Where and how do I even start? I hold 2 passports- USA and Taiwan. Am hoping to visit some friends in Iran this summer for 2 weeks....so I won't belong to an organized group. How much should I expect to pay for the whole thing (application process and visa itself)?
A rival guidebook company that shall remain nameless makes a big deal of how difficult they claim it can be to get an Iranian visa. Fact is, unless you wish to apply with your US passport, it shouldn't be a particular problem. Ideally you're living in a country where there is an Iranian embassy, in which case simply go along, fill in the forms and apply for your tourist visa. It could be slightly tricky if there is no Iranian embassy where you live and you have to apply to an embassy in a nearby country where you don't have residency, but any bureaucratic difficulties here aren't unique to Iran.
The website of the Iranian embassy here in London (www.iran-embassy.org.uk/consulate) has the application form to download, plus a list of sample visa prices for a few countries. It's always better if you have what they regard as a Third World passport, as Iranian visas are positively inexpensive in that case. Like you, I hold a passport from a Pacific Rim country and have had absolutely no problems in visiting Iran. Have a great trip there - it is one of the gems of the Middle East, reasonably clean, with good, inexpensive accommodation and most importantly fantastic people.
Posts: 43 | Location: London | Registered: January 09, 2002
I know it is possible to apply for a visa at the Pakistani embassy here in the US, but they send your passport to Tehran and it takes quite awhile. Do you know of any other way, possibly in a neighboring country while I am visiting the middle east (I am planning to do so in September).
Posts: 13 | Location: Washington, DC USA | Registered: December 28, 2001
Well, if Iranian visas can be tricky to obtain - as the nameless guidebook company maintains - then I would have thought processing time in Pakistan is the least of your concerns; you want to find a foolproof way of getting your Iranian visa, even if it takes a while. You could always try emailing or phoning the Iranian Embassy in London for starters, to see if they can offer you some general advice. Of course, if you have a friend or sponsor in Iran who's willing to write a letter of invitation or something, that could well help, so ask what sort of letter is required by the authorities. On the road, Erzerum in Turkey is said to be a reasonable place to apply for an Iranian visa (even though it says in the Rough Guide to Turkey that you shouldn't count on it); you can also apply for Iranian transit visas here if you can prove you're on your way to Pakistan.
Posts: 43 | Location: London | Registered: January 09, 2002
Just a correction- I am not visiting Pakistan, but rather the only way to obtain an Iranian VISA in the US is through the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC (which I am not eager to use).
Thanks on the info on Erzerum. Do you know if crossing from Turkey into Iran is a rather easy manner??
Posts: 13 | Location: Washington, DC USA | Registered: December 28, 2001
Hi. Yes I didn't think you were visiting Pakistan - I meant you shouldn't worry about processing time for your visa in Pakistan or Tehran as long as it works out in the end. The journey in from Turkey is a perfectly standard one, which isn't to say it's particularly easy. It's just another frontier-crossing type of thing - you'll be in Kurdish areas which are presently reasonably safe to travel in, there might be border delays and you might have to stay in some little godforsaken place if you can't get from one major town to another in one go. I've not done the journey myself but this is what I hear; travellers do quite often do this journey as part of the overland route between Europe and India, either by bus or motorbike. So don't expect creature comforts or fantastic efficiency at border posts - just treat it as all part of the big adventure. If you can get your visa in advance via the Pakistani embassy, which sounds much more convenient to be honest, then I recommend you fly Lufthansa into Tehran. If you're prepared to fly Iran Air - some of their planes aren't in great shape but their safety record is okay - then you may have the option of a free internal flight, which will allow you to see (say) Isfahan, Mashhad or Shiraz easily. Flights within Iran are quite cheap though, so you won't be saving that much. Do post further questions if you have them - I'm not an expert but I have visited Iran twice so I know something of what to expect.
Posts: 43 | Location: London | Registered: January 09, 2002
I am an American citizen living in Washington, DC. When I went to Iran in May, 2000, it was not possible to get a visa from the Pakistan Embassy. That may have changed by now. I used a travel agent in Canada called Silk Road Tours, and they got my visa at the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa. It didn't take too long (I don't know if they had to send my passport to Tehran or not), and it cost about $100. I also went on a tour sponsored by Silk Road, but there was only one other person on the tour, and so it was basically the two of us with a car and driver. I highly recommend visiting Iran.
Posts: 1 | Location: Washington, DC, USA | Registered: April 08, 2002
I would also suggest that you go through the Iranian embassy in Ottawa... their website is www.salamiran.org It will give you very useful and actually...
Thanks for the info. I am also living in Washington, DC. Anyway,, how long did you stay in Iran and how much was this 'tour' Were you bound to use them as a tour operator?
Stuart
quote:Originally posted by dcrichs: I am an American citizen living in Washington, DC. When I went to Iran in May, 2000, it was not possible to get a visa from the Pakistan Embassy. That may have changed by now. I used a travel agent in Canada called Silk Road Tours, and they got my visa at the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa. It didn't take too long (I don't know if they had to send my passport to Tehran or not), and it cost about $100. I also went on a tour sponsored by Silk Road, but there was only one other person on the tour, and so it was basically the two of us with a car and driver. I highly recommend visiting Iran.
Posts: 13 | Location: Washington, DC USA | Registered: December 28, 2001
Well after everything I did not obtain my VISA. I gave then $80 and they sent my paperwork to Tehran, but I was denied the VISA (they did give me back $15 of the fee). They recommend a tour which can get the VISA for me if I do not know anyone in Iran.
Stuart
Posts: 13 | Location: Washington, DC USA | Registered: December 28, 2001
I highly recommend Pars Toruist Agency for getting Iran visa for tourists from all over the world. Try their services. You will create yourself the chance of optimizing your trip to Iran. Their web address is www.key2persia.com Here I should thank them for offering me their usefull services.
