To travel to the Islamic State of Iran, Russians need to apply for a visa. The purpose of the trip does not really matter, whether it is a tourist tour, an occasion to stay with relatives or transit travel - a visa to Iran is necessary in any situation. The features of obtaining this document will be discussed in more detail below.
Reference code, or features of receipt
The reference code is a kind of permission to visit the country, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran in advance of departure. The receipt of the code occurs after checking all the data provided to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is the guarantor of a positive decision on a visa both when applying at the airport and when applying at the consulate.
It is impossible to issue a reference code when preparing a visa to Iran for Russians directly at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, this procedure is controlled by accredited travel agencies. You can request the code via the Internet by answering several questions of the questionnaire online, including entering personal data, passport data, information about work or study, a detailed routeplanned trip and travel dates. You also need to pay a consular fee of about 2000 rubles. using a bank card or electronic payments.
The application process is completed within 7 business days. The answer will come to the e-mail specified in the process of filling out the questionnaire. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects the application, the fee paid cannot be refunded.
Getting a visa at the airport
A pre-obtained reference code will significantly speed up the issuance of a visa at the airport of Iran, as this document guarantees that the tourist has passed the check, that is, the visa is obtained in an accelerated mode. In other words, if you definitely need a visa to Iran, do not be too lazy to issue a reference code, it will ensure your smooth entry into the country.
In addition to the reference code at the border you will need:
- Passport valid for six months after the end of the Russia-Iran trip.
- Paying a consular fee of 60 euros.
After receiving payment and verifying the submitted documents, the visa stamp is pasted into the passport, the procedure will take no more than half an hour.
Without a reference code, obtaining a visa will take several hours: the border control must check and send the tourist's data for consideration to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The list of required documents is expanding significantly:
- A passport containing 2 blank sheets.
- Filled out application.
- Color photo 3x4 cm.
- Return ticket from Iran to Russia or a third country.
- Proof of hotel or invitation and contacts of relatives in Iran.
If the visa is successfully passed, the visa is put in the passport, but there is a risk of refusal - in this case, you will have to abandon the trip.
Tourist visa
Tourist visas are issued by the Iranian embassy in Moscow, as well as consulates in Kazan or Astrakhan. Visa required:
- A valid passport with two blank pages for stamping.
- 2 color photographs 3x4, without corners, on a white background.
- Filled in Russian visa application form in 2 copies.
- Detailed travel itinerary with stops and hotels for overnight stays, as well as hotel reservations as proof of accommodation in Iran.
- Consular fee receipt.
- He alth insurance for the duration of your trip.
Transit visa
A transit visa to Iran is issued if the journey from Russia takes place to a third country with an intermediate entry to Iran. The list of documents is similar to the list required for obtaining a tourist visa. The difference is that you do not need to attach a detailed itinerary plan and hotel reservations, but you will need a ticket and a visa to enter the destination country. This type of visa, like a tourist visa, is issued in advance by the Iranian Embassy in Moscow.
Visitor visa
For those who want to visitrelatives or friends in Iran, a visa is issued upon invitation. The list of necessary accompanying papers is the same as for the tourist one, but instead of booking hotels, you will need an official document from the invitees. To issue an invitation for a Russia-Iran trip, a relative living in Iran must apply to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a copy of the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and write a corresponding statement of intention to invite a guest to the country. The completed application form will be sent to the Iranian Consulate in Russia and will act as an invitation.
After the application is received, the future guest of the Iranian Republic must provide the consular department with a 3x4 cm color photograph and a color copy of the passport page with personal data. Next, a request for a visa authorization number is sent. The answer from the ministry with the number of permission comes, as a rule, in one and a half to two weeks. The received code, along with all the documents collected in advance, is submitted to the consulate for a visa.
Cost and validity of visa documents
The cost of a visa to Iran for a single tourist or transit trip will be 2980 rubles, for a double entry 3700 rubles, a multiple entry visa will cost 8500 rubles. To pay the fee, you need to contact Bank Meli Iran CJSC, in Moscow it is located at st. Mashkova, 9/1.
A tourist visa is issued for up to 30 days, a guest visa is issued according to the period specified in the invitation. Visa for transitTrips are valid up to 48 hours. When applying for an urgent visa, the fee increases by one and a half times.
Important points when obtaining a visa
If you are a parent and are interested in whether a visa to Iran is needed for a minor child to travel, the consular officer will answer unequivocally - yes, it is needed. A child, even over the age of 14 and having his own passport, must be in Iran accompanied by an adult. If the child does not have a passport, it must be entered in the passport of one of the parents. The consular fee for a minor will cost half the cost of a visa for an adult.
It should be remembered that Iran is an Islamic state, and there are certain prohibitions and restrictions on visiting it. According to Muslim traditions, a woman entering the country should not allow herself to wear outerwear with open legs and arms, overly tight-fitting or translucent, her head should be covered. To regulate these rules, there is a morality police, jealously watching the appearance of tourists.
Another important point for the traveler is that since 2013 it is impossible to visit Iran with a passport containing marks about visiting Israel. Some sources say that it will be possible to visit the country after a year has passed after crossing the Israeli border. Be that as it may, there is a risk that with Israeli stamps you simply will not be allowed through the Iranian border.
There is a possibility that soon Iran will cancel the visa regime inagainst the citizens of Russia.
Consulate in Moscow
There are 3 official embassies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Russia: in Astrakhan, in Kazan and in Moscow.
The Moscow Consulate is located at st. Pokrovskaya, d.7. The consulate provides a full range of services for the preparation of documents required by a visa to Iran. Documents are accepted by employees from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:30, lunch break from 13:00 to 15:00.
