All nationalities, except the Israelis (due to the current political conditions) are very welcomed to visit Iran.
All foreign visitors except citizens of the following countries require a visa to enter Iran:
Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia and Turkey, Malaysia,
The citizens of these countries can stay just for 14 day which is the same as the airport visa validity. The visa should be issued before the arrival if the travel length is longer.
According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), a tourist visa can be issued for those who travel to Iran individually or in groups in order to visit Iran, or their friends and relatives.
Obtaining tourist visa requires following steps:
- Fill in the on-line visa application form.
Be sure to enter the information correctly so that they match your passport info and the documents which will be handed to your expected embassy.
- Scan and send the main passport page in JPG format and not heavier than 40 KB preferably. The passport copy should be clear and colorful.
Once we have sent the visa documents to MFA, it may take 10-15 Iran working days (from Saturday to Wednesdays) for the result to be announced for non-Americans. Public holidays are also added to non-working days. (Click here for the list of public holidays)
In the case of visa issuance, a 6-digit code (authorization number) will be announced with which you can collect your visa at your expected Iranian embassy.
Also, some documents need to be handed to the embassy. For updated information about the documents, contact the embassy.
The code in only valid to the mentioned embassy, however forwarding it to another embassy with an extra charge is possible.
You have one month to have the Iran visa stamped into your passport.
- Your passport must be valid for 6 months from the time you arrive in Iran.
- Make sure that your passport has two blank pages.
- Despite the public belief, existing visa stamps, e.g. for Israel, will not affect the application for an Iranian visa.
- Tourist visa fee
- The agency fee for visa issuance services is $60.
- You may also need to pay a governmental fee to the embassy which is not related to the embassy and negotiable. For the updated amount, contact the embassy.
Tourist visa validity
The maximum stay for tourist visa is 30 days with the option of extensions in Iran. The visa remains valid for 3 months from the date of issuance.
Visa extension can be demanded at the Police Dep. of Foreign Aliens Affairs in any Iranian major city.
Due to some political issues, American visitors to Iran must be joined on an escorted tour by authorized guides. Also the hotel and accommodation rooms must be booked by the agency which applies for their visa. The visa process would take about 50 Iran working days for the American passport holders.
Visitors of Iranian origin
If you are Iranian born or your father is Iranian, you are considered as an Iranian citizen by the Iranian government and can therefore only travel to Iran on an Iranian passport, even if you have never been to or lived in Iran in the past.
However, if your mother is Iranian and your father is any other nationality, you are not considered as an Iranian person by the Iranian authorities. In this case, you would be able to travel to Iran on a non-Iranian passport and an Iranian visa will be required.
It is possible for some visitors to obtain a tourist visa, valid for 15 days, on arrival at certain Iranian airports.
Neither UK nor U.S citizens can get a visa at the airport.
Citizens of the following countries can, under certain circumstances, get a visa on arrival at the airport:
Albania, Armenia Australia Austria Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, China, Columbia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arabic Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia.
Because this is a relatively new service offered by the airports in Iran, obtaining a visa BEFORE travelling to Iran is highly recommended.