Resumption of issuance of Iranian tourist visas

The issuance of Iranian tourist visas and the movement of foreign tourists from land and air borders will be resumed in October this year after a 19-month moratorium by order of the President. Announced the World Tourism Day on the 5th of October. He wrote on Twitter: “I thank the President for his wise and supportive stance towards the tourism industry at the government meeting (October 25) and the order to expedite the issuance of tourist visas. Yesterday, the proposed governors all presented a program on tourism. This is very good.”

Ali Asghar Shalbafian, the ministry’s deputy director of tourism, also told ISNA that the decision to resume the issuance of Iranian tourist visas had been issued and notified to all relevant agencies.

Note 4 of paragraph C of the 86th resolution of the National Corona Management Headquarters, signed by Gholam Hossein Ismaili, Head of the Office of the President, has been communicated to all agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, and all border crossings. Tourist visas for transgressors across international borders are unrestricted within the framework of the Passenger Traffic Guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Paragraph C of this decree emphasizes that direct and indirect (group-individual) entry and exit of Iranian and foreign nationals from / to land borders such as air borders by presenting a vaccination card, negative PCR test and observing protocols and instructions approved by the Ministry of Health and Medical education is unrestricted from the first of October this year.

Note 1 of this legal clause states: This decree will not include direct and indirect travel from / to high-risk countries declared by the World Health Organization by the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education.

Note 2 also emphasizes: If there is a change in the disease process in neighboring countries that requires the restriction or prohibition of passenger traffic, the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education as a specialized authority will announce the level and the next steps by the Security, Social and Disciplinary measures are taken.

According to Note 3 of this decree, in order to manage the disease process inside, passenger traffic (individual-group) with the priority of land borders that have the necessary facilities and infrastructure will begin from the mentioned date (November 1): Shalamcheh in Khuzestan province (Iraq) ), Mehran in Ilam province (Iraq), Poldasht in West Azerbaijan province (Nakhchivan), Parviz Khan in Kermanshah province (Iraq / Kurdistan region), Tamerchin in West Azerbaijan province (Iraq), Bazargan in West Azerbaijan province (Turkey), Sarv in West Azerbaijan Province (Turkey), Bashmak in Kurdistan Province (Iraq / Kurdistan Region), Julfa in East Azerbaijan Province (Nakhchivan), Norduz in East Azerbaijan Province (Armenia), Bilesvar in Ardabil Province (Republic of Azerbaijan), Astara in Gilan Province (Republic of Azerbaijan), Dogharun in Khorasan Razavi Province (Afghanistan), Milk in Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Afghanistan) and Mirjavah in Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Pakistan).

Note 5 also considers the traffic of public and private vehicles in accordance with the health protocols of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education to be unimpeded from these borders from the announced date.

The issuance of Iranian tourist visas was stopped in April 2016 due to the outbreak of the Corona virus and the suspension of most international flights and the closure of land borders with the approval of the National Corona Headquarters, but medical, business and study visas were still issued non-stop. In the past 19 months, the Security, Social and Disciplinary Committee of the National Corona Management Headquarters has repeatedly approved the resumption of the issuance of Iranian tourist visas, but according to tourism officials in the courtyard of the National Corona Management Headquarters, it was opposed and vetoed by the Ministry of Health. In recent days, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Ezatullah Zarghami, announced the opening of the resumption of the visa.

Earlier, President Seyed Ibrahim Reisi, seeking to speed up vaccination in Iran, had said: “We have reached a point where instead of imposing new restrictions, we must plan and decide on the removal of restrictions.”