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🇮🇷 Iran

Iran is no. 40 in our list of the 50 most visited destinations, with 7 million international arrivals in 2024. Below: visa rules for every passport, cash limits at customs and the tourist traps official travel advice warns about.

Rank 40 of 50 by international arrivals (7 million, 2024) · Source: UN Tourism

Check your visa route for Iran

Pick your passport and where you live — Iran is already filled in.

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Visa rules for your passport ↓

Explore Iran: things to do, shopping, food and getting around

A short guide based on UNESCO's World Heritage listings. The UK FCDO advises against all travel here (see the warning above), so this is for reference only.

Places to visit

Summarised in our own words from the linked pages, official tourism boards and transport authorities first; items marked "Not official" come from other guides. Prices and opening times change, so check the source before you go. Last checked 24 Oct 2026.

Common tourist traps and how to avoid them

Scams and risky spots named in official travel advice for Iran, in our own words.

  1. Fake police in plain clothes

    How it works: Thieves posing as police have robbed foreign visitors.

    How to avoid it: Ask for ID and a uniformed officer or marked car; do not hand over cash or documents or get into a vehicle.

  2. Motorcycle taxis

    How it works: Motorcycle taxis have taken tourists to quiet places and robbed them.

    How to avoid it: Do not use them; pre-book taxis.

  3. Street money changing

    How it works: Changing money on the street is illegal, and foreign cards do not work in Iran.

    How to avoid it: Plan legal access to rials before you go; use official exchange offices.

  4. Methanol in alcohol

    How it works: Deaths have been caused by methanol-laced drinks.

    How to avoid it: Avoid illicit alcohol.

Areas flagged in official advice

  • Whole country: FCDO advises against all travel (risk of arbitrary detention of British and dual nationals)
  • Within 100 km of the Afghan border and 10 km of the Iraqi border
  • Sistan and Baluchistan province; east of Bam and Jask (Zahedan, Zabol, Mirjaveh particularly insecure)

Official advice: FCDO advises against all travel to Iran.

Emergency numbers in Iran

Paraphrased from official travel advice: FCDO travel advice – Safety and security · FCDO travel advice – Warnings and insurance · FCDO travel advice – Getting help (emergency numbers) · FCDO page updated 13 Aug 2026 · Last checked 4 Oct 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Cash you can bring in and take out

Customs rules for banknotes and other cash when you enter or leave Iran.

Not yet confirmed — check the official customs page. We couldn't confirm Iran's cash limits on an official page yet, so we don't show a number. Check the current rules on cbi.ir →

Official source: cbi.ir · Last checked 4 Oct 2026

Iran visa rules by passport

The general rule for each passport, from official sources. Open a passport to see conditions and options that depend on where you live.

Visa-free37 passports
Visa on arrival3 passports
eVisa148 passports
Embassy visa9 passports
Entry suspended1 passport

Verified rules for Iran: 196 of 198 passports; awaiting verification: 2; not yet covered: 0. A rule that is awaiting verification or not yet covered is not a negative visa decision: it only means we haven't confirmed it on an official source yet.

⚠ Unofficial sources: 31 rules for Iran are not from an official Iran government source (based on other governments' travel advice or secondary research). They are labelled on each page, are not counted as verified above, and should be confirmed with the embassy before travel.

Requirements for all visitors to Iran

These apply on top of the visa rules above, whatever your passport, unless an item says otherwise.

  • HealthYellow fever certificate if arriving from a WHO yellow-fever risk country

    Applies to: travellers aged 9 months or over arriving from a country WHO lists as a yellow-fever risk country; also after an airport transit of more than 12 hours in such a country.

    Official source: cdn.who.int · Also checked: wwwnc.cdc.govNot official · Last checked 25 Oct 2026

Nearby destinations

Official travel advice

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Verify with the embassy before you book. Visa rules change without notice. We link every rule to its official source and last checked it on 24 Oct 2026, but the embassy, official e-visa portal and your airline have the final say. MyVisaPort is not a visa agent and is not affiliated with any government.