Who Needs a Visa?	Visa Application Form
Different Types Of Visa	Visa Process
How to get one then?	Step-by-Step Process

Who Needs a Visa?

Well, almost everyone! Currently the majority of foreign visitors need a visa to enter Iran. Citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia and Turkey are eligible to travel for up to three months without a visa.

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Different Types Of Visa

Iran issues different types of visa depending on your purpose of travelling.

• Tourist Visa: Issued to foreigners who are travelling to Iran individually or in a group. Maximum duration of stay is one month. Expandable to 3 months. Eligible to be extended up to three months.
• Airport Tourist Visa: Issued to tourists who intend to stay in Iran for two weeks, issued upon arrival at Imam Khomeini, Shiraz, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz airports. Expandable to 1 month. Eligible to be extended up to one month.
• Airport Transit Visa: Issued to travellers who are going to another country, and are transiting through Iran for less than 48 hours.
• Airport Entry Visa: Issued to businessmen, valid for 72 hours.
• Pilgrimage Visa: Issued to foreign Muslims who are visiting pilgrimage sites in Iran.
• Press Visa: Issued to journalists and media representatives.
• Transit Visa: Issued to foreign travellers who want to transit through Iran by land on their way to another country. Usually valid for seven days (however, sometimes available for up to 15 days).
• Entry Visa: Issued to experts and businessmen or those who want to attend cultural, political, scientific conventions. Authorized duration of stay is usually up to 30 days.
• Entry and Transit Visa: Issued to drivers carrying cargo thorough Iran.
• Work Permit Visa: Issued to foreigners who want to work in Iran.
• Visa for Entry to Free Trade and Industrial Areas of Iran: Issued to foreigners travelling just to Kish Island, Qeshm Island, Chabahar Port.
• Student Visa: Issued to foreign students who intend to study in Iran.

 

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How to get one then?

To apply and obtain an Iranian visa, is a an easy but time consuming procedure. If you have planned to visit Iran, you should apply for a visa a few weeks in advance and contact your closest Iranian Embassy or Consult to find out the exact length of time required to process a visa. The time period is usually about eight weeks if you want to apply on your own or 10-21 days if you want to leave the process up to an Iranian travel agency. Check out your nearest Iranian

 

 

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Visa Process

There are two key stages to obtaining a visa for Iran; getting the Authorization Number and getting the visa itself. Things can get confusing. There are step by step instructions below, however to help keep things simply here is some handy information:

Visa Application Form: The first Visa Application Form you will complete  is to obtain an Authorization Number. This can be found below.

Visa Application Form: The second Visa Application Form you will complete is the form required by your chosen Embassy or Consulate. This can either be obtained by collecting it from the Embassy or Consulate or downloading it from their website. There will be a section on the form where you need to write your Authorization number.

Basically, the first thing to do is choose your visa type and to give us the correct information as required in the Visa Application Form below. Once you have filled the Visa Application Form, send it by email to us, with your CV and a clear scanned image of the first page of your passport. We will send these documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Tehran which is the only department that issues and authorizes visas. Once approving your visa, they will send us an authorization code/invitation letter which we will forward to your preferred Embassy and also to your email address. Now all you need to do is fill out the Visa Application Form that can be found on the website of the Iranian Embassy or Consulate in your country, go to your chosen Embassy or Consulate with your passport (it should be valid for at least 6 months after your date of entry in Iran and have at least two blank pages), completed application form and two passport photos (women must be wearing a headscarf in the photos) or mail the application with your passport and passport photos to the Embassy with a return envelope included. You will receive your visa shortly (usually less than three days).

 

 

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Step-by-Step Process

A. Choose your itinerary, fill out the Visa Application Form

B. Your Visa Application Form will be checked and within 48 hours, we will either confirm the application or inform you if there is any important information missing. If you have chosen one of Trip To Persia’s tour packages we offer this service for free as a gift, and in the case that you do not require the Authorization Number you will only need to pay 30€ for the visa when you arrive in Iran.

C. In 10 working days the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will update us with your visa status. 
If your request has been rejected, go to (D) and If your request has been approved, go to (E).

D. Usually less than 5% of visa requests are rejected. In this case. If this happens are allowed to apply on one more occasion.

E. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will fax your invitation letter to your preferred Iranian Embassy or Consulate and our visa department will provide you with the reference number of your visa. You will then need to contact the Iranian Embassy or Consulate by phone or email and make sure that your invitation letter has arrived. If your invitation has arrived, go to (G) and if it has not, go to (F).

F. If your invitation letter has not arrived yet, you should inform our visa department and we will ask Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resend it.

G. Once you have received an email from us with your Authorization Number you can complete the Visa Application Form required by the Embassy or Consulate. In addition to this, you are required to submit two passport photos with your application. Note: Women need to wear a headscarf in the photos and ensure that all hair is covered. Make sure that you ensure that your passport has at least two blank pages and that it is valid for at least six months after your intended date of entry into Iran.

H. Once you have assured your invitation letter has arrived at the Iranian Embassy or Consulate and you have completed the forms and obtained passport photos, proceed as follows:

1. Go to the Iranian Embassy or Consulate with the visa reference number, your passport completed visa application form, two passport photos and visa fee. You should will receive your visa within one or two working days.

OR

2. Post this form along with the visa reference number, your passport two passport photos and visa fee, and a self addressed envelope to return your passport. You should receive your visa by post after one working week.

 

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Visa Fee

There are two different visa fees. The amount we charge is for the initial paperwork to receive your authorization number and letter of invitation. The other fee is the consular fee which you pay directly to the Iranian Embassy or Consulate where you will collect your visa. (Usually 60-70 US$ depending on your nationality).