I went to the Iranian consulate in Rome this morning to apply for a visa and they told me an invitation letter is required before they would even consider the idea. Now: a) I haven't got any friend in Iran who might want to invite me for free; b) I might contact some sort of travel agent in Tehran to get this ridicolous letter but it would take weeks as everything must go through some Iranian ministery; c) I feel a deep, unholy hate for bureaucracy in general and an especial virulent one for these modern forms of indulgence's markets.
So, the question is: has anybody got his/her Iranian visa in Turkey recently? I thought that might be an easier (and cheaper, they ask for 60 in Rome) way to get it.
Marco
Reply to this Hello Marco 😊
There are agents who act for you. They can give you an application code which will mean that you wont need a letter of invitation. They do however cost something. Usually 30 Euros and that does not include the visa cost. When you get the application code you take it to the consulate. It wont guarantee you get the visa but there isnt really anything you can do except apply and hope. It doesnt usually take weeks for the agent to get the code. It takes around 10 working days if the foreign ministry does not ask for any more papers.
If there is anything that increases ones unholy hate for bureaucracy it is trying to get an Iranian visa. :D
If you get your visa in a country you are not resident in they charge more for it. One can never get an exact answer about applying for the Iranian visa. Last month it could have been quick and easy to get an Iranian visa from a certian consulate and this week it could be impossilble. I would pay whatever they are asking in wherever will give the visa soonest and get it over with. You could check the bulletin board on the Lonely Planet site if you want to find out which consulates are currently being the least difficult about it.
I payed 60 Euros for my visa in Berlin and 30 Euros to the agent in Tehran.
If you want an agent recommendation the one most people use is
www.iranianvisa.com
Mel
Reply to this Dear All
My name is Sam and I recently join to this blog.
As long as I know you do not need to apply visa to visit Iran if your period of staying is not more than two weeks.
I know some this stupid rules, made some boundries for you all but that's I hope this gonna help you.
Unfortunately, currently Im not staying in Iran other wise I would promise to give this . . . letter to you that I can at least show
my culture and tradition to people who are intersted in.
If you want any inoformation please do not hesitate to ask me.
Cheers!
Reply to this Hello Sam 😊
I think we do need a visa if we are going to Iran, even for less that two weeks. Where did you get your information from? Is it on an internet site?
Mel
Reply to this Hi
Well I just got the information from one of my friend who works in Iranian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and he also confirmed that you do not need visa if your approximate visit is about 2 weeks.
You know that what I searched and heard, You can ask the same thing from Iranian Embassy in Roma.
On the other hand frankly speaking one or two weeks is not really enough to see Iran.
Wish that I will be there sooner or lator that I can send you this ridicolous letter.
Cheers
Sam
Reply to this Hi guys,
I am trying to go to Iran in September, but apparently Americans are not allowed to travel in Iran without a guide or tour group, we can't travel independently unlike some nationalities such as the Brits. Have any Americans obtained a visa for Iran recently without having to sign up for a tour/guide? Is there a loophole somewhere where we can get the code but not actually join the tour itself?
Separately, if you can get a letter of invitation from an Iranian, does that suffice for Americans or do we still need to travel in a group?
Thanks for anything that may be helpful!
-Amy
Reply to this Dear Amy
First thanks a milion to choice such a great country to visit.
As long as I know, this is the rule that says USA passport holder should travel to Iran along with a local tour guide.
But it does not mean you have to be in a group or smth but seems to be cheaper rather than single travelling.
However, if you need more Info just let me know and I try my best to give you the useful information about Iran.
Cheers
Sam
Reply to this Hello Amy 😊
There is no loophole. I personally think a guide would be a better choice than a tour. They take you where you want so it would be a lot less rigid than travelling with a tour. You wouldnt need to travel in a group if you have a guide. The only annoyance I heard about as far as guides(and tours too) are concerned is that it is so much more expensive than independent travel. Last I heard it costs around 150 US dollars per day.
No, the letter of invitation does not prevent you from needing a guide.
Here is a thread which may interest your.
Visiting Iran
Mel
Reply to this Well I just got the information from one of my friend who works in Iranian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur....
Malaysia is a muslim country so the visa rules for Malaysians are likely less severe than for citizens of some other countries.
Mel
Reply to this Hi
everybody needs to have a visa to enter Iran but some countries like Malaysia has some contract with Iranian government which basically don't ask for visa from each other, if the stay is less than a certain amount of time Iranian can go to Malaysia without a visa for travels less than 90 days...
if you have problems regarding visa and agencies in Iran i can help you i am a Iranian student in Malaysia
Reply to this Dear All
I found this site for you and I wish this gonna help you to visit Iran(Less than 2 weeks). http://iranianvisa.com/uponarr.htm
I'm sure it helps bcoz thats a good and compelet news.
If any body go there plzzzzzzz enjoy the taste of Kebabs. 😊😊😊
Cheers
Sam
Reply to this I used that site Sam to get my Iranian visa. It has a very good reputation. What they do is provide a visa code so we dont need a letter of invitation in order to get the Iranian visa. We then take the visa code to an Iranian consulate along with our other visa requirements. The visa code service does cost something but it makes getting the visa easier and faster.
Reply to this hi all!
i'm an iranian!
i'd just like to say you taht hardness of visa obtaining for iran has nothing to bureaucracy or something like that(even though we face them everyday) but it's only due to the same situation your embassies have toward iranians in iran! obtaining of a visa especially for 1st world countries(japan europe & usa..) is too much hard! everybody is suspected to be a potential illegal immigrant! ....they ask you to present lot's of documents....& iran government has to do the same against them! situation was not so befrore revolution of 1979!after revolution western governments initiate to have a fascist behavoiour toeward us& our government has to do the same in return!if not they might be blamed as a passive government! anyway i would be glad to help you if you want to come to iran i was not aware of this fact that iran visa is hard for foreigners! but i was curious today & searched in internet & found this article......
Reply to this Hi, I am a malaysian. Thanks for all the above replies, but if i were to overland from Pakistan to Iran, can I get the 14days visa free at the border as well? Anyone heard of anybody done that before? I checked the http://iranianvisa.com/uponarr.htm but it needs the flight number and point of entry/exit. Hope someone can help on overland Iran visa issue. Thanks
Reply to this Hi Tham,
For all the Malaysian citizens, they will get 3 month visa for the first arrival at any part of entry border.
If you wanna clear your doubt about it, you can go to Iranian Embassy which is located at Jalan Uthan in Kl.
If you wanna further enquiry plz do not hesitate to ask me.
Regards
Sam
Reply to this 3 months visa for free?! wow thats great ar.. u know anything about pakistan visa for malaysian as well?
Reply to this Yup thats rite for free.
No, I do not have any idea.
Cheers
Reply to this Hi Sam, I am about to enter Iran in a month time from Pakistan. Do you know if the 3 months visa still applicable for Malaysia in Taftan-Zahedan border? And is it visa free (no need visa) for Malaysian or I still have to get the visa ready in Iran embassy in Islamabad before proceeding to the border?
Thanks!
Reply to this 
