Iran Visa For the US, Canada, and UK Citizens
The US, Canada, and UK passport holders are subject to some specific regulations when traveling to Iran. Through this article, we tries to give you some insight into the requirements of getting your Iranian visa. Iran Visa for US Citizens, Iran Visa for UK Citizens, Iran visa for Canadians.
It is important to know that at present Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran does not permit US, Canada, and UK citizens to travel to Iran independently. The rules say that the visitors from the mentioned countries are required to travel on escorted tours; either as a part of a group or as an individual. So these visitors must apply in advance for a pre-arranged tour, get a tour guide or introduce a relative who can take responsibility.
The US, UK, and Canadian citizens are also required to submit a detailed resume and complete travel itinerary in advance.
Due to these time-consuming requirements, it is better to make your arrangements at least 8 weeks before the travel date.
It is important to note that passport or travel documents holders or those containing a visa/stamp from Israel up to 6 months prior to their application for traveling to Iran cannot get any form of Iranian visa.
Documents required:
- A digital image of the traveler’s passport. It must be: Iran Visa for US Citizens
- In color
- In JPEG or JPG format
- Less than 500 kilobytes and not less than 10 KB in kilobytes
- Taken in a rectangular shape with a minimum width of 800 pixels and a minimum height of 600 pixels (the width must be greater than height)
- In high quality
- In an appropriate exposition; not too bright and not too dark
- In an appropriate amount of clarity
- In good alignment
- Digital personal photo. It should be:
- In color
- In JPG or JPEG file format
- Less than 500 kilobytes and not less than 10 KB in kilobytes
- In a rectangular shape with a minimum width of 400 pixels and a minimum height of 600 pixels (the height must be greater than width)
- In a position in which the applicant’s face occupy 70-80% of the image
- Taken within the last 6 months, in order to show the current state of the applicant’s appearance.
- In plain white or off-white background
- Facing the camera in a full face view.
- In a neutral facial expression with both eyes open
- Taken in clothes in which the applicant normally wears
- Taken not in uniforms, except religious uniforms worn on a daily basis
- Without a head covering or headscarf which obscures the face and the hair unless it is worn every day for religious purposes
- Without any shadow obscuring the face
- Taken without wearing any electronic devices such as headphones, Ear Pods, speakers, and wireless hands-free devices
- Taken showing the eyes of the applicant completely and without glasses unless it is prescribed by a doctor due to an illness surgery or protection. In this case, a written statement by a medical professional or a health practitioner is required.
- Passport (must be valid for 6 months after the departure date from Iran)
- Complete travel itinerary (if any)
- Detailed resume or CV (travelers might be required to submit or explain the information about their career, education, and so forth)
- The hotel or accommodation of your stay or information about your host in Iran
- Additional information. Depending on the type of visa, some applicants may be required to submit additional information after completing the online visa application
NOTE:
- The process of receiving an Iran visa is different and it might take up to 30-45 days.
- Citizens of these countries cannot get Visa on Arrival.
- It is necessary to submit a complete travel itinerary in advance and you are required to get an approved tour guide to accompany you during the whole trip.
- All tourists, except citizens of Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Colombia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Jordan, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, and Somalia can stay in Kish and Qeshm Islands for the period of 14 days or less without getting any visa.
- US citizens can receive their Iran tourist visa stamped at the interest section of Iran embassy in Washington DC.
- In general, the issued Iran visa is valid for 3 months and you cannot extend your visa after these three months.
Travel insurance for Iran:
- As a principle, it is always good to have appropriate travel insurance when you want to travel to another country. Lately, this has become a mandatory requirement for all the visitors, regardless of the destination, to have travel insurance when they want to travel to Iran.
- The issued insurance must state that it is valid for Iran. It is up to your insurance company in your country to do that for you or you can get insurance through IATI, A Spanish insurance company with a good background in issuing travel insurance to various destinations including Iran.
