What it means
تمبر (tambr) is a loanword from French “timbre”, meaning a stamp. In Iranian usage it covers two related things: the postage stamp you put on an envelope, and the revenue or duty stamp that must be affixed to many legal documents, contracts, and official applications to make them valid. The word entered Persian during the 19th century along with the country’s first postal system. You may also hear تمبر مالیاتی (tambr-e maliyati) for a tax or revenue stamp specifically.
How to use it
- نامه رو تمبر زدی؟ (name ro tambr zadi?) “Did you put a stamp on the letter?”
- این قرارداد باید تمبر داشته باشه. (in qarardad bayad tambr dashte bashe.) “This contract must have a revenue stamp.”
- یه تمبر پانصد تومنی میخوام. (ye tambr-e pansad tomani mikham.) “I want a five-hundred-toman stamp.”
- تمبرا رو از پست بخر. (tambraro az post bekhar.) “Buy the stamps from the post office.”
Cultural note
Revenue stamps (تمبر) are still required on many Iranian legal instruments, including notarised documents and certain tax filings. The post office (اداره پست) is the official place to buy both postage and revenue stamps. Collectors of old Iranian stamps will find elaborate designs from the Qajar and Pahlavi eras that are prized for their historical artwork.