Iranian visa extension in Bushehr

[steven]

Please post and read updates on Iranian visa extension in Bushehr below.

We summarize all info on the Iranian extensions visa page.

[Tandemvagamonde]

On 06-11-2017, we renewed for a second time our visa in Bushehr. It went very well and was easy. However the location of the immigration office is difficult to find, here is the location:
https://goo.gl/maps/Ngsm4mPnwop
The staff of the immigration office was very kind, the colonel in charge of this office speaks very well english.
We recommend you not to mention if you are hosted by Iranian, either you are free camping in a city park or have a hotel (for hotel always be prepared to show up evidence).
For cyclo tourer just come over with your loaded bicycle they have a safe parking inside.
Payment takes time as you first have to go to Meli Bank to pay the visa fees (345,000 rials) then you have to go to another bank called Ghavamin Bank to pay the administration fees (10,000 rials).
For the rest of the process it's same as in other office: copy of your passport page, copy of first visa + entry stamp and if it is the second extension you need a copy of the first visa extension. This office requested 3 ID pictures instead of 2, women have to give pictures with the head scarf.
You should arrive at 08:00 opening time so that you have time to go the banks and come back to the office to complete procedure. On the whole 4-5 hours are necessary.
Note that in Iran banks are closing at 13:30.

[10190155]

They have moved to a new location around the corner: 28,9668379, 50,8190782. Took me 6 doors to find the right one, I (male) had to take out my earring before entering and people seemed to cut in line before me. This got me slightly stressed, but in the end all was fine just simple questions. They didnt speak English but other visitors could translate. He needed 4 passport photos, copy of visa and copy of passport. I could borrow someone's card and paid 100.000 toman (3 dollars). Although I've never mentioned my bicycle anywhere he suddenly asked where it was. They must have registered it at the border? The system was down, but soon working again. Many stamps and fingerprints later I got the extension within 2 hours. In fact I just asked for 30 days but I got 3 months added to my original visa, which makes it 4 months in total. Haven't heard that before...

[biristefan]

Thanks to the previous comment my girlfriend and I went straight to the right entrance. We were very lucky that there was another german speaking Afghan who helped us a lot. We got special and super fast attention. We went straight to the highest chief, who was just super friendly, welcoming us and asking how much extension we wanted. We were already 2 months in the country, but as we heard that here they give more than the usual max. 90 days in total, we asked for 2 more months right away. Without any more questions (apart from " Do you like Iran?) he signed the papers and we went straight to the desk outside to do the paperwork. They even made copies of our passport and previous Visa without asking us for copies. The officer filled out all the papers, we just gave them our Iranian number and name of a previous Hostel were we stayed (150km away from Buschehr). Thanks to our translator we could use his card and gave him the money in cash instead (100 Toman/person). We still had 3 passport photos from the previous extension which we gave the officer. But be careful, actually you need 4 (woman need to wear a chador on the photo)! Anyway we were lucky and somehow they just asked us to wait an hour outside and they will fix the missing photo. In the end we have no idea how they solved it, but after waiting we just needed to give a fingerprint and we had the 2 more months extension (starting from the very last day of the previous visa!) in our hands.
So we can highly recommend going to Buschehr for extending the visa and just be brave enough to say how long you really want to stay! All together it took us not even 2 hours and if it wouldn't be for our missing 4th photo probably even less than 1 hour!

[Edmund]

Thanks for the report! Did you get the extension into your passport or on a separate piece of paper?

[Carlos_ordo]

So my experience has been very different from the last 2, but still good at the end.

I went the first day and as i got there and asked for visa extension they told me NO, that i should go to Shiraz or another city, as no one spoke english and they take your phone at the entrance i couldnt communicate. So i called a local friend Who came and told them i couldnt go to other place as my plan was continue to Khuzestan and i had few more days in the visa. They finally accepeted and i started the process. Firsly the guy in charge wrote just 30 days but my friend asked for 90 days and seemed ok.

I paid the 100 tomans, filled the papers (again my friend as everything is in persian) and they gave the account to pay the 3 tomans that you need to pay at Sepah bank. It was too late to do it the same day.

The next day I went again with my friend and with the copies and the 4 pictures, they completed my application, asked me to give them my passport and told me to come in 4 days!! Finally my friend negociated to 2 days, but still annoying.... I thought you could do it in the same day but It wasnt possible for me.

Finally went there 2 days after with the paper they gave me alone, but no issues this time and i got my passport and the 3 months extension, signed and stamped on my original visa.

I would highly recommend to always go at 8am when they open and its less crowded. And also to bring someone that can speak persian, it would have been impossible for me without my friend.
And for me there was no issue for asking for 3 months, that they didnt care at all. It was my first extension.