Comparative Study of the Possessory Lien

The right of lien in Iranian law has been explained by jurists, considering Article 377 of the Civil Code. This article is included in the submission of the contract of sale and the jurists mainly deal with this article only in the topic of the right of lien. However, attention to other regulations, jurisprudential analysis, and comparison with foreign laws demonstrate two types of liens can be identified in Iranian law: 1) equitable lien (in cases where there is a balance between the parties), 2) possessory lien (the legal right for a creditor to preserve the property of the debtor). This is while the review of the equitable lien in the works of legal writers did not leave room for an independent review of the lien of possession, even though this type of right of lien has been present in Iranian law since 1/6/1312 (1933) with the approval of the law on the debt of immigrants to guest houses and boarding houses. This article, through the descriptive-analytical method (library study), seeks to identify possessory lien as an independent institution in Iranian law with a comparative study.For this purpose, a comprehensive definition of the right of lien is provided in the present research: "The right of Lien is the legal right for a person that is settled in the property of others until the fulfillment of their debt and obligation." This definition, in addition to including various types of the right of lien by passing the traditional point of view, also opens the way for the use of other types of right of lien, including maritime lien, which is itself one of the type of the right of lien in possession, in Iranian law.