hat used to be a country that everybody believed was filled with danger and nuclear weapon lovers is, today, becoming the destination with the most exponential tourism growth in the world.
From the most hospitable people to the oldest history, stunning architecture, the most desolate deserts, green mountains, islands, and many other things, slowly, travelers are realizing that Iran is the ultimate destination.
However, since it has opened to tourism very recently, traveling in Iran is not that easy, as it presents several difficulties and peculiarities, ranging from strict Islamic rules to credit card issues and even the need to get special travel insurance.
But don’t worry.
After visiting this country twice for more than 2 months, on this blog, I have compiled loads of travel tips for traveling to Iran which will help you to plan your trip easily.
The only real requirement is to have a valid host contact
During the process of getting your VOA, the authorities may contact your host, whether they are a hotel or a friend. If they can’t contact them, they may make you wait at the airport for a very long time.
Waiting time ranges from 2 to 6 hours
At the very least, you will have to wait for 2 hours at the airport.
On my second visit, I had to wait for more than 5 hours, as I had a brand-new passport and didn’t have a return flight ticket.
How much does the tourist visa for Iran costs?
Prices range from 40€ to 150€, depending on nationality.
I hold a Spanish passport and paid 75€ and I believe that that is the price for the other European nationalities.
You can’t get a VOA if you enter Iran overland
If you travel to Iran by land, you will need to arrange your visa in advance.
How to get your visa in advance
If you don’t want to wait at the airport, want to secure your visa or enter overland, you should get the visa in advance.
For this, you need to get an authorization code from an authorized company, which you will use to easily collect your visa at the airport or embassy (if you enter by land).
I strongly recommend the guys from 1st Quest, a very reliable company that offers plenty of different services for traveling in Iran.
The visa authorization code only costs 29€ but remember that with my voucher code, you can get an additional 5% discount.
