Embassy Report: Iran Visa collection in Astana

[Adrian]

If you have used Caravanistan’s partner to submit a visa application to the Iranian MFA, Visa collection in Astana is straight-forward. I did as follows yesterday (Aug 2018). I had already received the visa grant notice via email from Caravnistan’s partner. Iranian embassy is on Daraboz St which is across the river from the downtown core of new Astana. Bus 61 goes from Мәнгілік ел (avenue) in downtown across the river past the front door of the embassy. You get buzzed straight into the embassy, passport check at security and then inside. For me (Australian passport), nothing was required (no forms, no photos, not even asked for the MFA document sent previously via email) except passport and payment (€100). The embassy does not accept cash or card. You need to walk say 25 mins to the Sberbank branch located on Qanysh Satbaev St. With your back to the embassy door, you are walking away from the river basically in a straight line “as the crow flies” but a detour around an enormous construction site at time of writing. There is a closer Sberbank branch 10 mins walk away from the embassy on Tauelsizdik Ave near the Ibis Hotel but this does not accept payments. Payment at Satbaev St branch of Sberbank was straight forward - the embassy provides account details (in Russian), you hand to bank staff with passport and then pay the Cassa €100 + 750 tenge commission. Back to the embassy with receipt from bank - handover passport and receipt and 15 mins later Visa was in passport. Consulate hours are 9am-1pm, 3pm-7pm when I visited. Pretty sure it is open Mon-Fri.

[Jules Hobson]

Went at about 12 on a Tuesday, was told to come back "tomorrow" by the guards. The address on maps me is correct though.