Full guide to Iran Visa

Although some countries citizens doesn’t need visa before entering Iran, a visa is a must for many countries citizens. Some nationalities can also receive their visa at the airport by their arrival. There are 3 ways of receiving a visa which include: offline, online, at the airport. Receiving an Iranian visa is a 4-step process which we completely explain it through this article. In addition, Flora agency will be assisting you during the process to get your visa as soon as possible.

1-Types of Iranian zones

Generally, Iranian zones are divided into two main types regarding the requirement of a visa to enter them: free-trade zones and regular zones.

Free-trade and economic zones

Free-trade zones are those that have been specifically set up as trade-friendly zones. As their name suggests, entering these zones does not require a visa. Currently, there are six free-trade zones and 16 special economic zones in Iran. Among these zones Kish Free Trade Zone, Qeshm Free Trade Zone and Chabahar Free Trade Industrial Zone are well-known. Among these zones, Kish free trade zone is an island as pretty as paradise. This island offers numerous attractive malls, gigantic shopping centers, tourist attractions, and luxury hotels. Following Dubai and Sharm el-Sheikh in rank, Kish Island is one of the most-visited vacation destinations in Southwest Asia. As your service provider, Flora covers both regular and free-trade zones. This agency prepares medical/cosmetic treatments, clinical check-up and various tourism and sightseeing free-of-charge offers plus some specific services for you in all free zones especially in Kish Island.

Regular zones

There are regular zones that operate under a different set of regulations as they are local zones. These local zones require different types of visa which depend on the purpose of the applicant from entering Iran. These regular zones account for most of Iran’s area embracing various tourist attractions and traditional souvenirs of each province that are only found through their own Bazaras.

Except for citizens of 11 countries such as Turkey, China, Egypt, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon, Bolivia, Venezuela, Syria who are able to enter these local areas of Iran without resorting into a visa, those from all other countries require a visa to enter these zones.

2-Types of Iranian Visa

Different countries operate different sets of regulations regarding the visa types and the process of visa receiving. In the case of Iran, there are several types of visa such as Tourist Visa, Transit Visa, Treatment Visa, etc. The type of visa you require depends on your goal of traveling to Iran. There are different requirements for each of these types of Iranian visa.

Table of Visa requirements

3-Treatment Visa

In order to enter Iran for your medical treatment, you should have a treatment visa in advance. For getting a T-visa, you need to receive an approval letter from one of the authorized medical centers. The letter will be provided by Flora. Common to all types of Iranian visa, a T-visa requires filling out a form with your info and providing documents. The documents includes a passport with a minimum of 6-months validity, a copy of passport and a current photo in 3*4 format that is in accordance with instructions and shows your face in a full manner. Treatment visa of Iran will expire after 90 days unless it is extended by your doctor’s note. A T-visa is not necessarily for the sole purpose of medical treatment; it can also be used for tourism purposes, sightseeing and staying alongside your treatment.

4-Methods of receiving a Treatment Visa:

Depending on your nationality, preference and other conditions, there are three ways of receiving a T-visa for Iran. These types of processes include online application, offline process, and receiving the T-visa at the airport by your entrance. The three ways of applying for a T-visa are described below.

4-1-Online application

Online application is a tech-based process of receiving your T-visa. In order to get a T-visa you should fill out a form and provide us the required documents. We will submit your application request with all the documents plus adding the doctor’s assent. The letter is necessary for a T-visa to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Next, you should typically wait between 2 to 7 business days until you receive a visa Authorization Code. It may take longer depending on your nationality. We will send you the code via Email so you can refer to any Iranian embassy/consulate to take your T-visa. If there is no Iranian embassy in your country, Flora provides your visa at the airport by your arrival.

4-2-Offline process

There is also another way of referring to the Iranian embassy/consulate by yourself and providing all your required documents. So you receive your T-visa after a long bureaucratic process. In this way you should undertake all the legworks by yourself and it might take much time.

4-3-Visa on Arrival (VOA)

This type of visa is specifically for citizens of countries in which a visa is issued at the airport. They should bring the documents and have a passport with at least 6 month of validity by their arrival.

Citizens of the following countries get their visa by their arrival at the airport;

Albania, Germany, Argentina, South Africa, Austria, Uzbekistan, Spain, Australia, Slovenia, Slovakia, UAE, Indonesia, Ukraine, Italy, Ireland, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, Peru, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Denmark, Russian Federation, Romania, Japan, Macau, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, France, Palestine, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, Croatia, South Korea, North Korea, Cuba, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Mongolia, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, Vietnam, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Greece.

In addition, only some of airports in Iran offer the service of VOA that you can see in the following: Ahvaz International Airport (Ahvaz), Bandar Abbas International Airport (Bandar Abbas), Imam Khomeini International Airport (Tehran), Isfahan International Airport (Isfahan), Kerman Airport (Kerman), Kish International Airport (Kish Island), Larestan International Airport (Lar), Mashhad International Airport (Mashad), Mehrabad International Airport (Tehran), Qeshm international Airport (Qeshm Island), Shiraz International Airport (Shiraz), Tabriz International Airport (Tabriz), and Urmia Airport (Urmia).

Note: Iraqi citizens can only receive a visa on arrival at Mashhad airport.

5-steps of receiving a T-visa

Though there are some differences among the steps of receiving a visa in these three ways, the following are the overall steps of getting an Iranian T-visa that are common to all three of them.

Step1: Filling the application form

First of all, you must provide some documents as well as filling an application form. You can either provide the information to the embassy/consulate by yourself or entrust the process to Flora. Once you have sent the required documents and the fee we will handle the following of the process. We will submit your application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Note that all the information must be exact and accurate to lower the risk of visa rejection.

Step2: Pay fees for Iranian T-Visa

Receiving a treatment visa will cost you a first 25 Euros as an Application Fee to receive an MFA authorization code, and a second visa Stamp / Collection Fee that tends to fluctuate depending on your nationality and regulations. Citizens of Britain and Canada will be generally charged $175 or 145 Euro for both steps. For the fee amount of American citizens please contact Flora consultants.

Step3: Receive your authorization code via Email

After around 2 to 7 business days, an MFA authorization code is issued for you. After receiving the code we will send it to you by an Email or other ways. So, you can follow the process to receive your T-visa.

Step4: Receive your visa

You can either receive your visa from an Iranian embassy in your own country, at the airport by your arrival or ask Flora to receive your visa. Otherwise, if you are a citizen of certain countries which we listed as VOA countries, you do not need the previous steps. You can jump to the receiving step right at the airport by your arrival.

 Iranian visa Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to receive a T-visa?

For citizens of the majority of countries it takes 5-7 working days to receive the visa code online. For citizens of the US, UK, or Canada it may take as long as 1-3 months.

How can we receive a visa when there is no Iranian embassy in our country?

If you find no Iranian embassy or consulate in your country and your country is not within the list of those with VOA option, the easiest way for you is to apply for a visa online and Flora will provide your visa at the airport at the time of your arrival. There is also a harder choice of referring to a third country with an Iranian embassy to receive your visa.

Can I have an Iranian passport when my parents have Iranian nationality?

According to the law of Iran, you are only entitled an Iranian citizenship if your father has an Iranian nationality or you have been born in Iran. Therefore, you can only have an Iranian passport in these two cases. So, you can’t get the visa if you are Iranian from the maternal side or you were not born in Iran.

Should I enter only with Iranian passport when I have two?

You must only enter with your Iranian passport if you have a dual nationality. Iran does not recognize dual nationalities.

Is a visa issued for citizens of the UK, the US, and Canada?

Yes, you can follow your medical treatment as a citizen of all the above regions. There is a different fee set for people belonging to these countries and they cannot have a visa at the airport. However, the citizens of these countries can make an online application for a visa 1-3 months in advance in order for Flora to be able to hand over your visa to you at the airport by your arrival.

Is it possible to get a multiple-entrance visa from Iran?

You can only receive a single-entry visa at the airport, however, you may be able to get a double entry or multiple entry by referring directly to the embassy of Iran and apply from your country before entering Iran.

What are the conditions and regulations for Afghanistan and Bangladesh?

Citizens of Afghanistan and Bangladesh cannot receive a VOA and they must apply for their visa 1-2 months before traveling to Iran. It is to be added that while a VOA is not possible for them, the citizens of these two countries can apply for their visa online to either receive it by referring to the nearest Iranian embassy in their own country by presenting their MFA code or get it at the airport with the help of Flora in delivering it for you.

What countries do not require a visa to enter Iran?

You are exempt from a visa application if you are a citizen of one of the 11 following countries and you are allowed to stay in Iran for the length time that has been mentioned next to them: Armenia – 90 days, Azerbaijan – 30 days, Bolivia – 30 days, Georgia – 45 days, Malaysia – 15 days, Syria – 90 days, Turkey – 3 months, Venezuela – 15 days, Egypt – 20 days, Lebanon – 30 days, China – 21 days,

How to check my online visa immediately?

You can refer to the MFA website at www.en.mfa.ir from time to time to check the status of your Iranian visa application online.

Am I required to have a visa when entering Kish Island?

As a free-trade zone of Iran, Kish Island does not require you to have any visa by entrance.

Who can receive Iranian visa at the airport?

According to law and regulations of Iran, the Iranian visa is issued for citizens of 60 nationalities by their entrance at the airport. The countries have been mentioned before in this article.

How much does an Iranian visa cost?

Depending on your nationality, you should pay somewhere between 50 to 175 USD to receive your visa of all types. For citizens of Britain and Canada the overall price is set at $175 or $150 Euros (For American citizens contact Flora’s consultants). The cost includes an MFA Application fee that is fixed at 25 Euros per person and the cost of Stamp/Collection Fee that varies from one country to another according to Iran’s regulations and mutual agreements.

Is it possible that you enter Iran without the placement of an entering stamp on your passport?

Yes, in order to facilitate the tourism industry and to help tourists avoid any further problems that may be caused as a result of sanctions, Iran has established a regulation to exempt visitors and tourists of Iran from the placement of any entering or exit stamp on their passport.