A valid passport and a visa are required for the citizens of most countries who aim to travel to Iran. Citizens of all countries except Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Somalia, the UK and the US can obtain a visa on arrival for 30 days at international airports.
Normally, all tourist visas issued by Iranian consulates have 3-month validity. The visa allows you to stay in Iran for up to 30 days, although the duration of your visa is at the discretion of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Procedure of getting visa from your home country is as follow:
- Contact with an Iranian Travel Agency/ Consulate.
- Your personal data will be sent to Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs (IMFA).
- Your visa will then be authorized by the IMFA and IMFA will fax it to the Iranian Consulate near you.
4. You will get a visa authorization number with which you can refer to the consulate to get your visa.
The visa authorization number, however, is valid only in the consulate you have asked them your visa to be issued in. This reference number means that your visa has been authorized and approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but is not the visa itself.
- Depending on your nationality, you may be required to present at the Iranian consulate in your country to have your fingerprints. British, Canadian, and American passport holders will have biometric check upon their arrival.
- After you receive your visa authorization number you should first get a visa application form from the consulate and follow the requirements of the application form. You may either personally go to the consulate to get the form or download it.
- Then, you should refer to the consulate to lodge your passports and application forms with the visa number they gave you (it can be either a physical presence or by post). Then it might take from 1-5 days for the consulate to issue your visa.
NOTABLE EXCEPTION: The Kish Island, easily accessible from Dubai, does not require visas for visits of up to 14 days, including US nationals.
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