Yazd: Iran visa extension

[navarro]

Confirmed what said by @zilong although I had to come back at 1pm because they were busy (I arrived at 7:45 of Thursday) but at the beginning they told me next day. Admin fee is for paying the forms and the folder

My visa was Visa On Arrival and I said that I was traveling hitchhiking. I didn't have any problem with any of those things. I asked for 60 days but they told me they can issue only 30-days visas. Granted (actually 2 days more because the 30-days were on weekend).

The photography shop near the square (marked in Open Street Maps and visible in Maps with Me) was open at 8:00. Price for 6 pictures 3x4: 120000 IRR

[hitchhikable]

Report from 2018-06-19

Passports: 1 Ukraine (male)
Time before expiry: 3 days before visa expiry
Extension granted: 30 days from expiry date
Price: 34,500 toman (345,000 IRR) + 500 toman (5,000 IRR) for bureaucracy papers paid directly
Time spent: from 7 am to 8 am = 1 hour, pick up at 1 pm same day

The location and other reports are correct. The waiting room is spacious with seats, there is a toilet in the yard, bring your own drinking water. An officer in the waiting room (on the very right) named Javad is friendly and speaks good English, asked me just chit-chat questions, no problems even it being my 2nd Iranian visa this year (1st one was extended to maximum 3 months, and this is my 1st extension on the 2nd one, so starting my 5th month). They give you a printed pocket map in English showing where to find the Bank Melli and photocopy shop, so good customer support For pick-up they asked me what about tomorrow, but I said I wanted to go someplace else, so they said they'd do it today by 1 pm. I mentioned I was supporting Iran in the World Cup, it was impressive enough. No other travelers spotted, just residence applicants.

So far much better experience for extension than Tehran or Esfahan (for me).

On an off-topic, I find Snapp in Yazd very cheap and extremely friendly drivers, I took like five rides that day all around town to sight-see and avoid walking in scorching heat. So get Snapp on your phone and with minimal Farsi you'll be independent and mobile and not ripped off on taxi fares.

Good luck!

[santerironty]

27/10/2018
Finnish Passport
Visa obtained in Istanbul, arrived by land from Armenia. Applied for a visa extension ONE day before the visa expired, no problem with this. I went in at 7:30. With me I had my passport, 2 passport photos, one photocopy of the visa, one photocopy of the passport's info page, my phone, some cash and a pen. The guards take your phone at the entrance. They are very friendly if you're not from Afghanistan. I went into the office and they told me to go to Bank Melli to pay 34500 toman. They did not give me the forms to fill until I had come back with the receipt from the bank (there are pens at the bank but you won't have the forms then so bring your own pen with you). The bank is not far away, less than 10 minutes by foot. The staff at the bank is very polite and know why you're there. They even wished me a great stay in Iran. I walked back into the office and they gave me two similar forms to be filled. Basic questions like your name, passport number, father's name, occupation etc. I wrote student as my occupation and had no problems. No further questions were asked as it had been stated in earlier reports. They ask for an address and a phone number in Iran. Basically this means a hotel address but the hotel name was okay. They don't check the reservation with the hotel, so if you don't stay at a hotel, just pick an existing one. As you don't have your phone, try to remember the current date, you'll need it at the bottom of the form. I didn't remember the "western" date but was able to count it from the passport stamp that I had gotten 29 days earlier and wrote the date in Persian. I handed the forms and the rest of the documents to the officer and he asked me to come on the following day. I told him I was leaving Yazd on the same day so he told me to come back at 1 pm. When I came back, I had my camera bag with me (with the camera inside it) but the guards didn't check it. I gave them my phone. I went into the office and got my passport after I told my name. A very easy process, no other tourists observed.

[daemmi]

18/11/2018

Hey Guys,

I and 3 other just did the extension. Zahid, the police officer, is awesome! He really likes to help the tourist to extend there visas, he even said he would like to make it more popular in Yazd! We could also extend without problems for 30 more days even our visas are still valid for 2 more weeks.

He gave us a very important information! The office will move to a other location, the new coordinates are 31.8544768, 54.3533641

Please keep informed about the new office!

[velotrip]

During the summer 2018 the immigration office moved. The new location is at the corner of Ferdowsi and Ayatola Khatami (N 31.854461, E 54.353518 https://www.google.de/maps/place/31.854461,+54.353518)

The procedure is as written above :
- leave the cellphone at the entrance
- go into the house 5m behind the entrance at try to get the attention of an officer, so that you will be led directly to the person who extends your visa (otherwise you'll have to queue with many afghanis)
- you need 2 passport photos (women with scarf! ), 2 copies of the first passport site, a copy of your visa (you can also hand over your original if you don't want to keep it )
- you have to pay 345.000 IR. If you have an Iranian credit card you can pay directly at the office - it is also possible to ask one of the other visitors to pay with his Iranian credit card and give him the money in cash (you'll get a receipt which you have to give the officer). So you don't have to leave the office and go to the bank Melli, which is quite a distance away.
- you also have to pay 5.000 IR administration fee in cash to the officer
- try to make some nice smalltalk with the officer
- we were lucky to receive our visa extension with just one visit in only 70 minutes!!!

[steven]

Iranian Visa extension in Yazd, 2018-12-08:

Situation:
Original visa: eVisa, 30 days, picked-up in IKA
Visa expiring in 7 days.

Extension process:
1. Required documents:
a. Photocopy of biometric page of passport (1 copy)
b. Photocopy of current visa (1 copy)
c. Photo 3x4 cm (2 pcs)
d. Visa extension fee: 345000 IRR + Admin fee: 5000 IRR
e. Application form (the visa extension office will give it to you, to be filled out, 2 copies)

2. For photo studio, there is a photo studio near the old office location. The studio location: 31.842134, 54.386092. They are open early (other photo shops open later). 6 pcs of 3x4 cm photos for 140000 IRR. You can also get the e-copy (bring own USB memory stick). Great service, great picture, professional studio.

3. Visa Extension Office location: 31.854477, 54.353364.

NOTES:
- Arrive as early as you can to avoid crowds, it gets busy very quickly.
- Need to deposit your mobile phone at the entrance before entering the main building, the staff will give you a receipt.
- In the building, go directly to left side counters (window No. 4). Right side counters (window 1-2), with many people on the line, are for other purposes.
- Either have to pay the visa fee at a bank (located a bit far away), or just give the exact mount of cash to a person in the visa office who has local bank card and they will swipe their card for you (the office staffs will help you find the person).
- Need to provide detail occupation in the application form (read other threads in the Caravanistan forum)
- Staffs speak good English
- The staff may tell you to pick up the visa in 3 days, but nicely negotiate to have it completed today.
- The staff may ask you why you don't extend elsewhere (e.g. Shiraz) if you're heading there and you still have time because 'we are very busy here'. Come prepared with a good answer.
- The staff may ping-pong you a bit (sit here, go to this staff, go to that staff). Take this cultural experience positively.
- Maybe difficult to get to the office by public transport. Use taxi (Snapp Apps).
- Arrived at Visa Extension Office at 9 AM, the whole process completed at 9:45 AM. Visa extended by 30 days from the current expiration date (a stamp with the new date is put on the passport page).

[Jealgu]

I extended one day later. I arrived after 11, took me a bit longer than 45 I think, do not know exactly though, but it was not too busy. White privilege is a thing, you get preferential treatment. I got the same question about why not Shiraz, got the feeling though that they are just playing around with you. The guys are eager to chat and want to know all kinds of things from you. You also need a bankcard for the payment (to avoid going to the bank), first they make somewhat of a problem of it, bit then they just ask the next person to pay for you and you reimburse in cash.

In case the copymachine in the guesthouse breakdown, I just walked into a travel agent, it was no problem to make a copy.

[komiin]

Visa extension in Yazd, 15 May 2019
Czech passport

I applied for my visa online through e-visa (http://e_visa.mfa.ir/en/) and picked it up in Trabzon, Turkey in January 2019. I entered Iran in/from Astara (Azerbaijan) in April 2019.
I had only 2 remaining days of my original visa when I went to the office in Yazd to extend it (1st visa extension). I went there very early in the morning because I wanted to be really sure (it was Wednesday and I've had only 2 days left...). As somebody mentioned above the white privilege is a thing but I didn't really like it though. When I arrived (7:30AM) the office was still closed with about 20 Afghans waiting outside already but I was the only one who was let in (coincidentally by the officer I was dealing with later on). They didn't really start working until about 8:30 to be honest.
After filling all papers (no questions asked) I went to the bank. I was offered that somebody else could pay for me by card but their system was out of order at that time and they didn't know when exactly it's gonna be fixed. So I rather went to the bank just to be 100% sure.
Either at the bank or the visa office itself they know what to do so you'll be looked after quickly! The guy at visa office (boldish guy) can speak good English and I think he enjoys to talk to Westerners (intentionally I don't say foreigners). The whole process took me about two hours but mostly because of the chat with this lad plus I met a German lad there so we all talked for some time.

This German guy still had two weeks left of his original visa but after a few basic questions he was given 1 month extension too, even though he asked only for two more weeks.
Btw, IMPORTANT, when I was asked how much longer I'm gonna stay in Iran I was offered longer extension than 1 month! I cannot confirm that since I really needed only 1 more month but it seems you might be able to get 2 months extension in one go. I just asked how much it'd be and was told it'd cost double of normal extension (345 000 rials x 2). Maybe it was worth to pay a few more quid just to see if it is possible
The overall experience was really pleasant and straightforward. The officer was extremely helpful and seemed genuinely pleased people want to stay longer in Iran!

[MerijnM]

Extended my visa in Yazd with 1 month, very easy and smooth! Extremely friendly people (especially the bald guy).
It took us around 1 hrs 15 min. And indeed, as a 'western foreigner' you get immediately priority.
It was very busy at the time we were there, all Afghani people waiting for their turn.

I still had 5 days left with my first visa.
They asked me if I needed 1 of 2 months. I assume you can also try to get 2 months?

You need:
- copy of your passport
- copy of your Iranian visa
- 2 passport photo's (a French couple only had one photo and this was not a problem, they will make a copy for you)
- Payment visa is 345.000 IRR per person

One of the officers (the one with the glasses) paid for us!
We gave him 700.000 IRR (for 2). In this way you don't have to go to the bank

You must also pay for the pink cover they give to you.
It's 20.000 IRR per person so it's not a big deal.

Need passport photos?
If you need photo's, Steven's recommendation is still the best place to do it: 31.842134, 54.386092.
Paid 175,000 IRR for 6 photo's. Take a Snapp because it's a 10 minute drive from the city centre.
They are open till late.

[steven]

via email:

want to inform that we (2 Belgians) managed to extend our visa without our passport in Yazd, Iran.

Our passport is currently in the Chinese embassy of Tehran and we didn't want to wait till the Chinese application is finished for asking for our Iran visa extension. So we went to the south.

With a copy of our visa + real visa, 2 ID pictures and copy of our passport we tried to ask for a visa extension in the tourist police office in Esfahan but there it was refused because we didn't had our passport with us. The guy called Tehran to ask if he could gife it to us but they said no.

In Yazd we retried and their it was no problem.
The police officer was very efficient and helpful. We had a 30 day stay and could choice between 30 or 60 days extra. This cost 350 000 or 8?0 000 rials

You need to pay by card but the officer used the bank card of local resident.

We needed to leave the country on 25 June and we ask our extension on the 24 of June maybe that could have helped the process but I don't know.
1h later our extension was ready.