Iran announces 15-day visa-free policy for Indian tourists

Under the new order, Indian citizens would be allowed to enter Iran with ordinary passports once every six months and with a maximum stay of 15 days which will not be extended.

New Delhi: Tehran on Tuesday announced the initiation of a 15-day visa-free policy for Indian tourists visiting the country, the Iran Embassy said in a statement here.

Under the new order, Indian citizens would be allowed to enter Iran with ordinary passports once every six months and with a maximum stay of 15 days which will not be extended.

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The visa abolition only applies to individuals entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran for tourism purposes, it said. “If Indian nationals wish to stay for a longer period or make multiple entries within a six-month period require other types of visas, they must obtain the necessary visas through the respective representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India,” the statement said.

The visa abolition outlined in this approval specifically applies to Indian nationals who enter the country just through the air border, it said. Iran has become the latest country in the past few months to give visa-free access to India tourists.

Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka have also eased visa rules for Indian tourists. Earlier last year, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that visitors from India and China will be granted 30-day visa-free entry into Malaysia from December 1. He said that the visa exemption is still subject to security screenings for records of crime or violence.

Similarly, Thailand announced that Indian tourists will be allowed visa-free entry to the country for a period of six months starting November 10, local media reported.

The announcement was made following a decision by the Thai Cabinet, which agreed to exempt tourists from India and Taiwan from requiring an entry visa to stay in Thailand for up to 30 days, effective till May 10, 2024. Moreover, Sri Lanka has also allowed visa-free entry to visitors from seven countries, including India, China and Russia.