Iran Visa
Based on the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Regulations, Iran visa should be issued for foreign passengers who are interested in visiting Iran individually or within a group.
Typically there are two types of travel visas for Iran; standard Iran visa which is issued in advance, and Iran visa on arrival which is issued at the airport. We will give you required information regarding visa on arrival in detail, but we insist on using standard visa to avoid waste of time and discordance.
Note: the following rules and regulations may have changed by the time you decide to travel. Please double check them with your travel agency or other related operators before scheduling your trip.
Points Regarding Iran visa
Based on the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the countries listed below can receive Iran visa on arrival (VOA) for travelling to Iran:
- Azerbaijan
- Albania
- Germany
- Austria
- Armenia
- Uzbekistan
- Spain
- Australia
- Slovenia
- Slovak
- Indonesia
- Taiwan
- Ukraine
- Italy
- Ireland
- Bahrain
- Brazil
- Brunette
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Bosnia
- Herzegovina
- Portugal
- Peru
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkmenistan
- China
- Denmark
- Romania
- Japan
- Singapore
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Saudi Arabia
- Oman
- France
- Palestine
- Cyprus
- Kyrgyzstan
- Qatar
- Croatia
- South Korea
- North Korea
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Kuwait
- Georgia
- Lebanon
- Luxembourg
- Poland
- Malaysia
- Hungary
- Mongolia
- Mexico
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Netherlands
- Yugoslavia
- Greece
- Russian Federation
- United Arab Emirate
The following nations can visit Iran without any visas:
- Turkey (90 days)
- Lebanon (15 days)
- Azerbaijan (15 days)
- Bolivia (30 days)
- Georgia (45 days)
- Syria (90 days)
- Venezuela (15 days)
- Malaysia (15 days)
- Armenia (90 days)
Extending the stay duration of citizens of mentioned countries is possible.
Iran visa on arrival is issued in the following six airports of Iran:
- Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport (IKA)
- Shiraz International Airport (SYZ)
- Mashhad International Airport (MHD)
- Kish International Airport (KIA)
- Isfahan International Airport (ISF)
- Tabriz International Airport (TBZ)
Citizens of the mentioned countries can receive Iran visa on arrival usually for duration of 14-30 days.
Iran Visa on arrival shall not be issued for holders of diplomatic positions, journalists and reporters.
Does SURFING PERSIA consider Iran visa on arrival a wise choice?
with our years of experience in tourism industry, and considering the long lines and taking hours for issuing visa on arrival in airports, we suggest all tourists, no matter which country they are from, to apply for their visa from their own countries about two weeks before their time of departure.
Kish, Qeshm and Chabahar Free Zones
Non-Israeli passengers (above 18 years old) who own a valid passport can receive visa on arrival in the free economic zones of Kish, Qeshm, and Chabahar. Their visa will be valid for 14 days.
While you stay in the free economic zones, if you are interested in visiting other cities of Iran, you can apply for Iran visa by referring to the representative of the Iranian Foreign Affairs in these zones.
However, if you are interested in visiting other free zones, you should apply for visa in your own country before coming to Iran.
Is Iran visa on arrival issued for citizens of all countries?
No, Iran visa on arrival shall not be issued for citizens of the following countries:
- United States of America
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Pakistan
- Colombia
- Somalia
- Bangladesh
- Jordan
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- India
- Egypt
What are required documents for Iran visa on arrival or Iran airport visa?
- Your authorization code which we provide you
- A confirmed return ticket
- A valid travel insurance cover
- An invitation letter (required in some cases which should be sent to Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs 48 hours before your arrival)
- 2 photos to be attached to your visa (tough in some entries they use digital cameras)
- Visa fee
How does SURFING PERSIA help you with Iran visa application?
After booking a tour, we will send you the visa application form to your email address; you will complete it and send it back to us. Then you should wait for the authorization code we will send you. SURFING PERSIA will handle required paperwork, invitation letter, hotel voucher and the filing process in Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It takes a few working days for your application to be confirmed or disapproved. For Canadian, American and British citizens it takes longer. As soon as Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces the application result, we will give you a 6-7 digit authorization code. This code is only valid to the mentioned consulate and only for 3 months from the date of issue. Receiving this authorization code is the most important step in visa application and the next process does not take long.
Collecting your Visa
After we send you the authorization code, you shall print what we send you by email and refer to the related consulate or embassy which you had determined earlier. The process may differ depending on embassy or consulate you refer to, in some cases you can receive your Iran visa by email.
Note: Before referring for collecting your Iran visa, please contact the expected embassy to provide you the necessary information about the essential documents for visa collection, as there may be differences from one consulate to another. But generally following items are required:
- Passport, which must be valid for at least 6 months
- Visa fee receipt (which depends on your nationality)
- The authorization code which provide you
You can see the conditions regarding Iran visa issuance in the following info-graphic:
