Iran has announced a visa waiver program for Indian tourists who wish to visit the country. Indian tourists can visit Iran for about 15 days without a visa, but there are some conditions. In the past few months, Iran has become the newest country to offer visa-free access to Indian tourists.
Before that, Thailand, Vietnam,, and Sri Lanka also eased their visa guidelines for Indian tourists. To boost the tourism industry, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the visa-free policy on 4th February 2024. The official statement was issued Tuesday at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi.
Iran’s 4 conditions to remember
- Indians holding ordinary passports can enter the country without a visa once in six months with a maximum stay of 15 days, and this period cannot be extended.
- This visa-free rule applies to people entering Iran for tourism purposes only.
- If Indian tourists want to stay for a more extended period of time or have to make many entries within six months, then they have to get a visa.
- The visa-free rule applies to those Indians who wish to enter the country by air.
Not only for India, Iran has approved visa-free entry for 33 countries,, including India. These countries are United Arab Emirates, Russia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mauritania, Tanzania, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Japan, Darussalam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Peru, Brazil, Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Venezuela, Serbia, Mexico, Belarus, and Croatia.
As per the World Tourism Organization, Iran’s foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 rose by about 315 percent from years earlier. According to the data, some 4.1 million tourists came to the country in 2022, which was up from 990,000 in 2021. Also, Moslem Shojai, head of the Iranian tourism ministry’s foreign tourism marketing and development office, alleged that in December, there was a notable growth in the number of Indian visitors in 2023. In the initial six months of 2023, about 31000 Indian tourists visited Iran, marking nearly 25 percent growth compared to the period in 2022.
This development showcases the resilience times of India and Iran amid the disruptions in the geographical order. There was a time when Iran used to be India’s largest oil supplier, but things didn’t go well and changed after US President Donald Trump reimposed heavy sanctions on the Islamic Nation. Last year in November, Via Kwatwa, India’s Foreign Minister, met Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister, and discussed many issues, from the Israel-Hamas war to strategic Chabahar port. As per the MEA statement,
” We discussed bilateral matters, connectivity projects including Chabahar port, and shared perspective on current challenges in the region. Both sides agreed to further strengthen the ongoing cooperation in various spheres,”.
As per the MEA statement
Also, Ezzatollah Zarghami, Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, And Handicrafts, alleged that it is an effort to boost tourism and that it can neutralize Iranianophobia campaigns. Indian tourists planning to benefit from this new visa-free policy should ensure that they meet all the eligibility criteria and conditions. Also, they must understand the guidelines set forth by the Iranian authorities.