Visitors to Iran must obtain a visa from one of the Iranian diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries eligible for a visa on arrival. All visitors must hold a passport valid for at least six months.

Iranian authorities are exploring a potential visa waiver program under which visa limitations for 60 countries will be lifted as part of Iran’s program to attract more tourists.

Dual citizens of both Iran and another country count as citizens of Iran when visiting, and must have an Iranian passport. This includes children of Iranian citizens born outside of Iran.

Iran no longer affixes visas to passports nor stamps them on entry as a response to the US sanctions on persons who have visited Iran after 2011.[1] In November 2018, the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), announced that the country will no longer stamp or put stickers to passports of foreign tourists in a bid to ease their concerns about traveling to other countries after leaving Iran.[2] In June 2019 the President of Iran ordered the Interior Ministry to implement the decision on not stamping passports of foreigners.[3]

Iran free trade zones

All tourists may stay on Kish Island, Qeshm Island, or other free trade zones for 14 days or less without obtaining any visa. Americans, Canadians, and Britons are only required to have a certified escort guide waiting for them upon their arrival. Must obtain hotel reservations before your arrival. Overall, you can visit the following trade zones for up to 2 weeks without a visa in 2022

• Arvand Free Zone
• Aras Free Zone
• Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone
• Maku, Iran
• Qeshm Island
• Kish Island
• Anzali

Kish and Qeshm Islands

All tourists, may stay on Kish Island or Qeshm Island for up to 14 days without obtaining any visa. Citizens of the United States, Canada, and the UK are only required to have a certified escort guide waiting for them upon their arrival. The guide has to have the hotel-reservation letters of the passenger with them and let the immigration office of the airport know about the arrival of the passenger 48 hours before arrival.

Diplomatic and service category passports

Holders of passports issued by the following countries are allowed to enter Iran without a visa.

Iran Visa for American, British, Canadian and Colombian Citizens

Holders of American, British, Canadian and Colombian passports can also visit Iran with an Iran visa. The visa procedure for these nationalities takes around eight weeks. They also have to plan and book their trip with a certified local travel agency in Iran. Before the visa can be issued, the agency has to submit the applicant’s day-by-day itinerary to the foreign ministry for approval. American and Canadian spouses of Iranian Citizens can easily obtain family visas of up to ninety (90) days to visit and stay in the country without the need for an agency.

Visa application and requirements

Iran’s tourist visa is issued for up to 30 days and can have up to two additional 30-day extensions, for a total of 90 days. To get a visa prior to arrival, a Visa Authorization Code must be applied for through the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affair’s e-visa website or an Iranian travel agency. The amount of the visa fee is dependent upon one’s nationality. The visa fee must be paid prior to pick-up or when applying for a VOA. Local Iranian travel agencies offer better support, trackability and convenience for an additional fee.

Upon receiving a Visa Authorization Code, the visa may be collected at one of Iran’as worldwide embassies and consulates prior to arrival or upon arrival at one of Iran’s international airports. Most nationalities, except American, British and Canadian passport holders, can also obtain their tourist visa upon their arrival in the form of a Visa-On-Arrival (VOA) at the airport without a prior application. Although this method is convenient for last-minute travelers, it does have a higher risk of rejection and tends to be more time-consuming.

Visa on arrival

Holders of normal passports travelling as tourists can obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days (extendable),[16] at the following airports, as of January 2018:[5][17][18][19]

• Bandar Abbas International Airport (Bandar Abbas)
• Isfahan International Airport (Isfahan)
• Kish International Airport (Kish Island)
• Mashhad International Airport (Mashad)
• Qeshm International Airport (Qeshm Island)
• Shiraz International Airport (Shiraz)
• Tabriz International Airport (Tabriz)
• Imam Khomeini International Airport (Tehran)
• Mehrabad International Airport (Tehran)
• Urmia Airport (Urmia)
• Ahvaz International Airport (Ahvaz)
• Kerman Airport (Kerman)
• Larestan International Airport (Lar)

Note: to obtain a visa on arrival, passengers must already have made an application, at least two days before arrival, at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affair’s E-Visa website and present the submission notification at the airport’s visa desk on arrival.

Iran plans to increase the length of stay from one month to three months. Visas on arrival will be available at Shahid Sadooghi Airport in the near future.

Price: Getting a visa on arrival at Tehran airport is very straightforward. The Iran visa on arrival costs 75 euros + 3 USD bank commission. The visa fees are different depending on the passport. But usually, it is always based on a 75 euros fee.

Visa on arrival does not apply to nationals of the following countries who must obtain a visa in advance:

• 📷 Afghanistan
• 📷 Bangladesh
• 📷 Canada
• 📷 Colombia
• 📷 Jordan
• 📷 Libya
• 📷 Pakistan
• 📷 Somalia
• 📷 Sri Lanka
• 📷 United Kingdom
• 📷 United States
• 📷 Yemen

Passport holders of these countries are required to apply for an Iranian visa at an Iranian embassy or consulate before they arrive in Iran.

Shahid Rajaee Port

Marine travelers entering Iran via Shahid Rajaee Port in the southern Hormozgan Province can also receive a visa on arrival.

Author – Sudhanshu Sharma