iran

my first childhood memory goes back to the iranian border! no proper food, under a tent in a cold weather on the iraqi-iranian border! yes, when i was 4 years old, along with my family we flee to the mountains to the border away from Saddam Hussein troops when he attacked kurdistan right after the kurdistan uprising in 1991, after gulf war! imagine first memory of a kid been a refugee with little food under a cold tent on the border!

my mom got special permission to cross the border to Marivan, an iranian border town to get food! she took me too!

so yes, country number one for me was iran! without a passport hahha

as i grow up, i didnt want to travel to iran, because if i get an iranian visa sticker on my passport then i wont be able to travel to many countries around the world, including USA and Europe!

but in 2018, i couldnt resist anymore, it costed me $5, got the visa sticker and traveled to iran! what a beautiful country full of breath taking history and amazing people!

iranian visa changed over years, its one of the easiest for holder of iraqi passport!

just a photo ID and small visa fee, around 5000 iqd, through any travel agency, valid for 3 Months! within a day or two u will get it! a printed visa on a separate paper, not sticker. and only they stamp that paper upon entry not your passport.

JAN 2022 UPDATE

Iran and Iraq put visa waiver agreements into effect since October 2021, Visa On Arrival by AIR! while for overland we still need visa (as mentioned before)

August 2022 UPDATE by Halat Jaff

*nowadays you can travel to iran minimum 24 HOURS after obtaining your visa, not immediately.

*if you have active visa for another country (for eg. turkey), then you can apply for double entry visa with the same price, 5000 iqd.

*if you travel with your car, you have to pay $250 for the iranian side.

October 2022 UPDATE

Iran and Iraq put visa waiver agreements into effect since October 2021, Visa On Arrival by AIR!

starting October 2022, iran put visa waiver agreements into effect for OVERLAND travelers too.

Requirements only covid vaccine card or PCR test.

February 2023 UPDATE

- Free Visa on Arrival (for both overland and by Air).

- they will Stamp your Passport.

- No Vaccine No PCR needed.