All nationalities need visa to visit Iran, which the passenger is responsible. Visa terms vary depending on which country you are from. Following information is up to date and will be updated again if it changes due to changes in the rules. Kootook helps you in both coordination and planning to travel with Kootook. Note that the Iran visa, like all countries, requires a passport for at least 6 months from the departure moment. Although you can obtain visa yourself, using an agency is the safest option, especially for United States’ citizens, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Table below lists the types of nonimmigrant visas along with the uses. To more information, please contact the agencies of Islamic Republic of Iran.
Visa Types
Prerequisites
1. Obtain an invitation from requesting institutions
2. Complete the application information form
3. Possible interview at the agency
Potential applicants
• Faculty, cultural and researchers’ members
• Drivers who carry goods or passengers
• Members of m,0m 20, political, economic, artistic delegations, sports teams, and international and specialized organizations
• Known experts and businessmen
• UN staff and related bodies
• Reunification of family members of foreigners residing in Iran
Description
This visa is issued to foreign nationals who have invitations from reputable ministries, organizations, institutions and public and private companies & are going to Iran to negotiate, sign the contract, negotiate for investment, run the purchased devices, etc.
Prerequisites
1. Complete the application information form
2. Possible interview at the agency
Potential applicants
• Tourists
Description
Tourist visa is issued to foreign nationals who enter the country for tourism.
Prerequisites
1. Complete the application information form
2. Possible interview at the agency
Potential applicants
• Muslim tourists
Description
Pilgrimage visa is issued to foreign Muslims who enter the country to visit the holy places.
Prerequisites
1. Political passport or military service
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Temporary agents of political representations, consulates, and offices of international organizations residing in Iran
• Temporary guests of agents (Such as resident foreign diplomats and permanent agents)
• Holders of political and military service passports in form of staff, holding meetings, internships, execution of cultural and educational programs, etc.
• Holders of political and military service passports who intend to travel to Iran for tourism or pilgrimage.
Prerequisites
1. Political passport or military service
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Temporary agents of political representations, consulates, and offices of international organizations residing in Iran
• Temporary guests of agents (Such as resident foreign diplomats and permanent agents)
• Holders of political and military service passports in form of staff, holding meetings, internships, execution of cultural and educational programs, etc.
• Holders of political and military service passports who intend to travel to Iran for tourism or pilgrimage.
Prerequisites
1. Receive academic admission from the Ministry of Science, Education or approved scientific centers
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• students
• Students
• researchers
Description
Educational visa is issued to students or students of religious sciences who intend to study in Iran.
Prerequisites
1. Receive academic admission from the Ministry of Science, Education or approved scientific centers
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Workers
• Specialists of Industrial, medical and …
• Engineers
Description
Temporary Work visa is issued to foreign nationals who intend to work in Iran.
Prerequisites
1. Presentation of the destination country’ visa
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Drivers
• Tourists
• Merchants
Description
Transit visa is issued to foreigners who intend to travel to third country through Iran.
Prerequisites
1. Complete the application information form
2. Obtain permission from the Center for Public and Media Diplomacy
Potential applicants
• Reporter
• producers
• Photographer
Description
Press visa are issued to members of foreign media, including audiovisual, audio, written, and digital media, and producers, producers, and those involved in any kind of report, film, etc., who enter the country to professional purposes.
Prerequisites
1. Approval of the Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance Organization of Iran
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Merchants
• Investors
Description
Investment visa are issued to those foreign nationals who have obtained an investment license from the Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance Organization of Iran using capital of foreign origin.
Prerequisites
1. Presentation of father legal permission for children
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Foreign men who are married to Iranian women.
• Foreign children who have Iranian mothers
Description
Relatives visa (Family Sponsored Visa) are issued to solve the Iranian women’ problems who have been married to foreign men in accordance with the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as to provide more facilities to their foreign spouses and joint children, with observance the conditions. Those who have not yet legally registered their marriage with the Iranian authorities should register their application through the ‘Relatives Visa’.
Prerequisites
1. Admission to treatment from reputable medical centers
2. Complete the application information form
Potential applicants
• Physically ill
Description
Medical Treatment Visa are issued to foreign nationals who have been admitted to one of the most reputable medical centers in the country , which received the medical admission form.
- Iran Visa are classified into four categories: tourist, commercial, multiple and relative (Family visa)
- Kootook can obtain a tourist or medical visa for you, which is a single incoming or multiple incoming
- If an invitation is sent to you from Iran and that person (friends or acquaintances, etc.) is your host in Iran, we can get you a guest visa.
Obtain Iran visa in two ways
1. In Iranian embassies
You can apply to obtain Iran visa directly through the Iranian embassies or Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2. Visa on arrival
Visa on arrival in Iran at Iran's international airports and through Iranian travel agencies (safest way to obtain visa)
Reasons for Not obtain Iran Visa On Arrival
- Many people find it easy to obtain Iran visa on arrival, but this is not the case. Duration that you have to wait to obtain Iran visa depends on your nationality. There are usually many people waiting in line to obtain Iran visa on arrival. Imagine that you arrived in Tehran at 3 AM (morning) and now you have to be in line to obtain visa, fill out the forms and wait for the visa application process to be completed! Sometimes the waiting time varies from 3 to 24 depending on your nationality). It only issues a 15-day tourist visa upon arrival (depending on your nationality). It is better to apply for an Iran visa on arrival, because if you already have a License No, the process of obtaining Iran visa on arrival is faster and easier. We can obtain Iran visa for you and receive a License No so that you can enter the license code at the counter when entering.
- License code: Obtaining Iran visa is faster and easier by having a license code on arrival. With this, you no longer have to wait in line and fill out forms. (You only need to provide your license and passport code) We assure you, you’ll not be rejected.
How can to obtain Iran visa on arrival?
Perhaps your most important question to be; How can to obtain Iran visa on arrival? We must say that visa on arrival are available for delivery at international airports in Iran (Tehran – Shiraz – Isfahan – Tabriz – Ahvaz – Kermanshah – Mashhad – Kish – Qeshm – Kerman, etc.) for about 70 nationalities.
“Iran visa on arrival” is available at selected airports in Iran: Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Urmia, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Qeshm, Kerman and Kish, Ahvaz, Kermanshah for about 70 nationalities and is quite convenient method.
Citizens of these countries with ordinary passports and wishing to visit the mainland of Iran can obtain tourist visa of 15-30 days on arrival at airports. Although many people prefer to obtain their visa on arrival at Iranian airports due to lack of access to embassies or consulates, it is better to have a license code to obtain Iran visa on arrival. To get the license code, you can ask us in Iran and after receiving it, the work process will be faster. Note that Iranian visas, like all countries, require a valid passport with at least six months’ validity from departure.
Which countries will obtain Iran visa on arrival?
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, China (People’s Republic), Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Korea South, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Turkey, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia.
Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (representative), Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Portugal, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia (Rep.), Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Federal Yugoslavia (representative).
Australia, New Zealand
Documents required to obtain Iran visa on arrival
- Passport with blank pages and valid for at least 6 months
- Medical travel insurance. (It is now mandatory and available for sale from the immigration office at airport or you can buy it from us before arrive Iran
- Personal photo
- List of hotels you want to stay.
- Travel Itinerary
- Visa Fee
Documents required to get visa with license code
- License code
- Your passport with blank pages (Valid for at least 6 months)
- Travel health insurance (including medical coverage and return to the country)
- Pay the visa fee to the airport consulate. (Of course, we can pay your visa fee to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance and you can pay us after arrive Iran)
Note: Travelers who intend to choose “Obtain Iran visa on arrival” will only be granted a 15-day visa, although there is a 30-day visa that depends on your nationality.
Visa Renewal, especially for arrival, tourist and pilgrimage visas, are issued by the Aliens Police Office according to justifiable reasons and mentioned office approval.
Do you have Iran tourist visa? Do you want to stay longer and travel to Iran? Many tourists want to extend their Iranian visa to stay and travel longer in Iran. Fortunately, Visa renewal is very easy. You can extend an Iranian visa, both a tourist visa and a work permit visa. Of course, a 30-day tourist visa can be extended to 60 days, but it is more difficult to renew it for up to 90 days under certain conditions. If you obtain visa at the Iranian embassy, you are allowed to stay for up to 30 days, and the Police Aliens Office will usually extend your visa for another 30 days in Iran. As mentioned before, Iran visa renewal on arrival can be extended for up to 15 days with some difficulty. Visa extensions are available at foreign police offices in major Iranian cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad and Tabriz. You can extend your Iranian visa in other cities as well. It is recommended to adjust the itinerary to extend your visa in cities that you are more familiar with tourists.
Note: Visa renewal at the airport for you is at the discretion of the Police Aliens Office. If you have a 15-day Iran visa on arrival, you can only renew it for another 15 days. Work permit visa is also extended by the Police Aliens Office in coordination with the Aliens Employment Office at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and at the request of the applicant’s Iranian sponsor.
Get started early!
If you start early in the morning, your visa may be extended on the same day and usually takes between 1-4 hours, depending on your nationality. Otherwise, they will keep your passport and you will be back the next day and your visa extension is ready!
Offices are open and servicing from Saturday to Wednesday, 7:30 am – 2 pm. Since offices are usually very crowded, to time saving you can to go there in morning and start the process faster.
It is recommended to extend the visa with 1-3 days left until the visa expires. Documents for visa renewal are simple process, but as before, it depends on the discretion of the General Directorate of Foreign Citizens and Immigrants. They may ask you why your visa was extended.
If you have a tourist visa, you can say that you intend to see more attractions in Iran. If you have a work permit visa, you will need to explain why. All you have to do is fill out some forms and have a copy of your passport and visa. Required documents include: two photos, passport and forms to be filled in, a copy of the Iranian passport and visa, and an entry stamp. For women, photos should be with a scarf. Some offices have a copier so you can make a photocopy in the office, which of course is not free! But there is usually a long queue at the copier.
To renew the visa, you must pay in cash. Payment must be made at Bank Melli and the receipt returned.
Note: Don’t worry if the bank staff does not know English to make payments in Bank Melli. Just tell Visa, they will help you.
How to obtain Iran visa?
All nationalities need a visa to visit Iran and it is up to the passenger to obtain it. Visa requirements vary depending on which country you are from.
If you want, obtaining an Iranian visa is not so difficult! The steps are easy and there is little chance of rejection. Although you can obtain Iran visa yourself, using the agency is the safest and fastest way. Kootook will apply for your visa in two ways:
1- if you want to make your arrangements
2- if you plan to have a tour with Kootook
As a reminder, Iran visa, like all countries, require valid passports for at least 6 months from the departure. Always start the visa application process early, at least four weeks before arrive Iran. Below is the information, conditions and forms of Iranian visa. If you travel to Iran with Kootook, visa services will be free!
Step 1
First prepare the necessary documents to obtain the visa, the rest of steps are very simple!! Fill out the visa application form & Send us your passport scan and personal photo scan for us.
Or you can email the completed visa application form along with a photo, passport and travel plan to info@kootook.com
Step 2
Kootook will contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran and send your request and information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, your request will be processed within 3 to 7 working days. Needless to say, it takes over 20 to 45 days to get a passport from United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
Step 3
If your application is accepted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send us the visa permit, in which case the permit code will be sent to the Iranian embassy or airport in Iran, which you have specified in your application form. Your license code is valid for up to 30 days.
Step 4
At this step, you must go to the Iranian embassy with your passport and permit code or obtain your visa at Iran Airport upon request for an “Iran visa on arrival”. Your visa will be issued within 1 to 10 working days of your nationality package. The visa is valid for 3 months from the start date and do not pick it up too soon before you plan to travel to Iran.
Step 5
All steps have been completed. Welcome to Iran!
You can now visit our 7,000-year-old country. Kootook wishes you a great trip.
The Fee to obtain Iran visa
- The amount we pay to get your permit code and invitation.
- Consular fee that you must to pay directly to the Iranian embassy or consulate where you apply for a visa. (Depending on your nationality is usually between $ 60-70)
We will be by your side in the first to the last step to obtain Iran visa, and we will be available 24 hours a day in the support section. If you need to relocate to the embassy after confirmation, you will need to reapply us to change your visa issuance.
Iran visa on arrival for Indian citizens
Indian citizens can obtain Iran visa on arrival. There are three Iranian embassies in India (Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi) from where Indian citizens can obtain their visas. Indian citizens can also apply for Iran visa through Iranian travel agencies.
Iran visa on arrival for Afghan citizens
Afghan citizens cannot obtain Iran visa on arrival and are not required to travel by travel agencies. They must apply for an Iranian visa at one of the Iranian embassies, depending on where their passport was issued. There are five Iranian embassies in Afghanistan in Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad.
The Countries that cannot obtain Iran visa on arrival
Citizens of Canada, USA, UK, Colombia, Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Somalia
Countries where travel agencies cannot apply for Iran visa
Citizens of Afghanistan and Bangladesh must apply to Iranian embassies in their country for Iran visa.
Terms and documents required to obtain Iran visa for American, Canadian and British citizens
Iran visa are issued to all US, Canadian and British citizens only if they enroll in a group or private tour program with a tour guide.
- Passport valid for at least 6 months
- Itinerary
- Scientific, work or professional resume
- Scan personal photos according to the declared requirements
- Scan the first page of the passport according to declared requirements
- Medical travel insurance. (It is now mandatory & available at the immigration office at the airport or you can buy it from us before entering Iran)
Citizens of countries that can travel to Iran without the visa
According to international law & agreements, arrive to iran is provided for citizens of some countries without the visa through usual procedures, and they can obtain the necessary entry permits at entry points due to the rules and terms.
Citizens of Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Georgia, Armenia, Venezuela, Egypt, Malaysia and China are including visa waiver laws.
Important points to obtain Iran visa
- You must answer all the questions in the electronic visa application form accurately and completely. If the answer to be incorrect or incomplete, the request can be rejected
- The information on visa application form must be exactly the same as your passport information.
- Passport image sent to us must be clear and high quality.
- Personal photo sent to us must be clear and high quality.
- Embassy or consulate you choose in application form is the place where your visa is issued. Relocating a visa can be difficult, so make sure you choose the right one.
- Visit the website of embassy or consulate where you obtained your visa and match your documents with the correct documents for that embassy or consulate and make sure. Fortunately, in some embassies you can follow the visa process in full via email or postal service.
Personal photo profile
Most important section in registering visa application is uploading the personal photo scan. Following information is useful to prepare a proper and acceptable scan. Acceptance of your personal photo scan is the responsibility of representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran that you select to obtain visa.
One of the professional photo editing software can be used to prepare personal photo scans due to required standards.
Note: Increased in quality or applying changes to the face through digital software not to be acceptable in any way.
Personal photo scan features:
- Be colored. Black and white and monochrome photos may be rejected.
- Must to be jpg or jpeg format
- Its size to be over 10 kilobytes and equivalent to or less than 500 kilobytes
- Be vertical (ie its height is greater than its width)
- Resolution 400×600
- Must have been taken in last 6 months and match the current look.
- Have a completely one-handed and clear background.
- Face should be directly in front of the camera.
- No special position on the face and with eyes open.
- Take photos with clothes that you use daily.
- Except for religious clothing that is worn daily, photos with uniforms will not be accepted.
- Be without a hat. The face should be perfectly clear. Headgear, such as a scarf, should not cover or cast a shadow on part of face.
- Not to use the headphones, wireless hands-free devices and the like in the photo.
- Not to use of glasses in the photo except in special medical conditions. If you use glasses for medical reasons, it is necessary to observe the following:
- Glasses should not cover the eyes.
- Glasses should not blur the eyes.
- Any shadow or reflection of flash light from glasses’ lens that makes the eyes blurred not be acceptable.
- Photos scanned from a passport, driver’s license, etc., and photos taken using low-quality cell phones or similar devices to be rejected.
Appearance Change
If your personal photo to be not match your current appearance, it will not be accepted even if it was taken in last 6 months and your visa application may be rejected.
Applicants who meet the following requirements must submit new photos in accordance with their current appearance:
- Whenever surgery is performed on the face or a wound that changes the face.
- Removal or make some changes such as tattoos or mole removal
- Too much weight change that has changed the face
Items such as beards and the like are not considered face changes and not to need to take a new photo. In any case, accepting your personal photo scan is the responsibility of representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran that you select to obtain visa.
Babies Photos
Photos of children and infants should not include another person and the child should look at the camera with open eyes.
Guide 1: Lay your baby on light blanket and make sure there is no shadow on baby’s face.
Guide 2: Cover a child seat with a light cover and take a picture while you place your child in the chair.
Passport Page 1 Scan Guide
Most important issue in visa application registration section is uploading visa’ the first page scan. Following information will help you prepare a proper and acceptable scan. However, accepting the scan of first page in your passport is responsibility of representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran that you select to obtain visa, and system will reject scans that do not comply with the following.
You can get help from professional photo editing software to prepare the scan of the first page in passport according to required standards.
Scanning the passport’ first page should:
- Be colored. Black and white and monochrome photos may be rejected.
- Must be in jpg or jpeg format.
- Its size to be over 10 KB and equivalent to or less than 500 KB.
- Only include the front page.
- Be horizontal (ie the width of the photo is greater than its height).
- Resolution 800 × 600
- To be high quality.
- Neither dark nor too light.
- Be horizontal, parallel to the edges of the screen.
- All writing on it should be clear. Any stains that distort the writing will be removed.
