Getting a visa to visit Iran can be a lengthy process depending on your nationality, but it’s pretty simple – just 2 steps! When you travel with us, we take care of the majority of it for you. You’ll provide us with a couple forms, a photo, and once we receive your approval, you will then either visit or more likely mail your passport to an embassy. But we’ll explain the whole process so you know exactly what will happen.
When to get your visa for Iran
Due to recent changes in Iranian law in efforts to increase tourism, there are now only 10 nationalities that must obtain a visa before arrival. If you are not on this list, then this process does not apply to you. If you are not on this list, you can sit back and chill because you simply get a visa at the airport when you arrive to Iran.
Nationalities that are required to get a visa before departure
United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Ireland | Afghanistan | Bangladesh | Colombia | Jordan | Pakistan | Somalia
*Israeli citizens are totally banned from entering Iran. Make sure you do not have any Israeli visas in your passport either. Israel doesn’t stamp, so if you have visited without a visa, then you can apply for an Iranian visa.
Step 1: Apply for an Iranian visa
As soon as you book your spot on the Iran Meetup Tour, we will send you 2 easy forms to fill out: the visa application and your resume. Even if you have your polished resume ready to go, we still need you to fill out our resume template, because it asks for information we are sure your current resume doesn’t include (social accounts, marital status, parents names, etc). Add a couple documents and this step should take you no more than 30 minutes at the most.
When you travel with us on The Iran Meetup Tour, this part of your visa application fee is included.
These are the documents you will need to apply:
- digital photo of your passport in color
- a photo of you- you can take this with your phone, no need to go get a passport photo printed
- our resume template filled out
- the visa application that asks for some basic information
Once we receive all of these documents, our team on the ground who is a registered agent, will process your application.
The response we will receive will be confirmation or denial of your visa request. A confirmation will include a form with a QR code that you will need for the next step.
This process takes up to 40 days but often it ends up being much less. We will email you right away when we receive a response to your application and explain step 2. If you are not one of those 10 nationalities we listed above, your result will arrive no later than 7 days.
It is not common to be rejected for a visa to Iran, but certain professionals and travel experiences can be red flags. Journalists are not nearly as welcome, and this can in some cases include influencers or people who post a lot of opinions on social media…but we mean a lot. Also, if you have traveled to Israel and you say so on your resume (a questions they ask), this isn’t going to help. Always be honest in your application, and apply anyway. If your visa is denied, we will refund your deposit in full or transfer your booking to another incredible destination like the Lebanon Meetup Tour or the Turkey Meetup Tour.
Step 2: Find an embassy or Consulate
Once you have your Iranian visa code (Yay! You’re going to Iran!), then it’s time to get your passport to an embassy or consulate. You may find that there are very few, maybe only 1 in your entire country. You don’t need to visit in person, though. If you are not one of those 10 nationalities we listed above, then you can wait until you arrive in Iran. If you are from one a country on that list, then you will need to research the closest embassy or consulate near you.
For American and Canadians, the only embassy is located in Washington DC, Maryland, USA. For Australians, the embassy is located in Canberra. If you are in the UK, London has a location for you.
Most people will have to mail in their passport with the supporting documents. You can also visit in person if you happen to be nearby. We know it can feel a little scary to mail in your passport, but this is how plenty of visas are done, just be sure to pay a little extra for tracking and secure delivery. The embassy should mail your passport back similarly. Your visa is NOT printed in your passport, you will receive a little slip of paper tucked inside the pages.
Once you have received your emailed authorisation code, apply for your visa with your nominated Iranian embassy within 30 days of receiving your authorisation code. You will need to provide:
A completed visa application form (available for download from the embassy website). For your nearest embassy please check the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: www.mfa.gov.ir. Your nearest embassy might be outside your home country.
Your passport
Visa fee (check embassy website for current costs)
Color passport photo
Insurance policy
Before submitting your visa application, we recommend checking with your nominated embassy:
Additional requirements (some consulates require more than the list above)
The current visa costs (these vary for each embassy from USD110-180, paid in local currency, but they can and do fluctuate)
Opening times and visa processing times (some embassies advise a 4 week processing time)
Collecting your visa from your nominated embassy directly can speed up the process. However, embassies and consulates worldwide may only open for three or four days a week and have very limited opening hours. When visiting, we recommend that you wear a headscarf and dress conservatively. To collect your visa directly, you must carry your travel insurance policy that covers you whilst in Iran.
Visas are valid for three months from the time of issue. While we facilitate the organisation of your authorisation code, the final decision to provide the code and issue your visa rests with the government of Iran. We cannot guarantee when and if these will be granted.
Important Notes
Your authorisation code may also be referred to as Letter of Invitation (LOI) or Iran Invite Number
Any cancellations after the authorisation code paperwork has been lodged will incur a USD100 cancellation fee. This is to cover the application lodgement fees.
If, for whatever reason, travellers need to apply for a second authorisation code, the above fee may also be applicable.
Please ensure that the embassy issues you with a tourist visa and not a business visa. The stamp in your passport must state that it is a tourist visa. If you are issued with a business visa, hotels will charge business traveller rates, which are often far higher than the tourist rates.
While not common, there are occasions where the MFA will reject a visa application. This is often for a variety of reasons usually unknown to us. Unfortunately, we have no control over the success of your visa application and have little recourse if it is rejected. Additionally, it is not uncommon for authorisation codes applications to be submitted very close to the actual time of travel. Obviously, this can be an anxious period but again unfortunately we have little authority to speed up the process.
Visas will be flatly refused if your passport contains evidence of travel to Israel. This is not confined to just an Israeli stamp in your passport. You will be refused an Iranian visa if there is an Egyptian entry or exit stamp from the Egyptian/Israeli border (at Taba or Rafah) or a Jordanian entry or exit stamp from the Jordanian/Israeli border (at Wadi Araba near Aqaba, Sheikh Hussein Bridge or King Hussein Bridge, otherwise known as the Allenby bridge) in your passport. Even without having an Israeli stamp in your passport, these exit or entry stamps prove that you have visited Israel and entry into Iran will not be allowed.
Upon arrival in Iran, women not wearing an Islamic headscarf, long sleeves, covered shoes and a loose-fitting skirt or loose long top and pants may be refused entry into the country. Men must also be conservatively dressed, wearing long trousers upon arrival, or they too may be refused entry.
IRANIAN NEW YEAR AND VISA APPLICATIONS
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as many consulates and embassies generally close to celebrate Iranian New Year for several weeks in late March. The dates vary from year to year. As a result, no authorisation code or visa applications will be processed over this time. If you are travelling in March, April or May, please make sure you take this into consideration when preparing your authorisation code and visa applications. Plan early and ahead of time.