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To encourage cultural sharing and boost tourism, Iran has decided to let Indian citizens travel without a visa starting from February 4, 2024. Reports say this is part of a broader plan that involves 33 countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, and Mexico. Iranian officials approved this plan in December, with the main goal of making tourism better. Ezzatollah Zarghami, Iran's Culture Minister, made it clear that this visa-free offer is only for Indians flying to Iran and is specifically for tourism.
Here's how it works: if you have a regular passport, you can go to Iran without a visa once every six months. But, you can only stay for a maximum of 15 days each time, and you can't extend that period.
If you want to go to Iran for reasons other than tourism, like for business or study, you still have to follow the usual process for getting a visa. And if you plan to stay longer than 15 days, make multiple visits within six months, or need a different kind of visa, you'll have to apply for it through Iranian offices in India.
This visa-free offer is expected to make connections between people stronger and encourage more tourism between Iran and India. Iran saw a big increase in tourists, with 4.1 million people visiting in 2022 - that's a 315% rise from the previous year.
Moslem Shojai, who heads the Iranian Tourism Ministry's foreign tourism marketing and development office, said that they noticed a lot more Indian tourists in 2023. In the first six months of that year, 31,000 Indians visited Iran, which is 25% more than in the same period in 2022. Most foreigners who come to Iran do it for tourism, business, medical reasons, or pilgrimage. So, this visa-free offer is a smart move to make it easier for people to travel between these two countries.
As Iran opens its doors to Indian tourists, this plan is going to strengthen the connection between their cultures. It's a great chance for Indians to explore Iran's history and attractions. With this simpler visa process, both countries are likely to see more tourists, bringing people together and making their relationship stronger on the world stage.
