How To Get A Visa For Iran
We have been helping people who want to visit Iran for years. Getting a visa for Iran is a simple 4 step process if you choose the right agency and it can be taken care of quickly.
Iran has a lot of beautiful places, things, people and moments. Armed with the proper information, you are prepared to visit Iran with ease. This post will give you a manual about how to get Iran Visa for your visit in Iran. We will go through it step by step so that even someone who has never applied for a visa can manage it without difficulty. So without wasting any more time let’s go ahead and dive into this comprehensive guide on How To Get A Visa For Iran .
In my country most travel company don’t offer visa for Iran. So I contact them and got visa by myself. Now I was looking for help on internet, but all the sites were complicated and didn’t answer my question so I decided to write a short article just to share my experience.
If you live in USA and want to visit Iran, look no further. I have all the information you need to get yourself a tourist visa to Iran in this article. I will discuss how to complete the visa application process and give you insider tips that will save you time and money.
How To Get A Visa For Iran
You want to travel, but Iran visas are hard to get — and they take forever. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to apply for an Iranian visa.
Most people who want to visit Iran will have to get an Iran visa, either from an Embassy or on arrival. Even though the Iranian government has been planning to introduce a visa-waiver program for nationals of 60 countries in an effort to boost tourism, no such plan has been implemented yet.
So far, only a limited number of people can enter visa-free.
As of 2018, the Iranian government does not affix the visa or any entry stamps on your passport.
Who Needs an Iran Visa?
Almost everyone needs a visa to visit Iran, but most can just get an Iran visa on arrival at one of the eligible airports.
If you are from one of the following countries, then you have to apply for a visa in advance, through one of the Embassies or Consulates of Iran abroad:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Canada
- Colombia
- India
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Libya
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
- Tajikistan
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Yemen
If you are from one of the countries listed below, you can enter Iran without a visa:
- Armenia – up to 90 days within a 180-day period
- Azerbaijan – up to 30 days
- Bolivia – up to 30 days
- China – up to 21 days
- Egypt – up to 20 days
- Georgia – up to 45 days
- Iraq – up to 30 days
- Hong Kong – up to 21 days
- Lebanon – up to 30 days
- Macau – up to 21 days
- Malaysia – up to 15 days
- Oman – up to 30 days
- Syria – up to 90 days within a 180-day period
- Turkey – up to 3 months
- United Arab Emirates – up to 30 days
- Venezuela – up to 15 days
Who Can Get an Iran Visa on Arrival?
If you are from none of the countries listed above, then you may be eligible for a Visa on Arrival.An Iran VOA is not available if you are from one of these countries:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Canada
- Colombia
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Pakistan
- Somalia
- UK
- USA
But if you would like to play safe rather than be sorry, then you can always opt for applying for a visabefore travelling. There is, after all, a slight chance that your VOA application can be denied even after you go to Iran.
Note: Citizens of Israel are not allowed to enter Iran.
What Airports Can I Get an Iran Visa on Arrival?
You can get an Iran Visa on Arrival at one of the following airports:
- Ahvaz International Airport (Ahvaz).
- Bandar Abbas International Airport (Bandar Abbas).
- Imam Khomeini International Airport (Tehran).
- Isfahan International Airport (Isfahan).
- Kerman Airport (Kerman).
- Kish International Airport (Kish Island).
- Larestan International Airport (Lar).
- Mashhad International Airport (Mashad).
- Mehrabad International Airport (Tehran).
- Qeshm international Airport (Qeshm Island).
- Shiraz International Airport (Shiraz).
- Tabriz International Airport (Tabriz).
- Urmia Airport (Urmia).
How to Apply for an Iran Visa?
Before you can apply for an Iran visa, you must have a sponsor in Iran who can issue a Letter of Invitation. Once you receive the Letter of Invitation, you can submit it along with the required documents at an Embassy or Consulate of Iran in your country.
Iran Visa Letter of Invitation (Iran Visa Code)
If you are travelling for tourism purposes, you have to contact a travel agent in Iran or a friend or relative who will host you. If you are travelling for business, then the company you are visiting can issue your invitation letter.
The travel agency, host, or company in Iran will submit an application with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). If the application is successful, they will send you a visa code, which you have to take to the Iran Embassy/Consulate along with all the other required documents.
You can also apply for the Iran Visa code yourself through the website of the Iran MFA (see Iran eVisa below).
Submitting the Documents at the Embassy
After you receive the Visa Code from the travel agency, then you have to take that along with the other documents to the Iran Embassy or Consulate in your country. If there is not an Iran Embassy in your country, then you may have to go to a neighbouring country or another Embassy where Iran has outsourced visa applications to. For example, in the US, it is the Iranian Interests Section of the Embassy of Pakistan.
Contact the Embassy/Consulate beforehand so that you know if you have to make an appointment or you can just drop by. Some may allow you to apply by mail instead.
Although you cannot apply for the entire Iran visa electronically, you can apply for the Iran visa code online, through the website of the Iran MFA. This means you don’t need to go through the usual route by a travel agency or host. You still have to go to an Embassy to get the actual visa, however.
- You have to start the application process here.
- You will need an electronic (scanned) copy of your passport as well as a picture (max 500 KB)
- Picture should be rectangular (at least 400 x 600 pixels)
- Your face should take up 70-80% of the photo
- Answer all the questions correctly
- Submit the application
- You will receive a Verification Code in your email, which you have to write on the Verification Page
- After you verify your email, you will see a confirmation page with a barcode
- Print the page (there is a Print button) and write down the Tracking Code