The United States government highly discourages its citizens from travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Besides having no consular or diplomatic interaction with Iran, the US government believes that US citizens may face threats to safety and security if they travel and stay in Iran.
If a trip to Iran is necessary and unavoidable, US passport holders need to secure a visa to be able to travel to Iran. Since Iran has no consulate or embassy in the United States, a visa to Iran can be obtained from the Embassy of Pakistan to the US through their Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It should be noted that even though a US passport holder does get a visa, this does not give them an assurance of being allowed entry into Iran. There have been cases where US citizens with Iranian visas were not allowed to enter the country. If ever they do get into Iran, they must personally register at the US Interests Section of the Embassy of Switzerland, which acts as protecting powers for US citizens in Iran. US passport holders are also required to submit to fingerprinting upon arrival.
US citizens in Iran must strictly follow and respect all laws and local customs and religious practices. They should be careful not to attract too much attention since Americans are frequent targets of extremists and local authorities. There have been numerous incidences of US citizens being detained, arrested, interviewed or questioned for no apparent reason. Some have been arrested for criminal charges of various nature, passports confiscated and were held back from leaving Iran.
Visa application requirements
- Valid US passport (6 months validity after stay in Iran)
- Fully accomplished visa application form
- visitor visa – http://www.daftar.org/forms/visas/101.pdf
- business or private visa – http://www.daftar.org/forms/visas/103.pdf
- visa for minors (under 18 years of age) – http://www.daftar.org/forms/visas/102.pdf
- Media/reporters visa – http://www.daftar.org/forms/visas/104.pdf
- For visitor visa:
- 1 passport sized photograph (recent, headscarf required for women and girls above 9 years of age)
- Approved visa authorization number requested by relative, friend or tour host in Iran
- Full personal and contact details of relative, friend or tour host in Iran
- For business or private visa:
- 1 passport sized photograph (recent, headscarf required for women and girls above 9 years of age)
- Approved visa authorization number requested by host or company in Iran
- Official letter from company explaining details and purpose of trip
- Full personal and contact details of relative, friend or tour host in Iran
- For visa for minors:
- 1 passport sized photograph (recent, headscarf required for women and girls above 9 years of age)
- Birth Certificate of applicant (1 copy)
- Letter of permission to travel from father of applicant (Notarized permission from legal guardian if father is not available)
- Passport of father (photocopy, page 1 & 2)
- Passport of mother (photocopy, page 2 &3)
- Marriage license of parents (photocopy)
- For media/reporters visa:
- 2 passport sized photograph (recent, headscarf required for women and girls above 9 years of age)
- Paid application fees:
- visa fee – $104.00
- return postage fee – $20.00
Important notes
- Visa applications can be done personally at:
EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN
INTERESTS SECTION OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC
20007
USA
Telephone: (202)965-4990 to 4
Fax: (202) 965-1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
Website: www.daftar.org
Monday to Friday, 8:00AM – 4:30PM - Applications fees can only be paid by money order and are non-refundable
- Passports of applicants with stamps from Israeli immigration will not be granted permission to enter Iran.
- For further information regarding travel to Iran, interested parties may get in touch with the Embassy of Pakistan’s Iranian Interests Section
- US citizens in Iran can register and get assistance if needed from the Embassy of Switzerland in Iran.
Embassy of Switzerland
Foreign Interests Section
No. 39, Shahid Mousavi (Golestan 5th)
Corner of Paydarifard St. (former Amir Ebrahimi St.)
Pasdaran, Tehran
Telephone: (98) (21) 2254-2178, (98) (21) 2256-5273
Fax: (98) (21) 225-2258
Email: vertretung@eda.admin.ch
Website: www.eda.admin.ch/tehran