Iran Visa Service

Visa Enquiry Form
Download The Official Iran Visa Application Form
Tourist Visas to Iran for American Passport Holders
Press Visas and Media Services

Iranian Tourist Visa Application Procedure - All nationalities except U.S. Citizens

We are pleased to offer a service, whereby we can obtain a single entry tourist visa for Iran. This can take around two to three weeks from the time we receive your completed application form.

To apply for an Iranian visa please complete our Visa Enquiry Form and submit it to us online.

We also require a copy of the main page of your passport (page with the photo). You can scan this and send as an e-mail attachment to  sales@magiccarpettravel.co.uk

We require the visa service fee payment at the time of application. The visa service fee is £120 per person. We accept payment, either by bank transfer (see payment page) or by debit or credit card (there is a 2% surcharge if you use a credit card). However you can also make payment by cheques to: 'Magic Carpet Travel Ltd'. Please check payment page for details.

Our Iran visa service fee is excluding the visa stamp fees charged by the Iranian Consulate. These vary according to your nationality and are currently £129 for British passport holders for tourist visas and £148 for business visas (July. 2011). The Consulate accepts payment by debit/credit card or cash (paid into a bank on the High Street and so a 15 minute walk each way),  but not cheques.
For most other European passports, the visa stamp fee is currently around £54. Please contact the Iranian Consulate directly for the exact fee on 020 7937 5225

Your passport must be valid for at least six months at the end of your trip to Iran. Please check there are at least two blank pages in your passport.

Currently multiple entry or transit Iran visas are not available. However we can arrange for business and press visas. Please contact us for full details.

We process your application through our office in Tehran, who will apply on your behalf to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The visa is issued in the form of a reference number.

We will contact you by e-mail, as soon as we receive the visa reference number.

Once your visa permit is issued within two to three weeks of receiving your application, you will need to visit the Iranian Consulate in order to have the visa stamped in. You have to do this in person if you are a British (or American) passport holder.  All other nationalities are able to send the passport/documents by registered mail. Please allow about one week for this part of the process.

Please allow 2 - 4 working days before you are able to collect your Visa stamp at the Iranian Consulate. During busy periods they may take as long as three weeks to stamp the visa in your passport.  We will provide you with precise instructions in writing, in order to have the visa stamped into your passport, once your Iran visa is issued.


Urgent visa  If you require an urgent visa please contact us to discuss how quickly we can arrange the visa and what the extra costs will be. Currently we charge £200 (excluding Consular stamp fees) to obtain an urgent visa in 7 working days. This may change and you will need to confirm this at the time you wish to apply.


Sending your visa permit to any Iranian Consulate around the world  You can collect your visa at any Iranian consulate worldwide, provided you specify which country/city, at the time of application.

You have around two months to have the Iran visa stamped into your passport, from the time the visa permit is issued. From the date your passport is stamped with the visa, you then have three months to enter Iran.
The visa allows you to stay in Iran for up to 30 days, although the duration of your Iran visa is at the discretion of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. At times they may only grant 12-day visa, even if we ask for 30 days, for which we cannot be held responsible. However, you can easily get a visa extension once you arrive in Iran, at no extra cost, by going to any police station or  Aliens Office in Tehran.

Please note, contrary to popular belief existing visa stamps in your passport e.g. for Israel or the U.S.A, will not affect your application for an Iranian visa.

In order to apply for your Iran visa we need you to complete and return by e-mail the Iran Visa enquiry form.

Please note you do not need to send us your passport at any time, unless you are asking us to have the visa stamped into your passport.
In the unlikely event your visa is rejected, we will refund half the amount £60 to you in order to cover our application costs.


Finger printing process for British passport holders
Currently all British (and American) passport holders must have their finger prints taken  at the Iranian  Consulate, at the same time you submit your passport and documents to  have the visa stamped in.  This means each individual will have to go in person to  the Consulate,  to  do  so.

In order to make a visa application, please complete and return the 'Visa enquiry form' form online.

Once we give you the visa permit number, you need the following in order to have the visa stamped into your passport:

One completed visa application form in black ink. Download The Official Iran Visa Application Form .
Two passport size photographs - as much as possible please include your torso in the picture.
Ladies must wear a headscarf.
Your passport

Procedure for getting the visa stamped into your passport for British passport holders
You need to take your passport, completed visa application form R1 &R2 in black ink & two photographs plus the visa fee (£129 for British passports) in the form of credit card or cash (they do not accept cheques) to the Iranian consulate IN PERSON ONLY (as they need to take your finger prints), in order to have the visa stamped in. Please allow a whole day for this initial process. 

The Iranian consulate is at 50 Kensington Court, London W8 5DD.  Nearest underground station is High Street Kensington. It is open Monday to Friday. But please visit their website or phone them to check for the numerous public holidays, for which they close without notice.

Currently, we would advise that you arrive no later than 07.00 to join a queue outside the Consulate. The Consulate staff will give out around 30 tickets at around 09.00. You are then asked to come back that same afternoon (it can be anytime from 12.30 - 4 p.m.) or another date up  to  4 weeks later (particularly if they  are busy) when you will  finally enter the Consulate building,  where the staff  will  finger print you and accept your forms,  passport, etc. If you are late and the tickets have been given out, you will have to return another day.

The consulate currently need 2 - 10 working days to stamp the passport.  It depends on how busy they are at the time of your visit. If you let them know you are flying shortly, they may charge you  extra on the visa stamp fees and stamp your passport the same day (you would have to return about 5 pm that day to collect the stamped passport).  If they are busy they may not do this for you.  

You should also take along a self-addressed prepaid registered envelope, to leave with the Consulate staff, for the return of your stamped passport.

You can book your flights as soon as the visa permit has been issued and you do not need to wait for your visa to be stamped into your passport.  We do not however recommend you purchase flight tickets, until your visa has been approved. 

Assistance for British passport holders with having the visa stamped in the passport

Since July,  and until this moment in time (August 2011),  the finger printing machine is broken  at the Iranian  Consulate in London.  Therefore British  passport holders do not have to  appear in person to  provide finger prints, before they  can  collect their visa stamp. 

We are therefore pleased to offer all nationalities,  including British passport holders, assistance with having the visa stamped into  your passport,  once you have the visa permit number.  You can  send your visa application form/  photos  and passport to  us by registered post.  We will then  arrange for these to  be submitted on your behalf at the Iranian  Consulate and collect the stamped passport,  which  will be posted back  to you by registered mail.

It may  be possible to collect the stamped passport at the end of the same day (usually around 5 p.m.), IF the consulate staff are not too busy and agree to do so.  If not, our representative would have to go back  the next day or leave a stamped addressed envelope for the direct return  of your passport. The Consulate charge an  extra 50% for processing the passport the same day -  so  for a British  passport holder, the same day  processing cost is £129  plus £64.50. 

You can  also collect the stamped passport from the offices of our couriers in central London, or we can have the passport sent back  to you by courier (the cost for this service would be extra and depends on the distance).

The cost of our service is £200.  However it is best to discuss the details to confirm the exact cost.

If you are not in a hurry,  and would like us to asssit you to  get the visa stamped in by post, please use registered mail to send us your passport, completed visa application form R1 & R2 (in black ink), two photographs (ladies with a headscarf) together with the fee of £60. Please at least allow two weeks for this process.


Iranian New Year March  21st and visa disruptions
The Foreign  Ministry in Iran  does not process visa applications for around one  month  around March  5 -  April 5th  each  year.  Please ensure your visa application is lodged outside this period. 
To apply for an Iranian visa please complete our Visa Enquiry Form and submit it to us. We will then contact you to discuss your individual requirements.



If you are Iranian born or your father is Iranian you are considered an Iranian citizen by the Iranian government and can therefore only travel to Iran on an Iranian passport, even if you have never been to or lived in Iran in the past. However if your mother is Iranian and your father is any other nationality, you are not considered an Iranian national by the Iranian authorities. In this case you would be able to travel to Iran on a non-Iranian passport.


Guidance for completing the R1/R2 visa application form
Below are some helpful answers you can use on the visa form to the ‘ambiguous’, general   and perhaps ‘unclear’ questions on the R1/R2 form.  The main principal used for completing the form, should be to provide information on a minimal basis.  No need to go into too much  detail.
First page is mostly your personal details, which is straight forward. 
Then:
Question 18 -  type of visa -  if you have applied for a visa through  Magic Carpet Travel,  you can tick  the ‘entry visa’ option
Q 19 -  purpose of stay -  ‘visiting sites’  covers a magnitude of possibilities.
Q 24 -  which  countries have you visited? You can put down a couple of continents - for example United States and Europe. No need for a long list.
Q 25 -  have you lived in other countries for more than  6 months -  unless this is very recent history or a current issue,  you can  put ‘not applicable’ (N/A)
Q28 -  Your address in Iran -   The Consulate staff pick on this question.  You must put down  at least the name of one hotel with their address and telephone number,  or they  will  not accept your application.  You do not necessarily have to stay  at that  hotel,  but you must have the details of at least one hotel  down  on the form.
Q29 -  Host in Iran,  etc. -  N/A -  this is the easiest option in almost all  eventualities
Q31 -  do  you intend to  enter Iran  with  a tour operator? -  Unless you are actually travelling on a tour with  Magic Carpet Travel,  the n the answer is NO
It is very important to  sign  and date the form.

It is also  important to  give correct contact details in the UK. 

Top

Public holidays in Iran during 2011

Top

Download The Official Iran Visa Application Form