Iran announces visa-waiver for Indian tourists for maximum of 15-day stay

Iran on Tuesday announced a visa-waiver programme for Indians entering the country by air for tourism for a maximum stay of 15 days.

The visa-free entry has been rolled out for Indian citizens from February 4 subject to four conditions, the Iranian embassy said.

In December, Iran approved a new visa-free programme for India and 32 other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

The Iranian readout said individuals holding ordinary passports will be allowed to enter the country without a visa once every six months, with a maximum stay of 15 days.

"It is important to note that the 15-day period cannot be extended," it said.

"The visa abolition only applies to individuals entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran for tourism purposes," it said.

It said Indians wanting to stay for a longer period or make multiple entries within a six-month period or requiring other types of visas must obtain necessary visas from Iranian missions in India.

"The visa abolition outlined in this approval specifically applies to Indian nationals who enter the country just through the air border," it said.

Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Iran during which he held wide-ranging talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on a range of bilateral and regional issues.