Iran travel tips

Iran visa requirements

The rule for your own passport, from Iran's official immigration page, with the date it was last checked. The same answer for every guide in Iran: Isfahan, Shiraz, Tehran, Yazd, Kashan, Tabriz and 4 more.

Visa required in advance

United Kingdom, United States, Canada

Not eligible for a visa on arrival. A visa has to be arranged in advance through a licensed Iranian tour operator, and you must travel with a licensed guide for the whole trip. Separately, the UK advises against all travel to Iran and the US tells its citizens to leave — read the notice at the top of this page.

Visa required in advance

Israel

Israeli passports are not admitted, and an Israeli stamp or other evidence of travel to Israel in any passport can mean refusal at the border.

No visa neededup to 90 days

Turkey

A bilateral arrangement; check the official page for the conditions.

No visa neededup to 21 days

China, Hong Kong

No visa neededup to 15 days

Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Serbia, Indonesia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam

Arriving by air only, once in six months, and not extendable. This waiver has changed since it began in 2024 — Indian passports were taken off it in November 2025 — so check the official page before relying on it.

e-Visa required

Pakistan

Not eligible for a visa on arrival; apply for the e-visa in advance.

Visa on arrival

Every other passport

Most other passports, Indian included, can apply for an e-visa in advance or take a visa on arrival at the main international airports. Proof of travel insurance valid in Iran is asked for; most foreign policies are not, and an Iranian one can be bought at the airport.

How to get it: Apply on the foreign ministry’s e-visa portal, which issues a reference number to collect the visa at the airport or a consulate. Women must wear a headscarf in the visa photo and from the moment they land. Your passport should not carry an Israeli stamp.

Official government source · checked 2026-10-02

Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, your route and the purpose of the trip. Confirm on the official page before booking.

The guides in Iran

The dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque over Naqsh-e Jahan Square — Isfahan, IranIsfahanIranThe Safavid capital, built around one of the largest squares in the world and the tiled mosques on its sidesThe pavilion and pools of the Eram Garden — Shiraz, IranShirazIranThe city of poets and gardens, with a pink-tiled mosque and Persepolis an hour up the roadThe Azadi Tower on Azadi Square — Tehran, IranTehranIranA sprawling capital under the Alborz, with a Qajar palace, a vast bazaar and the mountains at the top of the streetThe windcatchers above the mud-brick roofs of the old city — Yazd, IranYazdIranA mud-brick desert city of windcatchers and covered lanes, and the centre of Iran's Zoroastrian faithThe courtyard and pool of a historic merchant house — Kashan, IranKashanIranA desert-edge town of merchants' mansions, a royal garden on a spring, and rose water made in the villages above itA domed hall of the Grand Bazaar — Tabriz, IranTabrizIranThe Azeri-speaking capital of the north-west, with one of the oldest and largest covered bazaars in the worldThe turquoise dome of the Shah Nematollah Vali shrine at Mahan — Kerman, IranKermanIranAn old caravan city on the edge of the Lut, the hottest desert surface ever measured, with its sand-carved kaluts two hours awayA sandstone canyon on the island — Qeshm, IranQeshmIranThe largest island in the Persian Gulf, a geopark of salt caves, eroded canyons and mangroves, with Hormuz across the waterHouses carved into the volcanic cones — Kandovan, IranKandovanIranA village of homes hollowed out of volcanic cones on the slopes of Mount Sahand, and still lived inThe stepped houses of the village on the hillside — Masuleh, IranMasulehIranA stepped mountain village in the Gilan forests, where the roof of one house is the street of the one above