Iran Visa Policy
Familiarizing oneself with the requisite authorizations is paramount prior to embarking on a journey to Iran for purposes such as tourism, business, medical treatment, work, study, investment, or family visits.
The entry prerequisites for Iran encompass four tiers, contingent upon factors such as nationality, travel itinerary, and passport or travel documentation:
Visa Waiver
- Some nationalities can visit Iran with ordinary passports up to a certain duration with no visa.
- Here is an updated list of nationalities that can visit Iran, without a visa for the mentioned durations (as of August 2023):
Visa on Arrival
- Most nationalities can now collect their visa on arrival at selected Iranian airports:
- Visa on arrival is not available to passport holders of the following countries:
- This type of visa is only available to ordinary passports. People travelling with Refugee Travel Documents, Diplomatic and Service passports, Lassez Passer and other types of travel documents shall obtain their visas before travelling to Iran.
If you’re thinking about visiting Iran and can get a visa when you arrive, here’s something to keep in mind. When you arrive in Iran, you might have to wait at the airport while they process your visa. But there’s a catch – there’s a chance they might say no and send you back. That’s why most airlines won’t let you on the plane to Iran without a visa or a trackable visa approval.
But there’s a way to make this process smoother. You can pay a small fee to a trusted travel agency like IranianVisa.com. They’ll take care of all the visa paperwork for you and make sure it meets the rules set by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If they approve it, you’ll get an official document called a Visa Grant Notice. This document has a special barcode that proves your visa’s been approved, and the airlines will use it to make sure you’re good to go when you board your flight to Iran.
Visa Before Travel
- There are a handful of nationalities that can’t collect visas on arrival and need to collect their visas before travelling to Iran.
- There are also people who want to enter Iran from land or sea borders and airports without a visa office. They also need to collect their visas from an Iranian consulate before travelling to Iran, as visa on arrival is not available at their planned entry port.
- People with Refugee travel documents, Laissez Passer, diplomatic and service passports also can’t get a visa on arrival. They need to collect their visas before traveling to Iran.
- And finally there are people who want to have their visas in hand before traveling. They can always select to collect their visas before their trip.
Restricted Visa
A small number of nationalities currently need to follow certain procedures and requirements in order to get a visa for visiting Iran. This includes having a pre-arranged itinerary and being escorted by an authorized tour guide throughout their stay in Iran. This will also involve providing more details about your work, education and residence history and a longer processing time.
Iran doesn’t issue visas to Israeli passports.