Iran visa on arrival: how the pre-approved airport visa works

The airport visa is for foreign nationals who are entitled to receive a visa at an Iranian border checkpoint. The MFA does not publish the list of entitled nationalities on its visa-on-arrival page, so ask an Iranian mission before booking whether your nationality qualifies.

Travellers covered by a visa waiver do not need it: ten countries, including Türkiye, Azerbaijan and China, are fully visa-exempt for tourism, 27 countries have a 15-day tourism waiver, and nationals of Lebanon, Venezuela and Malaysia receive permits at designated entry points under separate rules.

Visa fees for visas issued at border checkpoints are paid in euros through the bank terminals in the airport. The MFA does not publish a single amount; the fee depends on nationality, as the fee tables of individual embassies show. Have euros or a card accepted at the terminal ready before you reach the counter.

To speed up issuance, the MFA asks travellers to file an electronic application on the e-visa portal at least two days before the trip and to choose the arrival airport as the place of issue. The form lists Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Kish, Qeshm, Kerman, Ahvaz, Orumiyeh and Larestan.

When the application is approved you receive a grant email, and the grant notice can be downloaded from the status page. Print it: the counter at the airport expects a paper copy. Fill in the form in English letters, verify your email within three days and keep the tracking code.

Hand in the printed grant notice and your passport at the visa-on-arrival counter, pay, and continue to passport control. The MFA reminds all visitors that the passport or travel document must still be valid for six months on departure. A grant notice is not a guarantee of entry; the visa type and length are decided when it is issued.