Iranian visa for US, UK and Canadian passports: Q&A

[Colhoun]

I hold dual nationality - British + Australian. I'm currently travelling on my British passport. I plan to enter Iran from Turkmenistan in 2 - 3 months' time. At present I don't have an Iranian visa but plan to collect it on the road or on arrival at Tehran airport. Due to the changed Iranian visa regulations I won't be able to get a tourist visa with my British passport. But I can by using my Australian passport. To do so would involve exiting e.g. Turkmenistan on my British passport (which I'm currently using) and entering/exiting Iran on my Australian passport. Is it possible? If so how? Are there any pitfalls/traps? Is it safe? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[steven]

Hi Colhoun,

did not want to leave this question unanswered but I could not find out a definitive answer for you. I asked 2 people and they both said "should be allright". I also have the same feeling, but I do not have any hard proof to back it up with. We are just basing us on a general vibe we have about Iranian border controls.

Did you get a better answer elsewhere?

Also check out this forum post http://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2358 - perhaps repost your question there if you are not quite sure yet, CrazyDre is an expert on the Iran visa thing.

[t3nchi]

Should this sticky be taken down? Old info. I read visas are being issed for US UK Canadians but requires us to go to Iran by an organized tour.

[leela]

Good point. It's very misleading to have an OP that's now entirely wrong, stuck at the top of the board. And I imagine that some people accessing this place for the first time could be quite unnerved and worried to read this title.

[steven]

Thanks, I don't usually access the forums this way, I just read all new posts, so I missed that it was still a sticky. Fixed now.

In my defence, people should really read the visa article first. The forum is meant to collect info first and foremost. Curation, editing and sorting out facts from fiction happens on the main site.

[leela]

Cool, thanks. Let's hope it sinks soon, because even if I'd done all my research, if I clicked on the forum and saw that I'd have a bit of a wobble for a few moments, thinking something at changed suddenly. Iran visas are such a pain to organise from the UK, the subject line wouldn't be surprising!

[t3nchi]

As an FYI for us "special" folk (US, UK, Canadians). I inquired with a legit tour company (Uppersia) about how long it takes to acquire a visa. They said up to 2 months in total from start to finish.

[Jasman]

Hi, I'm a UK citizen in the middle of my visa application for a visit to Iran in September. I was applying for the code through toiran.com and buying a tour from them too but they got back to me yesterday saying that they received a call from the MFA in Tehran that “they are terminating all active visa processes for the UK and Canadian citizens”.

I asked them some more questions to confirm and they said, “Kindly note, we have been informed by the MFA that the visa process has come to a halt for the moment and they haven't declared any timeline about the situation, the best we can do is to keep you informed if the situation resolves in the near future and again apologize for any inconvenience.”

I have since been in touch with some other tour companies/visa agents and they have told me the MFA are processing British visas as normal. I’ve also rung the UK foreign office and they do not know, so I’m not sure what to believe. I did very much trust the tour company I was dealing with, but am struggling to get to the truth of the situation.

Does anyone have any information or advice that could help me? It looks as though I may have to cancel my trip because even if the MFA are accepting visa applications from UK nationals there may not be enough time for me to book a new tour and start again with the visa process.

Many thanks

[leela]

Sorry I can't help, but this does sound very odd, if the FCO is unaware. Have you tried contacting the Iranian Embassy in London?

The visa section is open Mon/Wed/Fri 2-5
http://london.mfa.ir/index.aspx?fkeyid= ... geid=33953

Good luck. I imagine it must be very worrying to get that response. Let's hope it's wrong.

[rfoltz]

At present the only way for Canadians, Americans and British to get a visa without booking a tour is to find an Iranian contact willing to spend a day waiting around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran to fill out the paperwork to issue you an invitation. It is a big pain for them but Iranians love so much to have visitors that they may be willing to do this. Be aware that in pursuing this option you may be putting your host at risk.
Iranians are very willing to do favours but be aware that they also expect the same even if they say they don't. This is part of the culture of formal politeness (ta'rof), arguably the most important thing for a foreigner to understand in order to avoid social missteps with Iranians. Always begin by politely declining any offer -- food, assistance, whatever -- ("Thank you so much, but I couldn't possibly impose..."); let them insist. Remember also that they will do the same with offers from you. With Iranians everything is subtle negotiation, and the first offer is never the one the bidder actually has in mind.