As of 13th December 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced in order to further expand and grow the tourism sector of the country. The following 33 nationalities have been granted visa free access to enter Iran as a tourist.

The countries included on the new list include:

Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Croatia, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Peru, Qatar, Russia* (*conditions apply), Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

Other countries that have were previously allowed visa exempt travel to Iran include:

Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Oman, Syria and Turkey.

This now means that nationals of 39 countries can travel to Iran visa free. The nation was previously known for its strict visa policy, which required considerable documentation and planning in order to visit the history-laden nation. 

What does this mean if you are from a visa free country? 

This means travellers from the nations above can now join our private or group tours to Iran even easier than before. While we typically require all travellers to book a tour to Iran 2 months in advance in order to process the visa, we can now arrange tours to Iran for travellers from these 39 nations at any time. There is no longer any requirement to submit details such as employment or travel history. 

What if I am not from one of the visa exempt countries? 

Don’t worry! It is still relatively easy to travel to Iran with YPT. You can read more about the Iranian visa process here. Our visa process has a much higher success rate than most travel companies operating in Iran.

The main thing to note for travellers who are not visa exempt is to plan ahead. We recommend that you book your tour at least two to three months in advance, as this allows us enough time to apply for your visa and ensure that you can join us on the tour start date. If you have any questions feel free to ask us.

Is Iran safe to travel to? 

Despite numerous warnings from international governments regarding travel to Iran, we find Iran to be one of the most safe and welcoming destinations that we travel to. 

The main risk of traveling to Iran is getting detained as a result of political tensions between Iran and Western nations. When traveling on private or group tours, the risk of any sort of detention or questioning is massively reduced, as with our tours you will be accompanied by a government-approved tour leader at all times. 

Particularly, this new move towards making Iran more accessible for many hints towards a more pro-tourism government directive. As the country tries to draw in even more tourists, we anticipate that the country will become even more safe for tourists!

How can I visit Iran? 

We offer multiple tours to Iran each year. Additionally, we can easily arrange private tours to the country! Check out all of our upcoming tours here!