Iran's Visa-Free Entry For Indians Starts From February 4; Certain Conditions Apply

In an attempt to enhance tourism, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in December last year had announced visa-free entry to Indian citizens from February 4, 2024. However, there are certain conditions applicable to the newly declared policy. The policy places certain conditions to be allowed visa-free travel in the country.

Citizens with ordinary passports can enter Iran without a visa once every six months. The visa exception will be available only to those who go to Iran for tourism purposes. Only those who go to Iran by air border will be allowed to enter without a visa.

Those who are looking to stay longer may be required to make multiple entries within six months or obtain other types of visas from the Iranian mission in India. According to a statement by Iranian culture minister Ezzatollah Zarghami, the country is also looking for cultural exchange and to neutralise Islamophobic campaigns.

The country’s foreign tourist arrival has risen to 315% in 2022 compared to the year before. According to the World Tourism Organization, a total of 4.1 million tourists arrived in Iran in 2022 alone. Apart from that, there had been a significant increase in Indian tourists in Iran in 2023 as 31000 Indian citizens visited Iran in the first six months of 2023, a 25-percentage hike compared to the same period in 2022, according to Moslem Shojai, Iranian tourism ministry’s foreign tourism marketing and development officer, Hindustan times reported. As per the report, most of the visitors in Iran are for tourism, pilgrimage, trade and medical treatment.

However, the visa-free policy is expected to bolster people-to-people connections, cultural exchange and tourism development.