Iran Visa
Many travelers think that getting the Iranian tourist visa is difficult, but in this article, we explain how easy the process actually is.
All nationalities except people from Israel can apply for Iranian tourist visa. If the applicants are from one of these listed countries below, they don't have to apply for Iranian tourist visa.
Armenia (90 days) – Malaysia (15 days) – Turkey (90 days) – Georgia (45 days) – Azerbaijan (30 days) – Lebanon (30 days) – Syria (90 days) – Bolivia (30 days) – Egypt (20 days) – Oman (30 days) – Iraq (30 days) – China (21 days)
Free Zones:
Kish and Qeshm are two beautiful islands in Persian Gulf that the applicant can visit for the maximum stay of 14 days without needing a visa.
There are two ways that the applicant can apply for an Iranian tourist visa.
1- Direct application:
The applicant can go to https://e_visa.mfa.ir/en/ and submit his/her visa application to ministry of foreign affairs, which we do not recommend it. Because we receive many cases being rejected and upon rejection, they were asked to attempt via a reliable travel agency.
2- Indirect application:
The applicant should ask a trusted travel agency to submit his/her visa application to ministry of foreign affairs. The documents that the applicant should email to the travel agency are:
- Filled out Iranian visa form:
The blank form is sent to the applicant by the travel agency. There is an important section in the form which asks where the applicant wishes to collect his/her visa. There are two options. He should either nominate any Iranian embassy or consulate in the world or he should collect his visa at the airport. The second option is more recommended. Because it's much easier than the hassle of going to the embassy. It’s noteworthy that the visa on arrival is as safe as picking up the visa at the embassy.
- A digital image of first page of passport:
The digital image of the passport must be in color and clear and all characters must be readable.
Note: The passport should be valid at least six months after the actual arrival date.
- A digital personal photo:
The digital image of the personal photo must be in color and taken in front of a plain white or off-white background. Photos digitally scanned from driver’s licenses or other official documents are not acceptable. In addition, snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos and full-length photographs are not acceptable.
- Travel Itinerary:
It's needed only if the applicant has already made travel arrangements.
After the applicant emails the documents to the travel agency, they will submit his/her visa application to ministry of foreign affairs. In the following three to five working days, the agency receives the visa authorization number. This means the visa application has been approved by ministry of foreign affairs and now the applicant is ready to collect his visa either from the embassy or on his arrival at the airport which is known as "VOA".
To collect the visa from the embassy or consulate, the applicant should keep his printed authorization number plus his passport with him. He will be asked to fill out the visa form at the embassy. The good news is right after he presents the documents to the officer and he pays the visa fee there, they will issue his visa within a few minutes or few hours. It’s recommended to call the embassy in advance and ask the right time to go and make sure if they need any extra documents.
Visa on arrival "VOA":
The nationals from the listed countries below, cannot go through the "VOA" process and they have to collect their visa from the embassy or consulate.
The United States – The United Kingdom – Somalia – Pakistan – Jordan – Iraq – India – Colombia – Canada – Bangladesh – Afghanistan
Also journalists and reporters who travel to Iran on mission cannot get a "VOA" either.
To collect the visa from the airport, the applicant should keep his printed authorization number, passport, travel insurance and the visa fee which should be paid only in cash. The point is the non-Iranian cards like Master or Visa cards do not work in Iran and the applicant needs cash for the whole trip.
Travel Insurance:
If the applicant already has a travel insurance plan, he should make sure that Iran is included in its coverage and the name “Iran” must be mentioned. Otherwise, he can buy the insurance upon his arrival at the airport which is approximately 15 Euros per person.
Visa Fees:
There are two fees to be paid for the visa. One is for the authorization number application which is paid to the travel agency. Second is for visa itself which is paid at the place of visa collection. The amount of visa depends on one's nationality and it ranges from 30 to 75 euros.
Visa Validity and Extension:
The maximum validity of travelers stay with tourist visa is 30 days and it's regarded as a single entry. To stay longer, the visa should be extended. Once the applicant travels to Iran, he/she can extend his visa a total of two times (each for 30 days). This means he can stay a maximum of 90 days in Iran. In order to extend the visa time limit, the applicant should visit the passport and immigration office located in many major cities and it will cost less than 10 Euros to extend the visa.
Note: Everyone with an Israel stamp in their passport within the past 12 months, is at a high risk of getting rejected.
For more information regarding Iran Visa, you can also check this page.
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