Iran Visa - Dual Nationality

[Cheddy]

Am a dual Italian-American citizen. Just entered Tehran with the VoA through my Italian passport last night. No problems!

[KimiMiki]

Hi everyone,

Sorry I just realised that there was a dual nationality section.

I am Moroccan. I also hold a Canadian passport. To make things more complicated, I am a UK resident. My UK residency is linked to my Canadian passport.
As far as I am aware and as per Caravanistan website, Moroccan citizens are technically eligible to obtain visa on arrival to Iran. However, over the last couple of years, there have been some diplomatic turbulences between Morocco and Iran leading to full closure of embassies. My questions are:

1) Is anyone aware of any change (or not) in visa policy for Moroccan citizens? Any Moroccan been there recently?

2) Would the facts that I am Canadian as well and that I live in (and I am flying from) the UK make things trickier or different altogether (ie. requiring visa prior to arrival)?

3) Do travelers get asked on arrival whether they hold any other citizenship? It would be hard anyway to conceal the fact I am Canadian given that my place of birth (Canada) is clearly stated on my Moroccan passport and I would be carrying my Canadian passport with me for my flight back to the UK. It could easily be found in case I get searched.

I would be grateful if you could share your thoughts. My holiday is due in less than 3 weeks. Should you think that the chances of me being refused entry are high, I would skip Iran this time around. However, do you think that next time, I will need a visa prior to arrival and a guide shadowing me through Persia?

Thank you

[steven]

HI KimiMiki,

since no one has answered yet, let me just say that I also have no clue how it will pan out at the border. In theory, it should be fine AFAIK. But this I cannot say for certain.

[austin2powers]

Hi all,

asking for a friend:

- UK citizen but still holds a Chinese passport
- travelling overland from India, Pakistan through Iran to Turkmenistan
- using UK passport everywhere except in Iran

Will the Iranian embassy in India check whether the Chinese or UK passport was used to enter India?
The Iranian visa will be applied with the Chinese passport of course.

Any chance this will work to use Chinese passport just for Iran?

Thanks for any hints
austin2powers

[Karim]

Hi guys,

I had my e-visa rejected recently because I am born in the UK and this is a prevailing theme amongst people I know. I have been trying to visit Iran as an independent traveller for years and I know many people in Iran who can give me all the letters of support I need. The theme is that I cannot travel independently but must go on a tour guide. I've been following this issue since 2015. In particular the embassies in Georgia (Tiflis and if I recall correctly a consulate in Batumi which used to be lenient) and London.

I applied for an e-visa with my Moroccan passport which shows the place of birth as the UK. I have no business concealing where I was born or being dishonest in the application, however this has caused my e-visa to be rejected. I had checked with several Iranian embassies who confirmed that I could apply for an e-visa given dual citizenship or a place of birth in the USA/Canada/UK, however I know A LOT of people who were told this and rejected. It seems that for certain combinations of dual nationals you will not get an e-visa for Iran but the embassies will still tell you to apply. The major nos are Moroccan/Algerian citizens born in and/or have dual citizenship with the UK, Canada, or the USA.I know so many people this has happened to and only one who has made it to Iran, which was several years ago with an electronic border thingy.

I have been trying to go to Iran for a couple of years now to no fruition, and I outright refuse to go on an organised tour. This is the first rejection I have received after travelling to over 100 countries. I think I am ready to give up on trying to go to Iran now and tell my friends in Iran I really wont ever be able to see them!
They are now having to come up to Georgia or Azerbaijan for us to meet.

tl;dr - Many Iranian embassies across the world will tell North Africans they can apply for a visa, however these applications are ALWAYS rejected. I have never ever met one born in the USA, Canada, or the UK actually get an e-visa. The applications are always rejected. I am aware of around 20. This includes dual nationals who were born in North Africa and moved to those three places.

I also do know a sizeable number of Irish people born in the UK whose applications are rejected. Again because of political reasons, the common travel area, and the good friday agreement, many of these people were born in the UK but are Irish citizens only.

I am not sure if I know the person who posted before (quoted below), but you might be one of those 20 names bouncing around the community.

EDIT: The whole point I have registered on this site after years of using it is to suggest you do not take the risk of flying to Tehran to get the evisa as some of those twenty people were refused entry after landing and had to fly back out. If you need to go to Iran I would suggest doing a land boarder crossing from Armenia or Azerbaijan to Tabriz. Back in 2017 the Iran embassy in London referred me to a UK travel agency to get an electronic authorisation to make that land crossing, however I refuse to travel through agencies and only do solo/group travel. Saying that, however, I have seen on another forum that you did in fact make it to Iran. You are therefore the second person I am aware of in our context who has.

One thing you should remember is that DGSN will be very suspicious of why you went to Iran and may ask you about your trip each time you go back to Morocco.

Hi everyone,

[bamboo]

Enter Iran on your Korean passport and make no mention of your US passport (if entering by land, this means you should probably enter the prior country on your Korean passport, too, in case they check stamps).

As an American citizen you have the right to enter the US regardless of where you've been.

Hi bww812,

I will enter Iran from Turkey by plan. I'm planning to travel to Turkey with my U.S passport and swap to my Viet passport at the border with Iran and use my Viet passport to enter Iran. Would it be an issue if they ask for the exit stamp of Turkey? Would they deny my entry if they find out I'm a U.S citizen with a U.S passport.

[steven]

I am not sure if we have had that case already. My guess is that it will be ok, since customs officers do need to respect the rules, and the rules say that Vietnamese passport holders can go in without problems and you are a Vietnamese passport holder.

[bamboo]

I am not sure if we have had that case already. My guess is that it will be ok, since customs officers do need to respect the rules, and the rules say that Vietnamese passport holders can go in without problems and you are a Vietnamese passport holder.

Hi Steve,

My worst fear is they would suspect me as a spy and imprison me

[boylandy505]

Hello, as a dual French British citizen, how difficult will it be to get a visa? The page wasn't entirely clear; am I still more likely to be arrested for espionage as a dual British citizen, or does that only effect British Iranian citizens? Also am I correct in saying that it will be easier to get in on my French passport? I will hopefully be driving across Iran, and have forgotten most of my French, so I would rather not be challenged on it!

[Koen]

Only option is to go on your French passport and never mention you are dual citizen.