Iran Visa Extension Report from Esfahan

[steven]

Please read and post reports on the visa extension process in Esfahan below.

We summarize all info in the Iran visa extension page.

[funkyboots]

Esfahan was easy, if chaotic, for the visa extension. I met people who had tried in Shiraz but been told they could only have 2 weeks, but in Esfahan, 3 others & I were all given a month with no hassle. In Shiraz people were told it could not be extended until the final 2 days of current visa, but in Esfahan I got it 6 days before current visa expiry with no questions asked. Tip : if you go when they open and say you are leaving that night, you should be able to pick it up in the afternoon. Don't, as I did, be honest when they ask how long you are staying in Esfhan, and say 3 days or they may tell you to go back on your last day, which is a real time-waster.

[pocoloco76]

Some more updates from Isfahan:

Visa extension is now 345.000 Rial. The envelope is now 10.000 Rial. And they asked for three pics. As I just had two pics it was okay for them.

As already reported get there early (7am) as its getting busy quickly. The so called manager asked if 14 days is enough. I asked politely for 30 days which was accepted after talking about football for a minute...

Later in the reception they told me to come back in nine days to receive the Visa extension. I insisted to get it quicker and after a minute they told me to come back at 1pm. Bit strange. So hopefully I get it then without any problems...

[Papapoulp]

Hello, I went on 14th of May 2017, for extension in Esfahan, since it seemed the easiest place (confirmed by Iranian friend). It was my last day on current visa.
I went when opening at 7am. Good idea, it is quickly crowded.
First answer was "No, go elsewhere."
After insisting, I met policeman of tourist affairs. Before saying anything, he made me a speech about the fact staying at people's place is forbidden (it was my case). I lied and sayed I just arrived and will go to a place somebody adviced me (which was true), but the address was in my phone (kept by soldiers at the entrance) and I could not remember the name. Bad point. He asked many questions and explained they can't do it. After explaining my reasons I asked for the 30 days. "No way, eventually 10 maximum" then he accepted for 15. Finally at another office they wrote 30.
Then back to the same policeman, he asked me to have a proof of accommodation. I had to go check in and come back. In hostel they understood I was staying at people's and first didn't want to make the paper, afraid of police call while I would be staying elsewhere. I promised to stay there, they finally accepted.
Back to the police, they not even look at the paper. Then it was OK.
Finally after 6 hours I got the 30 days extension the same day.

So, as an advice: go early, be sure you have an address to tell, do not hesitate to talk with policemen, they will consider your situation. With me, they were strict but pretty comprehensive. Being on my last day probably helped as they had to do something.

[Tandemvagamonde]

French citizens.
We went to the police station for foreigners on 09-10-2017, one day before visa expiration.
The police station opens at 07:00 and it's worthwhile to arrive at the opening, as it is quite crowdy later.
You can do the copy of passport page as well as the visa + entry stamp (1 copy of each) at the police station but it's better if you have them done before.
Two pictures are required, please note that for women you must give headscarf pictures (required by Iranian regulations).
Opposite of the police station you have a photographer.
Make sure you have an address in a hotel as they will require you to show the hotel card. Remember: Iranian people cannot host foreigners, however in case you are hosted by Iranians don't tell the police and be able to get a hotel card.
For payment of visa extension there is a bank agency at about 1 km from the police station.
The process is long you are sent from one office to the other. But on the whole the staffs are friendly and they managed our requests before the migrants (afghans).
It took us between 4/5 hours to get extension stamp in our passports . We've got a 30 days extension without any problems.
The cost is rials 345.000 for each.
Note that you have to pay rials 30.000 for filing costs.

[hitchhikable]

Report as of 22 February 2018

The place mentioned on Caravanistan is correct.
Passports: 1 Russia, 2 France
Time before expiry: 6 days before visa expiry
Extension granted: 30 days
Price: 340'000 IRR (34'000 Toman) to pay at Bank Melli at about 15 min walk away
Total time spent: since 7 AM until about noon = 5 hours

Bring: 1 bw copy of passport photo page, 1 bw copy of pages with current Iran visa and border entry stamp, 2 photos 3x4 (I brought same I used to apply for Iran visa). It is possible to copy also on the spot for around 50'000 IRR (5'000 Toman), don't remember exactly.

They asked how long we are staying in Esfahan, we replied we wanted to leave the same day (hoping to speed up the process) and the answer was "No, go to Shiraz". After staying for around an hour and making it clear we were not leaving, they took care of us. Learning a few words in Farsi ("sobh beheyr" = "good morning") was enough to make officers smile.

They were asking where we stayed in Esfahan and we came up with answer Amir Kabir hostel, this was a field on the form to be completed and also they were asking about it. Have a hotel/hostel business card with address and telephone, since they collect your phone at the entrance and you can't use it to look it up.

Good luck!

[hitchhikable]

Report from 2018-03-25 - 2nd EXTENSION

Passports: 1 Ukraine (male)
Time before expiry: 3 days before visa expiry
Extension granted: 30 days
Price: 34,500 toman (345,000 IRR) + 2,000 toman (20,000 IRR) for copies
Time spent: from 8:30 am to 10:30 am = 2 hours

Bring: all the usual (see above)

In the 1st floor of the building you need the window 19 (called "residence and visa extension"). That's where a bunch of apparently highly ranked and visibly lazy officers sit and drink tea and may condescend to look at your passport.

The "negotiation" goes by this scheme:
- You already have 1 extension?
- Yes, right here, I would like to extend again.
- (after Farsi quick chat) No, my boss says no.
- What seems to be the problem?
- Well, you have already received one extension.
- Well, according to my knowledge it is possible and normal to receive 2nd extension.
- What do you want to do with it?
- (describe any pretty remote places of Iran you want to visit and add words of praise). I came up with a story (partly true) of spending time in a hospital in Hormuz for emergency and therefore losing time of my first extension that broke my touristic plans.
- How many days you want?
- I know it is normal to apply for 30 days.
- No (after tense discussion), maybe 20 days.
- Thank you, although you see, I also want to apply for visa for my next country in Iran (I mentioned Turkmenistan) and it takes 3 weeks, so I would have just a bit not enough time to do that... Could I have 30 days?
- Okay mister, 30 days.

After this (as soon as you receive from them verbal approval of how many days you receive) you receive a paper to fill and you are fine, then it's just a formality.

Also I was told at some point that this extension process would take 2 days, but I received it same day so obviously it's not true. I think it was to discourage me to apply. Also I have read somewhere else that 2nd extensions require to have passport travel for approval to Tehran (if applying in a city other than Tehran) but that's obviously not true either.

To sum up, everything is about individual discussion and individual decision. For success learn some handy Farsi phrases and be friendly and polite but persistent and logical.

There were 2 Chinese applying for their 1st extension, they both received 30 days.

Good luck!

[hitchhikable]

Report from 2018-06-20

Two Ukrainian friends (husband+wife) successfully extended their 30-days visas on arrival (! - meaning no sticker visa, just entry stamp in passport) for 30 days more in Esfahan. Prices are the same: 34'500 toman extension per person, 13'000 toman photos made at nearby photographer's, 2'000 toman or so for copies. They said everything was friendly and smooth.

[yeeenn]

Esfahan is the best place to do visa extension. You cannot bring phone & bag inside the building. you need to have hostel address and phone. 2 photo with you. it was long process but easy step. 1st need to go to counter 18 to get permission for visa extension. Then go to counter at downstair to check document and pay. if you have Iranian friend, its super easy, they can help u pay with their card. or u need to go to Melli Bank and bring the receipt back to visa office. we requested for 30 days but they only gave us 15 days.

[ontheroad]

Today 8 October 2018 me and my wife, both with passports from The Netherlands, took a snapp car to the mentioned address (Rudaki Street) to extend our visa which was a 30 day Visa On Arrival (Teheran Imam Khomeini International Airport) and which was about to expire in two days.

We have applied for visas and visa extensions in other countries but today in Isfahan was the best and most friendly experience ever. We arrived at 9:00 AM and there were quite some people in the buildings/offices. None of the people were Western and no other people were actually waiting for a desk/office/window where we had to go so we did not have to wait in a queue at all.

We were asked to leave our phones and other electronic gear at the entrance desk and got a numbered tag for collecting them later, then we got frisked (women separate entrance with female officers doing the frisking).

We were told to visit one of the offices on the first floor of the main building where we met one of the directors of the migration police. Although he looked very serious and asked us a few questions like 'why we wanted an extension' (because we love the country and it's people and want to see and meet more ... ) we were after one minute told to fill in a form after which he signed and stamped the form and then told us to go to another office.

In the other office we met another senior official who looked a bit more friendly and who also asked us some questions and then signed and stamped the form. We were sent downstairs firstly to a window where we chatted with a friendly young guy about a famous Iranian football player (?) and who helped us pay for the visa application (he asked an Iranian to pay with his card for us and we gave the Iranian guy cash Rials (345.000 Irr per person), so we did not need to go to a bank, how friendly is that!). We got a nice pink folder and some forms which we were told to bring to another desk/window where we paid another 50.000 Irr cash for the folder, application form and copies made.

We then filled in the actual application form (two per person) and went back to one of the windows, where all documents (including two 3x4 photos per person, female with hijab/scarf) got stapled together, signed and stamped again, and then we were back upstairs with the friendly bunch. (We had to get a new photo with scarf taken for my wife, outside, just across the street).

We then brought all documents upstairs where we met a friendly bunch of four officials. All four guys looked at all the documents and asked us all sorts of questions which by then were very informal and were more about our travelling. We then showed them the booklet we use to learn a few words of Farsi after which we talked through the complete Farsi alphabet together with three of the guys

This would probably normally have been the moment they would hand over the documents to the back office and tell us to come back later or the next day but while we were there having a good time and they probably only had some very boring work to do, they decided to process the whole thing on the spot !!! We could see our documents move from one person to the other and back and forth a few times collecting more stamps and signatures and then one of the guys suddenly said with a big smile: finished ! and he gave us our passports with 30 days extension.

The whole procedure from stepping in and handing in our phones until stepping out of the compound and collecting our phones took exactly 1,5 hour and part of this took a bit longer because we had to get a photo taken (with scarf) on the opposite side of the street and because we got talking with the friendly bunch about why we are visiting Iran and that we actually think people in Iran are so much more friendly than in our own country.

Although I think it really depends who is attending, and maybe what their workload is at the day, and I think they gave us a little VIP fast track process because we were all just nice to each other, obviously this was the smoothest visa extension application ever. Big thumbs up for the Isfahan migration office.