In this post, we’ll go through the requirements for getting the Iranian visa on arrival. This includes who can get it and who can’t, what you’ll need and a step-by-step guide. This information is a mixture of many hours of research and our firsthand experience when we went backpacking in Iran.
Don’t worry, we know the feeling when you’re planning a trip to a country like Iran, it can be a little daunting. I mean they are meant to be the “axis of evil”, there’s strict Islamic law and behind China, Iran has one of the biggest internet firewalls in the world. All of that made me think, and probably what you’re thinking, that getting into the country will be super difficult as well.
Well, luckily for you and me it isn’t. The visa on arrival for Iran is ridiculously easy and we’ll walk you through every step.
Why is it so easy? It turns out, Iran wants to get back to its tourism glory days and increase the number of yearly visitors from 5 million in 2015 to 20 million by 2025.
Further Reading: 82 things to know before you travel to Iran
What You’ll Need For The Iran Visa On Arrival
What You Definitely Need For Your VOA
1. Printout of your hotel or hostel booking for the first night
- Make sure your booking has the phone number of your hostel or hotel. The visa men will most likely call your accommodation to confirm you’re actually staying there. We stayed at Persian Hostel and had no trouble.
2. Printout of your travel insurance if you have it
- If you don’t have your own travel insurance, don’t worry – it’s mandatory for travel to Iran and you’ll just have to buy one at the airport.
3. Anywhere between $50 – $200 in cash or the equivalent in euros
- This money will pay for your visa on arrival and travel insurance. The fee will depend on which country you’re from, with most countries around the €70 mark apart from Australia.
- Germany: €75
- Brazil: €80
- Spain: €75
- Argentina: €70
- Italy:€75
- Australia: €145 (!!!!)
Good To Have Just In Case
1. A few photocopies of your passport photo page
- Always good to have some copies of your passport just in case the immigration people need these.
2. A couple of new passport photos
- Girls should follow Iran’s official Islamic dress code and wear a head scarf in their picture.
- Sometimes the immigration guys use your new photos, sometimes they use your actual passport photo. If they use the latter and you’re a girl, you won’t have a photo in your visa as your hair is not covered.
3. Printout of a rough itinerary
- The immigration guys might be bored and want to know what you’ll be doing. Just make up an itinerary in Word to make it look like you know where you’re going.
Don’t Need
1. Letter of invitation from a travel company
- You’ll only need this if you’re picking up a pre-approved visa. The letter of invitation is not needed if you’re getting the visa on arrival.
- An LOI costs you an extra $40 and will just mean your visa pick-up at the airport should be a little quicker.
2. Printout of your exit flights
- We weren’t asked for this and no one we spoke to was.
Process Of Getting The Iranian Visa On Arrival
Now for the lowdown of how to get your Iranian visa on arrival at the Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA).
1. Get off your flight
Head towards the border security and don’t worry about your bags, you’ll pick them up after border control.
2. Go to the travel insurance desk
- If you have insurance already: get your insurance stamped and verified. We travel with World NOMADS and had no troubles what so ever in Iran, even with a little visit to a hospital along the way.
- If you don’t: buy some Iranian travel insurance at the counter ($16 for 1-31 days)
3. Go to the visa window and answer some questions
Smile, hand over your passport and answer the following questions;
“Do you have a letter of invitation?”
Your reply;
“No”
They’ll now know you’re applying for a visa on arrival.
4. Fill in some forms
After that riveting conversation, you’ll get a form to fill out with the usual visa questions;
- Passport details
- Home address
- Job (I would advise against writing blogger or anything to do with journalism)
- Adress while in Iran (The name and address of your first night in Iran)
Once you give that back you’ll receive a little piece of paper with what you owe for your nationality.
5. Go to the payment window
Go to the payment desk on the left.
- Give them your piece of paper and the amount of euros or dollars you need to pay.
- Sign your receipt.
6. Go back to the visa desk
Give them the receipt of your payment and if your visa is ready, they’ll hand it over to you, otherwise sit and wait.
7. That’s it!
The whole process took us about 45 minutes which is pretty quick. It could take up to 3 hours if you’re the last one-off your plane and there’s already a line.
