I was told for Germans it's best NOT to apply in Germany, as you will be required to use an agency. The traveller told me she got the visa in Ankara quickly and without agency. I remember reading similar things here on HUBB.

I'm British in Australia, I'm going to try to get a visa for Iran. I'd planned to use an agency, is this the best idea? Sounds like a lottery to me!

An agency is the best idea, only costs you 30 dollars extra, for a lot less heartache. I used key2persia.com and picked up the visa easily in Delhi and paid when i got to Iran. Apparently it's tougher for Brits to get a visa.
Sean

Ta

I'll do that, and I'll be sure to apply well in advance. Not alot else I can do really....

No need to apply in advance. I am in the same pickle (Canadian passport) and asked key2persia to help as well. This was their response:

Dear Sir,
Hope all the things are going fine with you and thank you for contacting our agency. Regarding your visa request since Iran visa is valid only for 3 months and we need about 10 days to get the visa from the foreign ministry so you should send your visa request in June so that we can apply for your visa. You should fill out all of the mentioned forms in our site and also we need your passport copy.

Looking forward to hearing of you.

Sincerely yours,
Zahra Vesal
Public Relation Manager
Pars Tourist Agency (P.T.A)
ZAND St., 71358
Shiraz, Iran
www.key2persia.com
www.persien-tourismus.de
www.perse-voyage.com
Tel: +98-711-2223163/2240645
Fax: +98-711-2229693

I've been in touch with Stantours who do the same thing. I got this advice a few days ago:

rememebr - processing will take 3..4 weeks, the referenice
will be valid for 2 months and teh visa 3 months from the date when it's
ISSUED, i.e. the earliest you can apply is about 5 months prior to entry.

STANtours Almaty / Ashgabat

http://www.stantours.com
info@stantours.com <mailto:info@stantours.com>
stantours@gmx.net <mailto:stantours@gmx.net>


I might spend a while in India so I'm going to wait a few weeks before applying.

Skidder,
We are british and used key2persia and it took a couple of months, so dont delay, apply today! No idea about stantours............
Saying that, we were informed that 4 days after we entered Iran (early February) a new law granting foreigners extendable transit visas AT THE BORDER had just come into force. Dont know anybody whos done it, but its well worth checking up on for confirmation.
You could apply through an agency, then try at the border and fall back on your Foreign Ministry number if it fails. You dont pay until you pick up your visa....

wonky

I just got a ten day transit visa (wıthout agency) for Iran in Ankara. It took 24 hours and cost 102 euros.
Matt (British)

Erzerum
 

You might also be able to apply at the consulate in Erzerum [Erzurum]. This was previously the case. Do a search on this board for 'Erzerum' for more details.
Stephan

hi,
A french friend wich I met last year in iran and who is an archeoligist at the museum of the louvre in Paris has been rejected for the second time even with an invitation of the national museum of tehran. guess its getting hard to get in.Last year i waited for allmost 3 weeks in quetta for my new visa and i had to do a bloodtest afther that to get in. afther that i extended it 2 times quiet eqsily in esfahan and rasht. all together 2months and 10 days.
good luck
greetz
niels

Hi,

just to add my experiences from Bangkok: Had no problems to get a 30 day touristvisa in Bangkok as a german citizen. No letter from the embassy needed.

They only need your actual passport for inserting the visa. So you can apply, travel around for 2 weeks and return to collect the visa.

Regards

Lars

just a quick reply to my experience in bangkok: the service their sucked. i had to fill in my forms 2 times because they lost them somewhere (?) and when i got them they didnt gave my a visa that was still valid when i arrived. The date in english and in farsi (iranian) were not the same on my visa so i could cross again the baluchistandesert.
watch out when they stamp you carnet. a pakistani borderofficer told me that a german couple (she was notabene very sick) had to come back from the turkeyborder because they stamped it wrong on the pakistani-iranian border...

greetz
niels

Stantours are the way to go for anything in the stans, David Berghof knows his stuff. I would prefer to go with key2perisa for Iran as they are based in Iran and would know the system better i think.
Sean

i currently have my application in with Key2Persia for my visa but i intend to leave in about 10 days from the uk with intentions to make istanbul a week or so later. If i have not heard from key2persia by then i may seek to attempt a transit visa in istanbul or ankara. If i haven't been refused or accepted with key2persia does anyone know if i can effectivly have 2 visa applications at once, as id rather not be hanging around if i can avoid it.

cheers

Hı,
I realise this is not quite the same situation but when I was ın Ankara I met a guy who had applied for a tourıst visa through an agency and been turned down. But went to Ankara and got a transit visa no problem.
Matt