How to Travel to Iran as an American: a Complete Guide

Having a history of over 40 years of constant conflict, traveling to both countries is a burden for both sides, Iranians as well as Americans. It is especially stressful for US citizens who want to travel to Iran as western media is always showing angry Iranians shouting against America. But believe me or not, it is not what you should expect traveling to this beautiful country.

On the other side, Iran’s government has made the rules stricter for citizens of some countries after sanctions and other political mishaps, among which are the US, British and Canadian citizens. Americans, especially, need to observe more regulations to get their Iran visa. Also, the information available about visa requirements for those who want to travel to the country is constantly changing. If you are US citizen and you are preparing for a wonderful Iran trip, there are prerequisites you should consider to make your travel experience a pleasant one. Here we would talk about all you need to know before your travel.

Is Iran Safe for Americans?

Before going through a step by step guide to get your Iran visa, let’s have a look at what you should expect when traveling to Iran as a US citizen. If you are here reading this article, you may be already aware of what is awaiting you in Iran through your friends or you may consider it as an adventurous trip to the heart of what most people consider a dangerous experience (in fact your family may think you are out of your mind). However, it may amaze you to find it a totally different experience, an experience that, in the end, you can say really worth your time and efforts. Majority of people visiting Iran have a common experience, they find the country replete with beautiful natural scenery and historical landmarks but what make their journey even more memorable is people.

Most of Iranians are not only interested to communicate with you as an American, but they also want to host you or do whatever they can to please you. They are in fact more than hospitable when it comes to Americans. Even the most fanatic ones are merely interested to challenge you with conversations regarding political, social and religious issues, an experience which is inevitable but they are still kind and polite! The rule of tomb here, like in any other country is to be polite and respectful to their beliefs. Now it is time to get your Iran visa, but how?

How to get your Iran visa as an American?

As you may know, citizens of a limited number of countries can enter Iran without a visa, including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Syria, Armenia, Venezuela, Serbia, and Bolivia. Other than these countries, whoever wants to enter the country, should have Iran visa. However, citizens of the majority of countries can get VOA at Iran’s international airports (it has become even more easily recently). The case for American citizens is totally different, not only they are not allowed to get VOA, the rules for getting a visa in advance is even harder for them. So if you have passport of other countries, it is better to use them to avoid the time-consuming process of getting Iran visa for US citizens. Also note that having an Israeli stamp on your passport is a great problem; you cannot enter Iran with the stamp. So if you have decided to visit Iran soon, our recommendation is to apply for a new passport as well.

In order to get your Iran visa, you need first to get an authorization number and then collect your visa in an Iran embassy. In the first place, you should find an agency or certified guide in Iran and send them your documents. They would help you to get the authorization number. The agency provides a detailed itinerary of cities and places you want to visit (it is a must-do and part of your visa application process). This itinerary should also include places you want to stay in. Besides booking the hotels in advance, if you want to stay a few days with your Iranian friends, it should be mentioned in your travel plan.

Note that the process of applying and processing visa requests for Americans almost takes 4-6 weeks and during special times like Nowruz (around March), MFA would not process any request. So it is better to contact the travel agency as soon as possible since getting information about places to visit may take a longer time that you may expect also apply for the authorization number at least 2 months before your desired time for traveling to Iran. You may have heard about people getting their visa even in 2 weeks, considering them as exceptionally lucky people, our recommendation is to apply as soon as possible to avoid any mischances which might put off your journey.

The next step is to choose a guide. If you don’t have a close relative in Iran, a certified guide approved by MFA should accompany you throughout your entire journey. Yes, it is a misfortune that you cannot visit Iran as a solo traveler but depending on your guide, you may still have ample time to spend alone in each city. It is not important if you are passing through Iran for two days or you want to spend an entire month traveling in the country; in any case, you need the guide and a detailed itinerary. And yes, you should pay more as the guide’s costs would be added to your own costs. However, you can also travel on group tours. Though you may not have the opportunity to choose every single place you are interested to visit, it has the advantages of being cheaper and also you may find the group members pleasant companions.

Deciding on the guide and itinerary and sending your documents to the agency, the agency applies for your visa authorization number. When approved, you can collect your visa at Iranians’ Interest Section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington DC or any other Iranian embassy around the world which you have chosen as the pick-up place in your application form.

If you are interested to visit Iran but you do not have enough time to wait for the visa to come or the requirements seems unfair to you, visit Kish Island, a free zone located in southern Iran. However, I should warn you that it may not be what you want as nature and culture is just a jest of some southern regions but not other Iranian cities. For the first time travelers, I would recommend to give it a try and wait for the visa to come. It really well worth it and you find you Iran trip as one of your best travel experiences.