Iran Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Iran.
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Guide
Iran tightened its tourist visa process around the middle of 2025, and citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada face the strictest version of it. All three, along with several other nationalities, must arrange their visa in advance through a licensed Iranian tour operator and travel with a certified guide for the whole visit, they are not eligible for the standard visa on arrival that many other nationalities can still get at the airport. Applications for these nationalities now run through the eVisa system with verified documentation, a confirmed itinerary, and confirmed accommodation, and the finished visa can only be picked up at an Iranian embassy or consulate abroad, never at an Iranian airport.
For the many nationalities that remain eligible for the ordinary process, Iran still issues visa on arrival at its main airports and a standard eVisa in advance, and registered accommodation is expected for every traveler regardless of nationality, part of the same push toward verified, guided, on-the-books tourism.
Border crossings
- Imam Khomeini International, Tehran
The main international gateway, and for eligible nationalities, one of the places a visa on arrival can still be issued. For US, UK, and Canadian travelers, this is not an option, the visa has to already be in hand from an embassy before arrival.
- A guide is part of the entry condition, not an optional extra
For the nationalities that require one, the certified guide is expected to be present for the entire visit, not just arranged and then left behind, since that is part of what the licensed tour operator process is built around.
Transit routes
- Book through a licensed operator first, for restricted nationalities
A travel plan and confirmed hotel bookings need to exist before the application even goes in, so this is not a trip you can improvise once you land.
- Register the accommodation you actually use
Guides say every traveler is expected to stay in registered accommodation, hotels, hostels, or traditional guesthouses set up for it, so an informal homestay may not satisfy the requirement.
Entry point notes
- Check which list your passport is on
The gap between the standard process and the tour operator process is wide, and it depends entirely on nationality, so confirm which one applies before assuming either.
- Pick up the visa at an embassy, not the airport, if you are American, British, or Canadian
Arriving without it already issued is described as not an option for these nationalities.