HELP! How to Get an Iranian 'Shenas-Nameh' & Passport? | Iran - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:24:48 +0000

Hi,
I am from Iran so this is a question I am asking on hahalf of a nice Iranian gal I met on LP.
she is young over 18, her father is an Iranian while her mother is not! She has a passport (not from Iran) and would like to visit the country soon. however, her father may have lost his own Shenas-Nameh in which her name may or may not have been listed. Not good! I know. Further, neither of her parents live in Iran nor planning to pay a visit soon. So she is on her own and does not expect much help from her relatives in Tehran either. Again not good.

Here is the question for Iranian travel agents and all other informed individuals who regularly visit this web site:

a) what documents does she need to provide to obtain a 'shenas-nameh' (birth certificate) without which I am certain she cannot apply for an Iranian passport!
b) where the said documents are supposed to be sent to for processing? the embassy? or the Foreign Ministry in Tehran? or do you know of a short-cut to avoid all the paper works and bureaucracy involved?
c) if any one especially a dual citizen reading this ad. has gone through the same 'road' recently, what would you recommend for her to do and how long do you think the whole thing would take, form the time she sends all the documents to the time she actually receives her Shenas-Nameh &/or passport in the mail! Thank so much for your help.

ONLINE

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:32:36 +0000

About 2 weeks ago I was in an Iranian consulate for a visa. Before me there was a girl, born in Iran, with her father from Iran but leaving in England and her mum English. She was turned down. Then, the guy at the counter told her to come back with a birth certificate of her father and hers. Now, if the girl has not an Iranian passport, I guess she can still ask for a birth certificate in the country where she lives and take it to the Iranian consulate. I know it might mean nothing to yo what I said. I guess you better call the consulate. If for any reason you cant I can pass by the consulate I went to and ask precise details.
Btw, am leaving next Monday for Iran for 3 weeks so I can only go tomorrow or Monday morning.
Cheers

Edited by: Silenceit

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ONLINE

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:22:42 +0000

The only real solution is to call the embassy / consulate. Maybe she will not need an Iranian passport at all to travel Iran given the circumstances (and given that she`s female, which may make a difference under Iranian law in this respect).

The only document I presented to the consulate to obtain a shenasnameh was my birth certificate from Germany (no translation needed), my German ID and passport, two pictures (in hejab), and that was it. Then the consulate passed the papers on to Tehran (Interior Ministry as far as I remember) and since I had "no file" in Iran, the shenasnameh was issued within a few weeks together with the passport. The processing times may have changed and differ from country to country. I was told that officially, the procedure lasts between 3 - 5 months (again, I am sure this depends on the county you make your application) but as I had no directy relatives in Iran that needed to be checked and/or old files that needed to be inpected or found (which would have been the case if I, e.g. lost my documents), processing was rather quickly. I wouldn`t know of any short-cut, sorry, unless she is a friend of any of the consulate / embassy staff which may, as alawys, help.

My general experience with Iranian consulate staff is that they are very friendly and giving their best to help. They know exactly what the situation of expat and second-generation Iranians is like. And if your friend is able to convince them of how important it is for her to get to know her father´s county and culture and language and family etc. I would not expect them to send her straight away.

Good luck to her - Lorah

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