How to get visa before my arrival in Iran?
As mentioned above, the process consists in two main steps :First, you will have to obtains visa authorization number from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).Secondly, once you got this authorization number, you must go to the embassy/consulate previously chosen to get your visa.
How can I get this authorization number (or invitation letter)?
The only option you have to get this number is to contact an Iranian tour operator. You will have to fulfill a form about your personal details and your planned itinerary. This tour operator will contact the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on your behalf to request authorisation number. The average time for getting this number is around 10 days. Be careful, in this form you will have to specify in which embassy/consulate you would like to pick up your visa, please be informed that it will not possible to change this location after.
How long does it take to get this authorization number?
In general, we estimate that it should take around 10 days for your number to be issued. Keep in mind that on Thursday and Friday the ministry is closed, and your number could be delayed because of various public holidays of the Iranian calendar.
What do I have to do once I get my authorization number?
Once you receive an email from our office with your authorization number, you can go to the embassy/consulate that you have previously chosen and start the second step of the visa process. The documents you will have to bring differ from an embassy to another, and you should contact them before to make sure about what you really have to bring. Most of embassies will require some identity photos (women must wear a scarf on the picture), a photocopy of your passport identity page, an attestation of insurance for the time you will be in Iran and enough money to pay for your visa. You will also have to fill another form with personal information. If your visa application is accepted, the embassy/consulate can issue your visa in a few hours or in one or two weeks, depending on the location and amount of works of the embassy/consulate. An emergency option is often offered by embassies and consulate in order to make your visa faster if you are in hurry.
How long should I start the process before my arrival?
If you wish to do this process calmly and without stress, we recommend you to start 2 months before your arrival in Iran.
How long can I stay in Iran with this visa?
This visa allows you to stay for 30 days, but you can extend your visa twice in Iran. In total, you can hope staying for a maximum of 90 days.
Who can be eligible for a visa extension?
Everybody, no matter how you got your visa.
How long can I extend my visa?
You can pretend to visa extension only once if you got your visa at the airport “Visa on Arrival”. In theory, you are able to extend your visa for 15 supplementary days, which means double your original visa (from 15 to 30 days).
In practice, you can see your demand getting deny or to see yourself given less than the duration you asked for. The extension refusal is still random, and can only depend on the mood of the agent in front of you. Nevertheless, it seems much easier to extend your visa if you had previously obtain it prior to your arrival in Iran,meaning the original 30 days visa that you can get from your embassy. You can extend it one or two times which means a 30 days visa can become a 90 days visa thanks to 2 extensions.
Which documents do I need to bring to extend my visa?
– Two identity photos (women must wear a scarf)
– A photocopy of your passport identity page, a photocopy of your original Iranian visa and a photocopy of the Iranian stamp if it’s not on the same page in your visa.
Most of the time, you can photocopy your passport on the office against a fee.
Where can I extend my visa?
You can extend your visaing any major cities in Iran(Tehran,Shiraz, Isfahan, Yazd,Mashhad and many more). You will have to go to the“Police Office of Foreign Affairs”. Feel free to ask advice to our agency or to your hotel to get to this address and know the opening hours. We would rather warn you that this office can be a little chaotic, depending of the town.
How long it takes to extend your visa?
There are no general rules as it depends on where you apply for this extension. It can be done during the same day or a couple of days. We advise you to extend your visa 3 or 4 days before the end of your current visa, as it is nearly impossible to extend if you have too many days left on your visa.
Different type of visa
Iran issues different types of visa depending on your purpose of travelling.
Tourist Visa:Issued to foreigners who 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 mam 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. Authorised 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 traveling just toKish Island, Qeshm Island, Chabahar Port.
Student Visa:Issued to foreign students who intend to study in Iran.
Some important points to remember
The information in your visa application form must be exactly similar to the information in your passport.
Your CV does not need to be highly detailed. Just send us some information about your academic and professional background.
The passport image you send us must be clear and of a good quality.
The Embassy or Consulate you choose in the application form will be where they issue your visa. It can be difficult to change the place of the visa issuance, so please make sure you are choosing the right one.
Check the Embassy or Consulate website to ensure that have the correct documents specific to that Embassy or Consulate.
Fortunately, in some Embassies you can follow your visa issuance process all the way by email or post services.
You are allowed to stay in Iran for 30 days on a Tourist Visa. However,the MFA in Tehran will decide how many days you are allowed to stay in Iran. Visa extensions are possible.