Hello everyone,
I'm about to fill out the e-visa and some people seem to have experience with it.
What I'm wondering is:
- "Which countries have you ever visited?" Do you really write down the whole list?
- Same for "If you have lived in any country more than six months please specify name and purpose of your stay."
- "In which fields are you familiar with Iran?" ??
- And what about the field "Travel program"
So far, we are planning to go to Kish, Shiraz, Esfahan and Tehran. Should I list all those cities as travel goal and fill in Tehran as the city we're travelling to and fill in the phone number and address of our host?
- Finally, is the point of border entry important? I don't know yet if the flight will be to Mehrabad or Imam Khomenei airport.
Probably most of the questions I've asked don't really matter, but who knows?
One more thing: I've read a lot about letters of invitation. Our friends could easily write one for us, but I haven't read anywhere, that I should attach one.
Btw, I've got German citizenship...
Bedorood,
Chris
FYI: I just filled out the Austrailian E-Visa and shock: Instantly</i> I my E-Visa was done. Whew.
I see also that India has its required visa available as "E-Visa." ???
Regarding the OPs questions, the usual advice applies. Provide minimal generic information. Never provide unasked-for or unnecessary detail when dealing with any bureaucracy. Give them just enough to do their job; but not too-much or too-little to cause any difficulty. IF they require more information, they will ask for it. If a "Letter" is not required, I would not offer it.
Hi there,
I visited Iran in September with my girlfriend and experienced no problems at all. We met a German guy there who had no problems either.
1- Countries visited - you don't have to put them all down but do fill in any ones for which you have stamps in your passport.
2- Countries lived in - again if it's in your passport put it in - I worked in Japan for a year and put it on the visa form
3- Familiar fields - that's a strange one - maybe put down tourist or historical sites - don't put Iranian nuclear facilities!
4- Travel program - just put a list of the places you plan to visit - there's no need to give the name of your hosts unless asked. On my visa for accommodation we just picked a place from the LP Guide (we didn't have a booking or anything) and got a taxi to take us there when we arrived - but we could have gone to a different hotel no problem.
5- Border entry - just put Tehran or Tehran airport - it doesn't really matter once they know you're flying in.
6- Letter of invitation - I was never asked for one or pre-bookings or anything like that - just filled in the form. I'm Irish and the Iranian embassy in Dublin recieved my application on a Monday and I collected my passport on the Wednesday - no problems.
We flew in Merhabad from Istanbul. The passport control was relatively relaxed. We arrived at 3am but you could still change euro into rials at that time. We paid about €5 for a taxi to a hotel in the centre (if somebody looks for €30 from Merhabad they're just trying to rip you off).
In Tehran the Jewels Museum (near the German Embassy - see LP guide) is worth a visit. The National Museum is undergoing renovations - only the ground floor is open so skip it if you're short of time. From the LP book musuem prices are generally lower - 5000-10000 rials (except the Jewels Museum which is full price). In Tehran use the subway where possible - it's efficient and airconditioned. Hotel prices are at least 20%-30% higher than the book and long distance bus tickets are a bit more expensive too.
Iran was very relaxed. All of the police seemed to be traffic police - unlike Syria which felt like a police state.
Hope this helps, if you've any more questions just post them here. And the previous poster is right - give only the info you're asked for. Yazd is worth a visit too.
Take care,
Brian.
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