We’ve covered the process of getting an Iranian visa in a previous blog, but the question of extending your visa remains. You may want to stay in Iran for longer than you initially expected for any number of reasons; you may have added some new cities to your itinerary or you may have come across some unforeseen complications that require you to extend your stay. In this case, you would need to extend your visa in order to avoid any legal problems. Fortunately, you can extend your 30-day Iranian visa a total of two times (for a maximum stay of 90 days). In this article, we will guide you on exactly how you can do that!
The Iran Tourism Visa
As we said, we’ve already covered this matter extensively in our previous blog post, which you’re encouraged to read if you need any help regarding obtaining a visa. The most common type of visa for Iran is the tourism visa, which allows tourists to stay in the country for a maximum of 30 days. There are certain exceptions and additional rules for certain countries (including the recently initiated Visa Waiver Program), but for most people, the process is at the very least quite similar -and not too complicated.
Extending Your Iran Visa
The process of extending your Iranian visa is also not a complicated thing! Also, unlike getting the visa itself, you can’t hire the help of agencies to extend your visa for you, so you have to do it yourself regardless. The process isn’t too complicated, but depending on when and where you do it, it may take you quite a bit of time. We’d like to help you prepare yourself for this process so that you can go through it as easily as possible.
Where to Extend Your Iran Visa
In order to extend your visa, you need to visit an Immigration & Passport Police Office. Here’s a list of the office buildings’ locations in different cities:
- Isfahan Immigration & Passport Police – Rudaki Bypass (working hours: 08:00 AM – 13:30 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 08:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Yazd Immigration & Passport Police – Ferdowsi Street (working hours 07:30 AM – 14:45 PM Saturday through Wednesday)
- Shiraz Immigration & Passport Police – Modares Boulevard (working hours 08:00 AM – 13:45 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 08:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Tehran Immigration & Passport Police – Kooh e Noor Street (working hours 08:00 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 08:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Mashhad Immigration & Passport Police – Piroozi Boulevard (working hours 07:30 AM – 13:30 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 07:30 AM – 13:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Tabriz Immigration & Passport Police – Saeb Tabrizi Street (working hours 07:00 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 07:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Qom Immigration & Passport Police – Golha Boulevard (working hours 07:30 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 07:30 AM – 12:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Bushehr Immigration & Passport Police – Khalije Fars Street (working hours 07:45 AM – 14:30 PM Saturday through Thursday)
- Bandar Abbas Immigration & Passport Police – Emam Khomeini Boulevard (working hours 07:30 AM – 14:30 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 07:30 AM – 13:30 PM on Thursdays)
- Urmia Immigration & Passport Police – Khatam-ol-Anbia Bypass(working hours 08:00 AM – 13:00 PM Saturday through Thursday)
- Ilam Immigration & Passport Police – Sadoghi Boulevard (working hours 08:00 AM – 14:45 PM Saturday through Wednesday)
- Shahrekord Immigration & Passport Police – Keshavarz Boulevard (working hours 08:00 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Thursday)
- Bojnurd Immigration & Passport Police – Motahari Street (working hours 07:00 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Thursday)
- Birjand Immigration & Passport Police – Adl Street (working hours 07:30 AM – 14:30 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 07:30 AM – 13:30 PM on Thursdays)
- Ahwaz Immigration & Passport Police – 10 Padad Boulevard (working hours 07:00 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 07:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Zahedan Immigration & Passport Police – Chamran Street (working hours missing)
- Qazvin Immigration & Passport Police – Navab Safavi Street (working hours 08:00 AM – 14:00 PM Saturday through Thursday)
- Kerman Immigration & Passport Police – Moalem Street (working hours missing)
- Kermanshah Immigration & Passport Police – Bent-ol-Hoda Boulevard (working hours missing)
- Rasht Immigration & Passport Police – Babak Noori Haris Street (working hours missing)
- Gorgan Immigration & Passport Police – Hashemi Rafsenjani Street (working hours missing)
- Sari Immigration & Passport Police – Pasdaran Bypass (working hours missing)
- Hamedan Immigration & Passport Police – Khajeh Rashid Boulevard (working hours 08:00 AM – 16:00 PM Saturday through Wednesday, 09:00 AM – 15:00 PM on Thursdays)
- Sanandaj Immigration & Passport Police – Felestin Street (working hours 08:00 AM – 16:00 PM Saturday through Thursday)
The Required Documents
Here’s a list of the different things you need to extend your Iran Visa:
- Your current Visa papers and passport
- 2 copies of the first page of your passport
- 2 passport-size photos of your face (wearing hijab is obligatory for women)
- 2 copies of the extension fee payment receipt
- 2 copies of the completed visa extension form
If you don’t get your photocopies in advance, that’s alright! The office you will visit will most likely have a copy shop available. Another important note is that you can’t pay the visa extension fee in cash, and must do so with an Iranian debit card. If you don’t have one, the staff may help you use another person’s debit card, otherwise, they will direct you to the nearest bank where you can do the transaction.
The Process
First of all, try to go to the Immigration office first thing in the morning to avoid crowds. Another tip is to visit the offices of smaller cities to extend your visa, as you won’t be overwhelmed by the mass of people in cities like Isfahan or Tehran. Also, keep in mind that you’ll be entering a government building, so you must uphold to the dress code (hijab for women, no shorts for men, etc.) When you go through the security checkpoint at the beginning of the Immigration & Passport Police Office, you must deposit all of your electronic devices, including your mobile phone, so do keep that in mind and don’t take anything unnecessary with you.
Head to the visa extension counter next. There, you will be handed a form which you must fill out with your information. Additionally, be prepared to answer some questions regarding the extension: You may be asked why you want to extend your Iran visa, what your job is, how many more days will you be staying in the country, where you’re staying at, etc.
After you’re finished with the interview and have handed in the necessary documents, you’re done!
Final Notes
Find out about the other essential parts of your trip to Iran in our blogs!
