The procedure has been in place for years for American citizens but the British and Canadians are required to follow the same as of March 2014 onwards. It seems to be the same in 2015 but check for updates if the rule is reversed. All these citizens have to go through a guided tour unless for few exceptions which you can check below. According to rules, all details including plan, dates, hotels and guide must be specified before sending an application to MFA.

Here are the steps that you should take in general:

1. Choose one of our tours and contact us to find out the quote for your tour. (If you need a customized tour, we can offer any tailor-made tour based on your interest and preferences.
2. Once the tour plan, itinerary and dates are specified, we shall finalize the deal by clarifying the payment method. (in most cases, we still accept cash payments)
3. Once everything is finalized and there is a contract, we will ask you to send the required documents such as visa form and passport, …
4. We ll apply to the MFA and wait to hear about your authorization code.
5. The code processing for American, British and Canadian citizens is longer and more complicated so it may take 1-2 months. (It has been issued in less than 4 weeks or in more than 8 weeks in few cases)

Note: The invitation letter is no longer accepted and it has been replaced by the authorization code issued by MFA (Iranian Ministry of Foreign affairs).

1. Once we have the code, we ll email it to you. After 2 working days, you can refer to your stated embassy and pick up your visa. This is usually done in 1 or 2 days. If you are living in North America and you wish to get it in Washington interest section, you can mail all required documents long with the code to the Pakistani embassy in Washington and you ll receive your passports stamped in 2 weeks. If you are pressed for time, ask for their expedited service and they will return with the visa stamp in a few days.)
2. Finally with your visas in hand, you will travel to Iran to experience the unknown Persia.
3. Enjoy your trip!

Exceptions: In rare cases, you may be able to get the visa without a guided tour if

1. You are a dual citizenship and you wish to use your other passport to travel to Iran.
2. You have an Iranian spouse and you are married according to Iranian/Islamic law.
3. You have a relative in Iran who can sponsor you or send you an invitation.

Documents for Authorization code:

1. Visa application form (available on our website)
2. Tour contract
3. Passport scan of the first page
4. Other related documents if paying in cash

Documents for visa collection:

1. Authorization code
2. Visa fee
3. Visa form from embassy or its website
4. 2 passport-size photo (some embassies may require head-covering for females)
5. Passport with 6 months validity

Fees:

Our code processing is free for tour members but the visa fee for the embassy ranges between 150 US$ - 250 US$ in recent years. It differs based on nationality and the embassy.

Notes:

1. Makes sure you allow enough time to get your visa which is at least 2 months.
2. Make sure you check the receipt of the code by the embassy on the phone usually after 2 days.
3. The visa code is valid only for 30 days from the date of issuance by the MFA.
4. Iranian visa is valid for 3 months and valid for 30 days stay but you will probably get as much as mentioned in your itinerary for guided tour.