Visa policy of Iran

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]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has halted permits for all Tourist visas. “By the order of President [Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi] the issuance of tourist visas and the flow of foreign tourists from land and air borders will be resumed from [the month of] Aban (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) following 19 months of suspension,” Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ezatollah Zarghami said.[4] Iran is open now, and all Iran borders including sea and land borders are open to all tourists who received their two doses of vaccines, except the United Kingdom, France, and African countries, including Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Swatini, Lesotho and Botswana.(January 11-2022 updates)

After an Iranian visa is received during COVID-19 pandemic, the following are required for entrance: a vaccine certification for two doses of valid COVID-19 vaccines no earlier than 14 days of arrival, a negative COVID-19 PCR test, issued at most 72 hours before arrival for all passengers over 12 years old, and a completed self-declaration form on inbound flights.

In the visa policy map below you can see the visa requirements for different countries around the world.

Visa policy of Iran

  Iran

  Visa-free

  E-visa -> Visa on arrival

  Visa required

Citizens of the following 16 jurisdictions can visit Iran without a visa:[5]

_{1 – 90 days within 180 days.
2 – only for arriving by air directly from Damascus.}

•  Iran and  Qatar signed visa-waiver agreement on 21 February 2022.[6]

Diplomatic and service category passports

Visa policy of Iran for diplomatic and official or service passport holders

  Iran

  Visa-free for holders of diplomatic or service category passports

  Visa-free for diplomatic passports only

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

Afghanistan D 1 month  Armenia D 90 days  Azerbaijan D S 1 month  Belarus D O 30 days  Benin D S 30 days  Bolivia D S 60 days  Bosnia and Herzegovina D S 1 month  Brazil D 1 month  Brunei D O 30 days  Bulgaria D S 1 month  Burkina Faso D S 1 month  Cambodia D S 1 month  China D S 1 month  Colombia D S 1 month  Croatia D S 1 month  Cuba D S 90 days  Congo D S 6 months  Cyprus D S 3 months  Ecuador D S 90 days  Egypt D S 20 days  Ghana D S 30 days

Guinea D S 1 month  Guyana D S 1 month  Greece D 3 months  Hungary D 1 month  India D 1 month  Iraq D S 45 days  Indonesia D S 14 days  Japan D O 3 months  Kazakhstan D S 30 days  Kenya D S 1 month  Kyrgyzstan D S 1 month  LebanonD S 30 days  Malaysia D S 15 days  Malawi D S 1 month  Mali D S 1 month  Moldova D S 1 month  Montenegro D S 30 days  Nicaragua D S 2 months  North Korea D 1 month  North Macedonia D S 1 month  Oman D S 1 month

Pakistan D O 3 months  Philippines D S 30 days  Poland D 1 month  Portugal D Sp 90 days  Romania D 1 month  Russia D S 30 days  Senegal D S 1 month  Serbia D S 30 days  Sierra Leone D S 1 month  South Korea D S 3 months  Switzerland D 1 month  Syria D S 30 days  Tajikistan D S 1 month  Tunisia D S 1 month  Turkmenistan D S 1 month  Turkey D S 3 months  Ukraine D S 30 days  Venezuela D S 1 month  Vietnam D O 30 days  Zimbabwe D S 30 days

_{D — diplomatic passports
O — official passports
S — service passports
Sp — special passports}

Holders of American, British, Canadian and Colombian passports can also visit Iran with an Iran tourism 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.

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's 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.

Holders of normal passports travelling as tourists can obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days (extendable),[14] at the following airports, as of January 2018:[5][15][16][17]

• Bandar Abbas International Airport (Bandar Abbas)
• Isfahan International Airport (Isfahan)
• Kish International Airport (Kish Island)
• Mashhad International Airport (Mashad)
• Qeshm International Airport (Qeshm Island)[18]
• Shiraz International Airport (Shiraz)
• Tabriz International Airport (Tabriz)
• Imam Khomeini International Airport (Tehran)
• Mehrabad International Airport (Tehran)[19]
• Urmia Airport (Urmia)[20]
• Ahvaz International Airport (Ahvaz)[21]
• Kerman Airport (Kerman)[22]
• 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.[23]

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.[24]

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. [25]

Visa on arrival does not apply to nationals of the following countries who must obtain a visa in advance:[5]

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.[26]

Canadian, British, and US citizens are required to be escorted by a government-approved guide at all times. Independent travel for these citizens has been banned due to the closure of Iranian foreign missions in these countries.[27]

Admission and transit are refused for nationals of Israel, even if not leaving the aircraft and proceeding by the same flight.

Admission is refused to holders of passports or travel documents containing an Israeli visa or stamp (less than 365 days) or any data showing that the visitor has been to Israel or has indication of any connection with the state of Israel.[28]

• Visa requirements for Iranian citizens
• Tourism in Iran

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Iran.

• IR-IRAN Electronic Visa (Iran eVisa) Application System
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of I.R.Iran