Visa policy of Iran explained

Most visitors to Iran must obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa) prior to their arrival in Iran, unless they are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries or countries that are ineligible for an e-Visa, in which case they must obtain a visa in advance from one of the Iranian diplomatic missions around the world.

Travellers arriving in Iran must hold passports that are valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended period of stay.

Overview

Dual citizens of both Iran and another country count as citizens of Iran when entering Iran, and hence must hold an Iranian passport upon arrival.

Iran no longer affixes visas to passports nor stamps them on entry for most nationalities as a response to the US sanctions on persons who have visited Iran after 2011.^[1]

In November 2018, the head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) announced that the country will no longer stamp or put stickers to passports of foreign tourists (except US, Canada and UK visitors) in a bid to ease their concerns about traveling to other countries after leaving Iran.^[2]

In June 2019, the President of Iran ordered the Interior Ministry to implement the decision on not stamping passports of foreigners.^[3]

Visa exemption

Citizens of the following jurisdictions do not require a visa for entry to Iran for stays up to the duration listed below for tourism or business purposes (unless otherwise noted):

90 days Oman ^1 Turkey 90 days within any 180 days Armenia 45 days Georgia 30 days Lebanon Iraq Tajikistan^2 21 days China Hong Kong Macao 20 days Egypt 15 days Malaysia ^3 15 days within any 6 months^4 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bahrain Belarus Brazil Cambodia Croatia Cuba India^1^[4] Indonesia Japan Kyrgyzstan Kuwait Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Peru Qatar Saudi Arabia Serbia Seychelles Singapore^[5] Tunisia United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Zimbabwe 14 days Azerbaijan^5 Kazakhstan

_{1 - Must enter Iran by air to qualify for visa exemption.
2 - Must depart from Dushanbe and arrive at Tehran to qualify for visa exemption. Visa exemption is subject to a maximum limit of 90 days per year.
3 - Length of stay extendable up to 30 days.
4 - For tourism purposes only.
5 - Length of stay extendable up to 3 months.}

Citizens of Russia travelling in a tour group together with a representative of the tour group operator may also enter Iran without a visa, for a maximum stay of 90 days.

Iran free trade zones

All tourists may stay on Kish Island, Qeshm Island, or other free trade zones for 14 days or less without obtaining any visa. Americans; with the exception of Puerto Rico, U.S Virgin Islands, and Guam; Canadians, and Britons are required to have a certified escort guide waiting for them upon arrival, and they must obtain hotel reservations before arrival. Tourists may stay at the following trade zones for up to 2 weeks without a visa in 2022:^[18]

• Arvand Free Zone
• Aras Free Zone
• Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone
• Maku, Iran
• Qeshm Island
• Kish Island
• Anzali

Kish and Qeshm Islands

All tourists, may stay on Kish Island or Qeshm Island for up to 14 days without obtaining any visa. Citizens of the United States; excluding Puerto Rico, U.S Virgin Islands, and Guam; Canada, and the UK are only required to have a certified escort guide waiting for them upon their arrival. The guide has to have the hotel-reservation letters of the passenger with them and let the immigration office of the airport know about the arrival of the passenger.

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of passports issued by the following countries are allowed to enter Iran without a visa.

Afghanistan^D 3 Albania^D ^S ^7 Armenia^D 4 Azerbaijan^D ^S ^3 Belarus^D ^O ^7 Benin^D ^S ^7 ^D ^S ^5 Bosnia and Herzegovina^D ^S ^3 Brazil^D 3 ^D ^O ^7 Bulgaria^D ^S ^3 Burkina Faso^D ^S ^3 Cambodia^D ^S ^7 China^D ^S ^3 Colombia^D ^S ^3 Croatia^D ^S ^3 Cuba^D ^S ^4 Congo^D ^S ^1 Cyprus^D ^S ^1 Ecuador^D ^S ^4 Egypt^D ^S ^8

Ghana^D ^S ^7 Greece^D ^1 Guinea^D ^S ^3 Guyana^D ^S ^3 Hungary^D ^3 India^D ^3 Indonesia^D ^S ^10 Iraq^D ^S ^6 Japan^D ^O ^1 Kazakhstan^D ^S ^7 Kenya^D ^S ^3 Kyrgyzstan^D ^S ^3 Lebanon^D ^S ^7 Malaysia^D ^S ^9 Malawi^D ^S ^3 Mali^D ^S ^3 ^D ^S ^3 Montenegro^D ^S ^7 Nicaragua^D ^S ^2 ^D ^7 ^D ^S ^3

Oman^D ^S ^3 Pakistan^D ^O ^1 Philippines^D ^S ^7 Poland^D ^2 Portugal^D ^Sp ^4 Romania^D 3 ^D ^S ^7 Senegal^D ^S ^3 Serbia^D ^S ^7 Sierra Leone^D ^S ^3 ^D ^S ^1 Switzerland^D 3 ^D ^S ^7 Tajikistan^D ^S ^3 Tunisia^D ^S ^3 Turkmenistan^D ^S ^3 Turkey^D ^S ^1 Ukraine^D ^S ^7 ^D ^S ^3 ^D ^O ^7 Zimbabwe^D ^S ^7

_{D - Diplomatic passports
O - Official passports
S - Service passports
Sp - Special passports
1 - 3 months
2 - 2 months
3 - 1 month
4 - 90 days
5 - 60 days
6 - 45 days
7 - 30 days
8 - 20 days
9 - 15 days
10 - 14 days}

Future changes

Iran has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:

Notes and References

1. Web site: Iran Relaxes Visa Process to Incentivize Foreign Tourists. . Financial Tribune.
2. Web site: Iran Waives Visa Stamping Rules to Boost Tourism . IFP News . 23 November 2018 .
3. Web site: 2019-06-24 . No more passport stamps for foreign nationals visiting Iran . 2023-12-14 . Tehran Times . en.
4. Web site: Iran Visa Requirements for Indian: Documents Required, Eligibility & Fees . TATA AIG . English.
5. Web site: Travel Page - Iran . www.mfa.gov.sg . Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore).
6. Web site: Iran extends visa-free regime to Azerbaijani citizens. 2 November 2015. trend.az.
7. Web site: Iran waives visa requirements for Egypt, Lebanon, Syria nationals. Abubakr. al-Shamahi. 29 July 2015 .
8. https://newsarmenia.am/news/armenia/vstupil-v-silu-armyano-iranskiy-memorandum-ob-otmene-vezdnykh-viz/ Вступил в силу армяно-иранский меморандум об отмене въездных виз
9. Web site: THE DECISION OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ON VISA EXEMPTION FOR THE NATIONALS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, HOLDERS OF ORDINARY PASSAPORTS. www.mfa.gov.rs.
10. Web site: Sina Visitor System .
11. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440902/Iran-temporarily-lifts-visa-requirement-for-Iraqi-nationals Iran temporarily lifts visa requirement for Iraqi nationals
12. Web site: Iran and Iraq start visa waiver programme . 27 October 2021 .
13. Web site: Iran Introduces Visa-Free Regime for Kazakh Citizens . 8 November 2022 .
14. Web site: Iran Waives Visa Requirement for 28 Countries . 1 February 2024 .
15. Web site: Iran to implement visa waiver for 32 countries on Feb. 4 . Tehran Times . . 3 February 2024 . en . 31 January 2024.
16. https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan-iran-visa-free-travel/33067511.html Tajik-Iranian Visa-Free Travel Deal To Begin August 10
17. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/428659/Iran-ends-visa-free-travel-for-Serbians Iran ends visa-free travel for Serbians
18. Web site: No Visa required for Iran free trade zones . 30 June 2015.
19. Web site: Таджикистан и Иран подписали меморандум о взаимопонимании по отмене виз.
20. Web site: Iran, Qatar sign 14 bilateral deals, including visa waiver . 22 February 2022.
21. Web site: Iran eVisa.
22. Web site: Shahid Rajaee Port Visa on Arrival. financialtribune.com. 23 April 2017 . April 24, 2017.
23. Web site: Tourist visa.
24. Web site: ESCORTED TOURS THROUGH IRAN.
25. Web site: Visa information on the site of IRI Embassy in Moscow . mfa.ir.