How to Get Visa for Traveling to Iran

According to the World Tourism Organization Iran has been ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism. With this boom in tourism, authorities are doing their best to facilitate and fasten the visa procedure. That's why getting a visa to travel to Iran has become really easy for most foreign citizens. Here's everything you need to know to get yours:

Specificities and requirements for a Tourist visa

The Tourist visa is granted for a length of forty-five days in most cases.

It is required to have at least six months of validity on your passport to apply. The Tourist visa can, in theory, be extended twice at the Police Offices of Foreign Aliens in most big cities in Iran.

Travel Insurance is mandatory to travel to Iran. You can either subscribe one before in your country or directly at the airport if you require the Iran Visa on arrival (VOA). Notes that the insurance of your Mastercard or Visa credit card can sometimes cover you. In that case, you simply need to print the insurance notice, mentioning your dates of travel and clearly stating Iran as your destination.

Iran Visa on arrival (VOA) procedure

Most countries can currently benefit from VOA - Iran visa on arrival, which makes the visa application really simple. Only ten countries are excluded from this procedure (see exceptions to VOA below).

While it's not mandatory, it is highly recommended to first submit an application online, on the dedicated website of the Foreign minister of Iran (http://e_visa.mfa.ir/en ). Since it's more probable that your request is rejected if you do so personally, you'd better ask an official travel company to do it for you (request your Visa authorization code here). It is advised to apply a few weeks in advance, even if it's still possible two days prior to arrival. For the application, you simply need a digital copy of the first page of your passport, a digital personal photo, and the contacts of your first night's stay. Following the application, you will receive an e-visa authorization number.

Currently, most of Iran's main airports deliver VOA, among which of course, Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA). Once at the airport, you simply have to submit your documents along with your e-visa authorization number to the airport's visa desk. The procedure can take from fifteen minutes to one hour, depending on the airport and the flight.

Here are all the airports in Iran that deliver Visa on Arrival:

• Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran (IKA)
• Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran (TEH)
• Shahid Dastghaib Airport, Shiraz (SYZ)
• Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport, Mashhad (MHD)
• Shahid Madani Airport, Tabriz (TBZ)
• Shahid Beheshti Airport, Isfahan (ISF)
• Kish International Airport, Kish (KIH)
• Bandar Abbas Airport, Bandar Abbas (BND)
• Shahid Sadooghi Airport, Yazd (AZD)

What are Iran visa fees?

You'll have to pay the visa fees, which depend on your nationality. Most of the time the cost is about 75 euros, up to 150 euros, and must be paid in dollars or euros in cash. After these simple formalities, you're free to pass through the customs and start enjoying your trip to Iran!

Note that if you intend to extend your stay in Iran, it is recommended to apply for a Tourist visa at the embassy rather than opting for the VOA. This latter can be harder to extend and the extension is often limited to fort five more days. To learn more about how to extend your Iran visa and where you can do it in Iran please check our blog post "How to extend your Iran Visa".

For information purposes, here are the VOA’s fees for the 80 nationalities who can pretend to it (subject to modifications):

 

COUNTRY	FEES (EUR)	COUNTRY	FEES (EUR)
Algeria citizens | Iran visa for Algerians	30	Angola citizens | Iran visa for Angolans	85
Argentina citizens | Iran visa for Argentines	70	Armenia citizens | Iran visa for Armenians	20
Australia citizens | Iran visa for Australians	145	Austria citizens | Iran visa for Austrians	75
Bahrain citizens | Iran visa for Bahrainis	20	Bangladesh citizens | Iran visa for Bangladeshis	40
Belgium citizens | Iran visa for Belgians	75	Brazil citizens | Iran visa for Brazilians	80
Bulgaria citizens | Iran visa for Bulgarians	75	Cameron citizens | Iran visa for Cameroonians	60
Chile citizens | Iran visa for Chileans	120	China citizens | Iran visa for Chinese	100
Croatia citizens | Iran visa for Croatians	50	Cyprus citizens | Iran visa for Cypriot	75
The Czech Republic citizens | Iran visa for Czechs	75	Denmark citizens | Iran visa for Danish	75
Dominican citizens | Iran visa for Dominicans	70	Eritrea citizens | Iran visa for Eritreans	40
Estonia citizens | Iran visa for Estonians	75	Ethiopia citizens | Iran visa for Ethiopians	25
Finland citizens | Iran visa for Finnish	75	France citizens | Iran visa for Frenchs	75
Gabon citizens | Iran visa for Gabonese	75	Germany citizens | Iran visa for Germans	75
Ghana citizens | Iran visa for Ghanaians	75	Greece citizens | Iran visa for Greeks	75
Hong Kong citizens | Iran visa for Hong Kongers	80	Hungary citizens | Iran visa for Hungarians	75
India citizens | Iran visa for Indians	90	Indonesia citizens | Iran visa for Indonesians	45
Iraq citizens | Iran visa for Iraqis	50	Ireland citizens | Iran visa for Irish	75
Iceland citizens | Iran visa for Icelanders	75	Italy citizens | Iran visa for Italians	75
Iran visa for Ivory Coast citizens	60	Japan citizens | Iran visa for Japanese	60
Kenya citizens | Iran visa for Kenyans	60	Kuwait citizens | Iran visa for Kuwaitis	60
Lithuania citizens | Iran visa for Lithuanians	75	Magnolia citizens | Iran visa for Mongolians	70
Mexico citizens | Iran visa for Mexicans	45	Morocco citizens | Iran visa for Moroccans	30
Iran visa for Morris citizens	60	Mozambique citizens | Iran visa for Mozambicans	40
The Netherlands citizens | Iran visa for Dutch	75	New Zealand citizens | Iran visa for New Zealanders	150
Nigeria citizens | Iran visa for Nigerians	55	Norway citizens | Iran visa for Norwegians	75
Oman citizens | Iran visa for Omanis	75	Palestine citizens | Iran visa for Palestinians	45
Philippines citizens | Iran visa for Filipino	55	Poland citizens | Iran visa for Polish	75
Portugal citizens | Iran visa for Portuguese	75	Qatar citizens | Iran visa for Qataris	75
Romania citizens | Iran visa for Romanians	75	Russia citizens | Iran visa for Russians	70
Iran visa for Saudi Arabia citizens	30	Senegal citizens | Iran visa for Senegalese	50
Serbia citizens | Iran visa for Serbians	85	Sri Lanka citizens | Iran visa for Sri Lankans	40
Singapore citizens | Iran visa for Singaporeans	75	Slovenia citizens | Iran visa for Slovenes	75
Slovakia citizens | Iran visa for Slovaks	75	South Africa citizens | Iran visa for South Africans	80
South Korea citizens | Iran visa for South Koreans	50	Spain citizens | Iran visa for Spanish	75
Sudan citizens | Iran visa for Sudanese	60	Sweden citizens | Iran visa for Swedes	75
Switzerland citizens | Iran visa for Swiss	75	Tanzania citizens | Iran visa for Tanzanians	60
Thailand citizens | Iran visa for Thais	75	Tunisia citizens | Iran visa for Tunisians	45
Uganda citizens | Iran visa for Ugandan	100	Ukraine citizens | Iran visa for Ukrainians	80
The United Arab Emirates citizens | Iran visa for Emiratis	100	Uzbekistan citizens | Iran visa for Uzbeks	70
Venezuela citizens | Iran visa for Venezuelans	45	Yemen citizens | Iran visa for Yemenis	40

 

No stamp on your passport any longer when travelling to Iran

Since mid-2018, travellers' passports are not stamped any longer. It means that once you've left Iran, there will be no trace of this travel on your passport. This measure aims to facilitate people to travel to Iran, by avoiding the potential restrictions from a third country.

Exceptions to Iran VOA

VOA is issued for tourism purposes only and thus, to ordinary passports.

Even though, there are some limitations to obtain an Iran Visa on Arrival, among which:

- Travellers whose visas for Iran have been rejected previously.

- Journalists, diplomatic and official passports,... who have to apply for a specific visa.

- Holders of a passport containing an Israeli stamp or visa.

- Other restrictions might affect citizens from Colombia, Somalia, Bangladesh, Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Those nationalities are recommended to apply for a Tourist visa at the embassy.

Procedure to apply at the embassy

If you have to apply to the Iranian embassy of your country, please carefully check the requirements according to your nationality.

The Tourist visa delivered at the embassy is valid for three months, and the authorized length of stay in Iran is the same as the Visa on Arrival, namely one month. The delays to obtain a visa depend on each embassy but is usually about two weeks.

United States, United Kingdom and Canada: Conditions to travel to Iran

It is mandatory for American citizens, as well as Canadian and British, to be accompanied by an authorized guide during their trip to Iran. Thus, to obtain a visa, citizens from those countries must contact an official tour agency or an official private tour guide to get through the visa procedure.

Israeli citizens willing to travel to Iran

Citizens holding Israeli passports are currently not allowed to enter Iran.

The case of dual Iranian nationality

Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, so foreign citizens whose mothers, fathers or husbands are Iranians, are themselves considered Iranian. Hence, they must enter the country with their Iranian passport.

Visa-free countries 

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Egypt, Georgia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, and China

According to several agreements between Iran and other countries, some nationalities can enter Iran to travel without any visa. The stay varies from fifteen days to three months. It applies to the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Egypt, Georgia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, and China.

It's also possible for every citizen to enter one of the Iranian free trade zones (Such as Kish Island, Chabahar, Maku, etc.) without a visa, for a maximum stay of two weeks.

Read this article to know more about Visa-free countries and Iranian free trade zones. 

Also for more information about Iran visa extension read this article.