Iran coronavirus travel restrictions Q&A

[Eltjo1966]

Hey all!

My wife and I are travelling East from the UK via land and sea, currently in Turkey, and thinking about going to Iran > Pakistan > India.

Having read some info it looks like the Turkey/Iran border is open, all you need is vaccine and a tour guide to help with the visa.

Can somebody please confirm if this is the case?

Thanks!
Elliot

Uk passport it is a nogo if you want to travel freely. For all other Europeans it is Loi (GN) via travel agent, visa collection at consulate or ambassy, full vacination for covid, valid pcr test and passing a border. In that order.

[Eltjo1966]

Is it possible to get visa without vaccination?

Yes you can get a visa but at the border you must show a valid and negative PCRtest and a proof of your vacination in combination with your visa.
But then: who want to travel without a vacination.

FYI:
There are some rumours that a planned and booked itenarery is necessary again sinds last monday when trying to apply for a GN.
Some allready aproved GN's got invalid.

Latest: itenarery is necessary but hotel booking is not.

[Hound_Dog]

FWIW, I tried flying into Bandar Abbas with the Grant Notice, but was deported because they don't do Visa on Arrival for my citizenship(Norway/Schengen). They further specified I needed a Return ticket.

Online information leads one to believe it's possible to get a Visa on Arrival for Bandar Abbas, but that was not the case for me. In spite of heavy protests and lamentations, the message from the top brass was clear: There is no way to get a visa on arrival in Bandar Abbas with my Schengen passport.

Something to keep in mind if you get some idea to start your journey in Iran from the South.

There is NO VoA at present anywhere.

[margonor]

FWIW, I tried flying into Bandar Abbas with the Grant Notice, but was deported because they don't do Visa on Arrival for my citizenship(Norway/Schengen). They further specified I needed a Return ticket.

Online information leads one to believe it's possible to get a Visa on Arrival for Bandar Abbas, but that was not the case for me. In spite of heavy protests and lamentations, the message from the top brass was clear: There is no way to get a visa on arrival in Bandar Abbas with my Schengen passport.

Something to keep in mind if you get some idea to start your journey in Iran from the South.

There is NO VoA at present anywhere.

Ok, I was not expecting that. So Im planning to visit Iran at the start of March, and was planning on just getting the LOI on the internet and then show up at Tehran airport and get VOA with the LOI. That this mean I would have to actually get the visa from an embassy? I am Spanish, but the Irainian embassy in Spain is quite far for me, I am visiting Turkey before I go to Iran, would it be possible for me to pick up the Visa at the Istanbul embassy?

[Hound_Dog]

FWIW, I tried flying into Bandar Abbas with the Grant Notice, but was deported because they don't do Visa on Arrival for my citizenship(Norway/Schengen). They further specified I needed a Return ticket.

Online information leads one to believe it's possible to get a Visa on Arrival for Bandar Abbas, but that was not the case for me. In spite of heavy protests and lamentations, the message from the top brass was clear: There is no way to get a visa on arrival in Bandar Abbas with my Schengen passport.

Something to keep in mind if you get some idea to start your journey in Iran from the South.

There is NO VoA at present anywhere.

Ok, I was not expecting that. So Im planning to visit Iran at the start of March, and was planning on just getting the LOI on the internet and then show up at Tehran airport and get VOA with the LOI. That this mean I would have to actually get the visa from an embassy? I am Spanish, but the Irainian embassy in Spain is quite far for me, I am visiting Turkey before I go to Iran, would it be possible for me to pick up the Visa at the Istanbul embassy?

Yes you can nominate where you wish to collect the visa.

[TRAVEcandies]

good morning.

I'm curious if one did it without vaccination recently?
We applied for our visa and got accepted, but Visa haven't been issued in Erbil (Kurdish Iraq), cause of missing vaccination.
We spoke to the Visa Agency in Shiraz and even they have been wondering, because Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Iran
states, that vaccination isn't mandatory:
( https://london.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/6 ... 8%A7%D9%86 )

So we've been at the embassy again, to confront the officers with this article and he said, we need to go to Sulaimaniya (Kurdisch Irak)
and mentioned, that we maybe have luck there.
We're here at the moment and will try it in a few hours.

Nevertheless would be nice if there's a list of borders in Turkey, where entrance is smooth and hassle free
Thanks a lot

Totti
TRAVELcandies-On-Tour

[Hound_Dog]

Applying now for our Iranian visa. 2 x vax is 100% required according to the embassy.

good morning.

I'm curious if one did it without vaccination recently?
We applied for our visa and got accepted, but Visa haven't been issued in Erbil (Kurdish Iraq), cause of missing vaccination.
We spoke to the Visa Agency in Shiraz and even they have been wondering, because Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Iran
states, that vaccination isn't mandatory:
( https://london.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/6 ... 8%A7%D9%86 )

So we've been at the embassy again, to confront the officers with this article and he said, we need to go to Sulaimaniya (Kurdisch Irak)
and mentioned, that we maybe have luck there.
We're here at the moment and will try it in a few hours.

Nevertheless would be nice if there's a list of borders in Turkey, where entrance is smooth and hassle free
Thanks a lot

Totti
TRAVELcandies-On-Tour

[olig]

Hi everyone (:

Back on track!

Getting through Iranian visa application with key2persia.
Contacted them on Monday, received the notice this morning (Saturday) <3
French citizen / single entry / 30 days (made up a 40 days itinerary, to which key2persia basically replied 'we'll ask for 30 days and you'll renew it once there') / picking it up at the consulate of Iran in Istanbul.
Only had to send a copy of the passport main page and a copy of ID picture. The French-speaking lady from key2persia (this French-speaking feature is new compared with 2016 and 2019^^) also asked me to reach the border fully vaccinated and tested during the last 4 days, + a proof of travel insurance.

I'll go pick up the visa at the consulate next week but I'm not in a rush.

Actually I wonder if my visa would start from the day I pick it up at the consulate or from the day I applied with key2persia?

Anyway. So straightforward. I feel that each of my applications gets smoother than the previous one

[travelerthomas]

FWIW, I tried flying into Bandar Abbas with the Grant Notice, but was deported because they don't do Visa on Arrival for my citizenship(Norway/Schengen). They further specified I needed a Return ticket.

Online information leads one to believe it's possible to get a Visa on Arrival for Bandar Abbas, but that was not the case for me. In spite of heavy protests and lamentations, the message from the top brass was clear: There is no way to get a visa on arrival in Bandar Abbas with my Schengen passport.

Something to keep in mind if you get some idea to start your journey in Iran from the South.

There is NO VoA at present anywhere.

I had the Grant Notice. I was to pick up the visa at the airport in Bandar Abbas. Sorry about the confusion.

[margonor]

FWIW, I tried flying into Bandar Abbas with the Grant Notice, but was deported because they don't do Visa on Arrival for my citizenship(Norway/Schengen). They further specified I needed a Return ticket.

Online information leads one to believe it's possible to get a Visa on Arrival for Bandar Abbas, but that was not the case for me. In spite of heavy protests and lamentations, the message from the top brass was clear: There is no way to get a visa on arrival in Bandar Abbas with my Schengen passport.

Something to keep in mind if you get some idea to start your journey in Iran from the South.

There is NO VoA at present anywhere.

I had the Grant Notice. I was to pick up the visa at the airport in Bandar Abbas. Sorry about the confusion.

Thanks for the clarification @travelerthomas , so if I were to go with the Grant Notice to Tehran Airport , would I be able to pick up the visa from there or is that still not possible because of the current situation?