Traveling to Iran: Dispelling the Myths

[Steven_Draker]

Traveling to Iran as Americans: All You Need to Know

 

http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/ll_a_s/2014/Jan/18/LiveLeak-dot-com-f30_1390046452-6286370645_4e2d5b7bd3.jpg.resized.jpg?d5e8cc8eccfb6039332f41f6249e92b06c91b4db65f5e99818bdd6924d42ded2e100&ec_rate=230

 

 

Traveling to Iran as an American citizen may sound complicated and dangerous. It’s not. We’re here to dispel the myths and answer the questions piling up in our inbox based on our visit to Iran just a few weeks ago.

 

 

Are American citizens legally allowed to visit Iran?

It’s a common belief that Iran holds the same status as Cuba for American citizens (i.e., that it’s illegal to visit without special permission from the U.S. government). Although the United States has imposed sanctions against Iran, there are currently no restrictions on American citizens visiting Iran as tourists. Currently, about 1,000-1,500 Americans visit Iran each year.

 

 

Can Americans travel independently in Iran?

The Iranian government requires that all American tourists travel with a private guide or group tour. Your Iranian guide will be specially authorized to guide American citizens and should be aware of any relevant Iranian government regulations.

 

If you happen to be independent travelers like us, don’t be deterred by this requirement. We experienced both a group tour and a private guide in Iran. In both circumstances, we still had ample time to explore, walk the streets and browse the bazaars (markets) on our own. We made connections with ordinary people, we ate street food and we were even fortunate enough to accept a couple invitations to people’s homes.

 

How does an American citizen obtain an Iranian tourist visa?Obtaining an Iranian visa is roughly a two-step process: 1) a travel authorization number from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign affairs, and 2) the actual tourist visa issued by an Iranian consulate.

 

The tour company you work with will help you with the paperwork you need for your visa. All you need to do is fill out an application form, inform them of the Iranian consulate where you’ll pick up the visa, then summon some patience.

 

The difficult part of the process is the authorization number; this usually takes 30-40 business days for American citizens. Once you have that number, getting your visa from the Iranian consulate is almost a sure thing (2-3 days).

 

 

Our advice is to get the visa process started as early as you can so that you don’t have a heart attack waiting for your visa to arrive on the same morning as your flight (true story from a member of our tour group).

 

But there is no Iranian Embassy in the United States. How will I get my visa?Although Iran doesn’t have an official embassy in Washington, DC, there is anIranian “interest section” at the Pakistan Embassy that handles Iranian visa requests. If you don’t live in the DC area, you’ll need to send your passport, application form and passport photos by mail (e.g., DHL, FedEx, etc.) with a prepaid return envelope.

 

Or, if you’re traveling like us, you can pick up your visa at an Iranian consulate abroad. You just need to specify which consulate location when you apply for the authorization number. We collected our Iranian tourist visa in Istanbul, Turkey. The process was relatively easy and painless. We highly recommend it. Just leave a few days cushion if you can and make sure you show up promptly at the time stamped on your visa application receipt. The cost was €70 for a 20-day Iranian tourist visa.

 

As an American, how will Iranians treat me?Iranian people were often shocked to discover that we were American and that we were able to get a visa to their country. Once this fact set in, they often went over the top in welcoming us — everything from cordial greetings, to smiles, hugs, gifts and invitations to homes — especially when our guide was out of sight. We joke that it’s the closest we’ve felt to being rock stars.

 

 

We traveled on a group tour for two weeks, then concluded with a private guide for a third week. We enjoyed both experiences, but each comes with its own benefits and potential drawbacks.

 

One of the things we loved about our G Adventures tour was our group. There were seven of us – four from the United States, two from Australia and one from Denmark –and we all hit it off immediately.

 

 

During our private tour, we had a bit more freedom to determine the itinerary and schedule. However, having a private guide (possibly with you at all times, depending on the guide’s style and adherence to the rules) can be intense, and at times almost stifling.

 

Regardless, in both circumstances it’s best to continually express your wishes and find creative ways to help facilitate your guide in meeting those wishes.

 

Keep in mind: the Iranian tour company who sponsors your visa is technically responsible for you during your entire stay in Iran. As a result, you can’t really mix and match tour companies in assembling your itinerary.

 

Did you ever have problems with Iranian authorities? Were you ever tracked or followed during your trip?We encountered only one incident in three weeks where a uniformed guy with a gun followed us for a bit through a market and asked to see our passports. Our Iranian guide yelled at him and told him that he had no right to ask for our papers. The guard backed down and left us alone, but our guide insisted on calling him an “uneducated donkey” as we walked away. As unsettling as the episode was at first, it eventually made us laugh and left us with a good story.

 

It’s impossible for us to know whether or not we were being tracked, but it certainly didn’t feel like it. We walked the streets and engaged with local people. It all felt very safe and normal; we were never concerned for our personal safety.

 

What should I expect in terms of immigration and security entering and exiting Iran?For us and everyone else in our tour group, entry into Iran was a non-event. We were fingerprinted on our way into the country at the Tehran airport, but we did not experience exceptional scrutiny of our camera and travel equipment.

 

Upon exiting Iran into Turkey (via the train from Tabriz to Istanbul), Iranian passport control was similarly uneventful. Iranian border officials aboard our train were jovial and interested in what we saw, where we went and how our experience was.

 

 

What should I expect in terms of immigrations and customs upon re-entry into the U.S. after a visit to Iran?Stories circulating from other American visitors to Iran indicate that experiences vary. Again, ours was a non-event. We listed Iran on our inbound immigrations and customs form and the Homeland Security agent said, “Iran. I have to ask.” We explained that we are travel bloggers and photographers. He asked where we went, mentioned that he’d seen a show about Iran on the Travel Channel and we were on our way.

 

Going through U.S. customs was similarly uneventful. Agents waved us on without asking us to open our bags.

 

What about American sanctions? Can I buy Iranian souvenirs?Americans are technically only allowed to bring $100 of Iranian goods per person into the U.S.

 

Does that mean you need to restrict your shopping? Well, not really. It’s up to you. Many businesses offer special receipts with “adjusted” amounts that are a bit lower than what was actually paid.

 

 

Iranian carpets are also subject to U.S. sanctions as well. So if your heart is set on a Persian carpet, you may want to find a shop that has a presence or partner in Dubai (or elsewhere in the Middle East) so that they can ship the carpet to you from their partner location.

 

Can I get money out of ATM machines in Iran? Can I use credit cards in Iran?Iranian banks are also subject to international sanctions. So although Iran is full of banks and ATM machines, you won’t be able to get money out at any of them with your ATM card. So cash is the name of the game. Come armed with U.S. dollars (or Euros) and exchange them in major cities at currency exchange outlets where exchange rates are 20% higher than in Iranian banks.

 

Don’t count on using your credit card. Only some of the more sophisticated Iranian souvenir and carpet shops will accept credit cards and route transactions through a partner business in Dubai or elsewhere in the Middle East.

 

 

source: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f30_1390046452

[Guest]

I would never visit a country in which gay sex can result in death or worse, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, or Uganda. I would also never visit a country in which U.S. citizens are arbitrarily held and used as political bargaining chips, such as North Korea or Iran. While some of those countries have some worthwhile sights to see, thankfully, none have sights which are so unique that I would risk my life to travel there. I don't understand why someone would travel and spend money in a country that is hostile to either him as a person or him as a U.S. citizen. Iran actually fits into both of those categories. This is a huge planet with lots of beautiful things to see. I don't get a thrill out of putting my life in danger just so I can said "I did it." Well, there are people who climb Mount Everest, so I guess there are plenty of people who are willing to take risks for bragging rights.

[Steven_Draker]

This week there was a great documentary on French National TV about tourism in Iran. Taking into consideration the tensions in the neighborhood countries and the region, Iran remains a safe place to visit. Tour operators register a significant increase in bookings.

 

... I don't understand why someone would travel and spend money in a country that is hostile to either him as a person or him as a U.S. citizen. Iran actually fits into both of those categories.

 

The documentary explained at length how people of Iran are not hostile towards U.S. citizens; it's a government thing.

 

Anyway, the intention of this posting is not to change your mind and put Iran on your travel list, but rather to take note of the ongoing change.

 

 

Iran is 2014's surprise tourism hit

 

Tour operators have seen a significant rise in bookings for holidays to Iran, as improved relations with the West and an expectation that Foreign Office travel advice will be relaxed boost tourist interest

 

Wild Frontiers, an adventure operator, has nine group tours scheduled for 2014, five of which are sold out to their maximum capacity of 12, and contrasts with two group tours in 2013, neither of which ran full. The company has seen tailor-made bookings rise from four last year to 26 so far in 2014, with many more in the pipeline.

 

Tailor-madeadventures.com, which creates itineraries for Iran, has seen an 80 per cent increase in enquiries since the beginning of the year and said that the vast majority of interested customers have gone on to book. The company sent 24 customers to the country in 2013, and so far has had bookings for 50 people this year.

 

Jim O’Brien, the company's head of development, said: "Thirty-five years ago, Iran dropped off the tourist map, becoming the preserve of a few hardcore independent travellers and those in organised groups. Since the election of Hassan Rouhani as president last August, however, and a thawing in political relations with the west, it seems that Iran is returning to travellers' bucket lists with a bang."

 

Numerous tour operators have compared Iran’s future to that of Burma, which has been a top-selling destination since the election of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2012 and the subsequent change in stance on tourism in the country.

 

Although his company has been running trips to Iran for 10 years, Jonny Bealby, founder and managing director of Wild Frontiers, told Telegraph Travel that in the last six months or so there has been a significant increase in demand for the destination, which he puts down to "the election of a more moderate leader, and last year’s nuclear agreement”.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10736532/Iran-is-2014s-surprise-tourism-hit.html

[+ WilliamM]

I would never visit a country in which gay sex can result in death or worse' date=' such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, or Uganda. I would also never visit a country in which U.S. citizens are arbitrarily held and used as political bargaining chips, such as North Korea or Iran. While some of those countries have some worthwhile sights to see, thankfully, none have sights which are so unique that I would risk my life to travel there. I don't understand why someone would travel and spend money in a country that is hostile to either him as a person or him as a U.S. citizen. Iran actually fits into both of those categories. This is a huge planet with lots of beautiful things to see. I don't get a thrill out of putting my life in danger just so I can said "I did it." Well, there are people who climb Mount Everest, so I guess there are plenty of people who are willing to take risks for bragging rights.[/quote']

 

I have no problem with visiting Iran. I have already had am amazing time in Russia, which I visited by myself not on a tour. No one bothered me in Moscow or St. Petersburg, and I walked all over both cities during the day and at night. Iran has almost as much to offer as Russia in history and culture. I do not like tours or tour guides, so hestitate on Iran for that reason only. Thanks for the information, Steven.