budgeted
In addition to legal service fees, the following third-party fees are reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with Iranian official standards or actual expenditure. The law firm does not charge any agency handling fees or additional charges:
1.Government fees: Company registration fees, commercial filing fees, visa fees, court litigation fees, arbitration fees, official intellectual property fees, mining licence application fees, etc.
2.Notarisation and authentication fees: Local notarisation in Iran is charged at 0.1%–0.3% of the subject matter value; Sino-Iranian consular authentication is charged per document, both reimbursed at official standards
3.Translation fees: Chinese-Persian legal document translation costs USD 45 – USD 80 per thousand words; simultaneous interpretation for trilingual court hearings costs USD 240 – USD 430 per day, settled based on actual occurrence
4.Expert witness fees: Fees related to industry experts, technical appraisal and judicial appraisal institutions range from USD 400 to USD 1,500 per occasion, reimbursed at actual expenditure
5.Travel expenses: Transportation, accommodation and off-site case handling subsidies incurred for case handling outside Tehran shall be reimbursed at actual cost
6.Bank charges: Financial service charges arising from cross-border transfers and currency exchange shall be borne by the client
7.Other third-party fees: Third-party professional service fees for environmental assessment, compliance due diligence, audit institutions, etc., shall be reimbursed at actual entrusted expenditure
VI. Important Reminder
All fee standards in this document are official reference benchmark prices for 2026 and do not constitute a final service offer. The final fees, service boundaries, rights and obligations for all legal services shall be clearly agreed in writing in the Entrustment Agency Contract based on the client’s specific needs, actual case circumstances and project complexity.