Advice for Americans visiting Iran

Based on my April ’06 trip to Iran, I’d like to share three practical tips with ITN readers who are thinking of going there.

First, I was told that the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington will not issue a tourist visa to an American unless the prospective tourist already has received a visa authorization number from Tehran.

I had to send a copy of my passport information page to the company arranging my tour, which in turn presumably sent it on to the local operator in Tehran. This can be a time-consuming process. I received my number more than a month before departure, but I’ve heard of others who received their visas only at the last minute.

My advice is to begin the process early and, if possible, to book with a tour company that uses a well-established local operator in Iran.

Second, both my Iranian guide and the British company that arranged my tour informed me that an American visitor is required to have an Iranian guide during every day the visitor is in the country.

I had arranged to spend several free days in Tehran after my tour ended. My plan was to explore the city on my own. Shortly before I left the U.S., however, I was surprised to receive a bill for the services of a guide for each of those days.

I later was told that the Iranian government was unlikely to approve my visa application unless I already had paid for a guide during my “free time.” I even had to pay for his services on a day when he did nothing more than have dinner with me after I returned to Tehran after a late afternoon flight from Mashad.

I can’t verify that this really is a government requirement. My advice, however, is to be prepared to encounter it.

Third, when I went through U.S. Customs at the Washington/Dulles airport, I was singled out for special treatment because I was returning from Iran. A belligerent Customs inspector called my attention to Treasury Department regulations which, in effect, limit tourists’ purchases in Iran to carpets and gifts valued at less than $100. These restrictions evidently are in addition to the $800 duty-free allowance. You will not find any reference to this in the State Department’s online travel information for Iran.

My advice is to be prepared for this special treatment, to allow an extra 15 to 30 minutes to clear U.S. Customs, to arrive at Customs with a detailed list of your purchases, divided into the two categories of carpets and gifts, to have all of your receipts ready for inspection and, above all, to remain calm and good-humored.

STAN BACH
Washington, D.C.