Iran e-visa system

[Keto]

It's my last year's experience before Covid-19 from Japan.

I submitted 14 Jan 2020 at https://evisa.mfa.ir/en/ .
The next day, I received visa grant notice pdf.
On 16 Jan, I visited Embassy in Tokyo with its printed pdf, and paid 3750 JPY which is double visa fee, and payment has done with ticket machine. They held my passport until visa issuance. E-visa pdf was sent on 21 Jan.

I didn't need any others like printed photos, air tickets, hotel booking, or insurance. Everything was smooth, and I could successfully traveled with printed e-visa pdf.
My passport has no signs of visiting Iran like visa or stamps...

[FanGasp]

For your information:

I submitted 15 November 2021 at https://evisa.mfa.ir/en/ .
I got no reply after three weeks.
By checking my evisa status in the website, I could easily cancel my request. I got a confirmation email of the cancellation within an hour.

After that, I pass through a travel agency (tap Persia) and got the LOI within 3 days.

So I think you don't loose anything (except time) by trying via the government website. And if it doesn't work, just cancel your request and use a travel agency.

Update: I initially ask to get my visa at Erzurum. My plan changed and decide to give a try to get my visa at Batumi,GE. It looks like the guy called Erzurum, cancel my request and fill it for me. He got the evisa accepted within a few minutes. And I got my visa right after, for 50€. So actually, I asking myself the question: do you really need to do that evisa before going to the embassy??

[maxg]

My experience with the e-visa system (German passport):

After I had registered on the webpage the status was set on "waiting for confirmation". Ideally, after a week or so, you should get an e-mail saying that you may come to the embassy to pick up your visa. However, in practice, this works rarely and it didn't in my case.

I waited for about a week and then wrote the embassy. They told me that I should come there (actually, you should go there directly; if I had waited much longer they probably would have canceled my application). When I was there the procedure was very quick and straightforward: they needed a copy of my application, my passport, a booking reference and 50€ (by card, no cash). They asked me if I was vaccinated. To be sure you should bring your vaccination and insurance certificates, too, as they told me to bring them in the e-mail (I did not need an Iranian insurance contrary to some claims).

After that, I was told that I can either take the visa with me right away (75€) or come back in a week and pick it up (50€). I gave them an envelope so they would send it to me and paid 50€.

I went to the consulate on Monday. On Wednesday morning my status was changed to "confirmed" and I received the e-visa per e-mail. On Thursday I got the letter with my passport and a print-out version of the visa. You have 90 days to enter the country from the date that the visa was issued. Mine is valid for 30 days after entry (I told them I wanted to travel for four weeks).

Summing up, the process was designed to work via the webpage. However, it doesn't entirely and in practice, you have to go to the embassy right after applying. Your application is probably not stuck, they are just waiting for you to come by. If you undecide and prefer to get an LOI, there is a button on the webpage to cancel your application at any time (I did not test it, though).

Note for Germans: Although the consulates (Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich) have different "Zuständigkeitsbereiche", if you apply to another one I don't think that they will refuse you. I live in BW and should have applied to Munich, but I did to Frankfurt as it is much closer. They didn't mind.

[jav005]

I applied on the 12th of January. After 15 days I called the Embassy (Tiflis) and the man, very polite and in clear English told me what I knew, namely, that it was being processed. Asked how long would it take he answered: "To be honest, I don't know". I waited till February 4th (i.e., 23 days) and cancelled the application. I will go through a tour operator.
I went through the one assigned by Caravanistan. Very well with them. On Monday I got a message telling me that seemingly I had applied already and they could not process their application. I answered I had cancelled it on Friday and I suppose they contacted somebody in the ministry to unlock it. (The e-visa system works even worse than I could imagine). And on Tuesday, i. e., next day, I got the Visa Grant Notice. They are key2persia. They even addressed me in Spanish!

[margonor]

Just got approved Authorization letter for a visa to pick up at IKA airport, submitted through travel agency on thursday 3rd.

[interrailer]

Someone got in the past two weeks a Visa authorization? I applied two weeks ago for visa support through TAP Persia and got nothing until now... Very poor service also from the company - no informations if you don't write them (and then only ask my colleague, I am not responsible, blabla). Wonder how they can have so good reviews on tripadvisor.
Swiss friend also applied around 10 days ago and also got nothing (through caravanistan/key2persia) yet.

[rk1]

@Interrailer

We submitted our Visa applications 2 weeks ago and just this morning received 1 out of 2, also through a travel agency. I am still missing mine.

We wrote them earlier, last week, and was told that the MFA in Iran in general is very busy at the moment, seems to correlate with what you write.

[pete]

Hi interrailer/ rk1

when are you planning to travel to Iran ?
planning to enter Iran via airport or land border ?

we are planning to go end of April via Turkey by motorbike and still wondering if borders are open, is somebody asking during visa application which border is planned to enter ?

[rk1]

Hi pete,

Planning to head to Iran start march if i get the visa. We will however fly in and then, depending on what is possible, continue towards central Asia. We are backpacking, so no motorcycle etc.

I figure Turkmenistan will remain closed and will not be an option, thus getting to Central Asia would be through the Iran/Azerbaijan land border, which is also closed at the moment as far as I understand and then eventually with the ferry, but as mentioned, the border is not open, so there is a chance that we might have to fly in. I read on here however that the decision on that border has been postponed till end of March, so perhaps we will be lucky and it will be open by then.

In regards to the visa application, yes we had to select an entry- and exit point. I don't know how important it is that you actually follow what you have declared on that...

[Hound_Dog]

Someone got in the past two weeks a Visa authorization? I applied two weeks ago for visa support through TAP Persia and got nothing until now... Very poor service also from the company - no informations if you don't write them (and then only ask my colleague, I am not responsible, blabla). Wonder how they can have so good reviews on tripadvisor.
Swiss friend also applied around 10 days ago and also got nothing (through caravanistan/key2persia) yet.

ALL agencies are experiencing delays with the processing of applications at this time. Unfair of you to single out Tap Persia