Iran Visa Fee: Complete Breakdown by Nationality

Iran visa fee isn’t a single number — it ranges from roughly €10 to around €180 depending on your passport, set individually for each nationality under a reciprocal fee schedule. Two travelers can stand at the same visa counter in Tehran, apply for the identical 30-day tourist visa, and pay wildly different amounts — not because one is deemed a greater risk, but because of a diplomatic formula.

That gap surprises people. It shouldn’t. Iran’s visa fee structure is one of the more transparent examples of reciprocal diplomacy still in practice — a quiet mirror held up to how each country treats Iranian citizens applying for visas of their own. Understanding that logic makes the whole system easier to navigate, and easier to budget for, whether you’re planning a two-week journey through Isfahan and Yazd or a shorter trip to Tehran’s galleries and teahouses.

This guide lays out exactly what you’ll pay, why the amount differs by nationality, and which costs are easy to overlook until you’re standing at the counter with the wrong currency in hand.

Why Iran Visa Fees Differ by Nationality

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) sets visa stamp fees on a country-by-country basis, largely mirroring what Iranian citizens are charged when applying for a visa to that same country. If a country charges Iranian nationals a modest visa fee, travelers from that country typically pay less for their Iranian visa. If a country’s visa process for Iranians is expensive or restrictive, the fee runs higher in the other direction. This is why, for instance, most EU nationals pay a broadly similar mid-range fee, while a small number of nationalities sit at the very top or bottom of the scale.

What Makes Up Your Iran Visa Fee

Most guides quote a single figure and leave it there. In practice, an Iran visa involves up to two separate charges, and knowing the difference helps you understand exactly what you’re paying for — and where you have room to save.

What’s included in your total Iran visa cost:

• Authorization fee — for the visa grant notice, or “authorization code,” that confirms MFA approval before you travel
• Visa stamp fee — the nationality-dependent charge paid to Iranian authorities when your visa is physically issued

What’s not automatically included:

• Urgent or same-day processing surcharges
• Currency exchange costs, since payment is cash-only
• Any onward tour, guide, or accommodation costs

1. Authorization Fee (Visa Grant Notice)

Before a visa can be issued, the MFA must approve your application and issue an authorization code. You have two paths here. Applying directly through the official MFA e-visa portal costs nothing, but processing can take two to eight weeks and carries a meaningfully higher rejection rate, with no way to track your file in the meantime. Applying through a licensed Iranian travel agency typically costs a modest service fee and moves considerably faster, often within one to a few working days, because agencies follow up with the MFA directly on your behalf. For their provided service, they charge a visa processing or visa service fee and is almost the same no matter what your nationality is.

2. Visa Stamp Fee

This is the fee tied to your nationality, and it’s the one most travelers mean when they ask “how much is an Iran visa fee.” It’s paid either at an Iranian embassy or consulate abroad, or on arrival at the airport if you’re using visa on arrival (VOA). This is the figure that varies most dramatically from one passport to the next.

Valid Iran covering travel insurance is a requirement for entry, not an optional add-on. If you already hold a policy that covers your trip dates, that’s OK but if you don’t, you need to get your travel insurance upon arrival at the airport.

Iran Visa Fee by Nationality

Because the MFA can revise fees without prior notice, treat the figures below as a reliable baseline rather than a locked-in price, and always confirm the current rate for your specific nationality before paying.

• Lower fee band (roughly €10–30): a number of nationalities, largely across Asia and parts of the Middle East, sit at the lower end of the scale.
• Mid fee band (roughly €31–75): most EU nationalities fall here, with €75 being the standard rate applied to the majority of European passport holders.
• Higher fee band (€76–180+): includes nationalities such as Indian passport holders (around €90), Australian passport holders (around €145), and New Zealand passport holders (around €150) — among the highest standard rates on the schedule.

Brazilian nationals sit closer to the mid-to-upper range, around €80, illustrating how the reciprocal formula produces outcomes that don’t track neatly with geography or economic ties.

Special Case: US, UK, and Canadian Citizens

Citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada face a meaningfully different — and costlier — process than most other nationalities. Independent travel isn’t permitted: these travelers must book through a licensed Iranian tour operator and be accompanied by an approved guide from arrival to departure. Processing times run considerably longer than average, often 30 to 45 business days, so applying well in advance is essential. The visa stamp fee itself is only one part of the real cost here; the mandatory guided-tour requirement adds a layer of expense that other nationalities simply don’t face.

One notable exception: US, UK, and Canadian passport holders can generally visit Kish Island or Qeshm Island — Iran’s free trade zones — visa-free for up to 14 days, provided they remain on the island and coordinate arrival with a certified local guide.

Visa-Free and Exempt Nationalities

Citizens of several neighboring and allied countries — including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and a handful of others — can enter Iran without a visa for a set period, varying by nationality. Separately, under a 2024 government resolution, nationals of around 28 additional countries, including much of the Gulf, several Latin American nations, and a number of Asian countries, can enter visa-free for tourism purposes for a non-extendable 15 days, once every six months. If you hold one of these passports, budget nothing for the visa itself — only for your onward travel arrangements.

Iran Visa-Free Countries 2026: Official List, Durations & Entry Rules

E-Visa vs. Visa on Arrival: Cost Compared

The visa stamp fee is generally the same whether you arrive with your visa already issued or collect it on landing — the difference lies in convenience and risk, not price.

Applying in advance (e-visa): you submit your application, receive your authorization code, and travel with your visa already confirmed. This significantly reduces the risk of being turned away at the airport and is now the preferred, more reliable route for most nationalities.

Visa on arrival: available to eligible nationalities at several Iranian airports, including Imam Khomeini International in Tehran. It’s convenient in theory, but since some airlines now require a valid visa authorization code before allowing boarding, showing up without one has led to travelers being denied boarding entirely — regardless of technical VOA eligibility.

Whichever route you take, payment is cash-only. Due to international sanctions, foreign debit and credit cards do not function inside Iran, so you’ll need euros or US dollars in hand to cover the fee, with no card backup available.

Hidden and Optional Costs to Budget For

A few extra line items catch travelers off guard if they’ve only budgeted for the headline visa fee:

• Urgent processing surcharge — most consulates offer expedited, same-day issuance for roughly a 50% premium over the standard fee
• Agency service fees — travel agencies handling your authorization code typically charge a modest fee for faster, trackable processing versus the free but slow and unpredictable direct MFA route

Current Situation — What to Know Before You Apply

Regional conditions affecting Iran travel have shifted at points through 2026, including periods of airspace disruption. Fees, processing routes, and airport visa availability can be affected during such periods, so confirm current entry requirements directly with the Iran MFA or a licensed travel agency before paying any fee or booking non-refundable travel. At Compassimo, we can confirm the latest status for your specific route.

How to Apply for an Iran Visa Step by Step

1. Choose your route — e-visa in advance or visa on arrival, where eligible for your nationality
2. Gather your documents — a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, a recent passport-style photo, and your travel itinerary
3. Submit your application — through the MFA e-visa portal directly, or via a licensed travel agency for faster, trackable processing
4. Receive your authorization code — typically within a few working days through an agency, or up to several weeks via direct MFA application
5. Pay your visa stamp fee — in cash, in euros or US dollars, at the embassy, consulate, or airport counter
6. Collect your visa — and confirm your entry details before departure

Final Thought: A Small Price for Persia

For a country as layered as Iran, the visa is really just the first small negotiation in a much larger, far more rewarding one. It asks a little patience, a little paperwork, and a little cash in the right currency — and in return, it opens the door to Persian gardens, centuries-old bazaars, and a culture that reveals itself slowly, to those willing to arrive prepared.

Every destination worth this kind of depth asks something of the traveler before it gives something back. Iran is no exception, and travelers who treat the visa process as part of the preparation, rather than an obstacle to rush through, tend to arrive calmer and better equipped for everything that follows.

What the fee never captures is what waits on the other side of it: a welcome that has little to do with diplomacy and everything to do with people. That contrast is, in many ways, the truest introduction Iran gives a visitor, long before the plane touches down.

FAQs about Iran Visa Cost