Hi londonice,
Thank you for your question.
As an American living in the Middle East, the first thing I must
caution you about are the frequent travel warnings we receive from the
US Embassy. I personally advise you to read these carefully.
Following is an excerpt from the latest one posted today April 16th.
“Warning (Issued on 01/30/02): The Department of State warns U.S.
citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran and
recommends that Americans who travel there exercise caution. The
Kurdish northwest of the country, the area near the Iraqi border, and
the Baluchistan border area near Pakistan and Afghanistan are
generally not safe for tourism…”
“The U.S. government does not currently have diplomatic or consular
relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and therefore cannot
provide protection or routine consular services to American citizens
in Iran. The Swiss government, acting through its Embassy in Tehran,
serves as protecting power for U.S. interests in Iran…”
“…Should you decide to travel to Iran despite the Travel Warning, a
passport and visa are required. The Iranian Interests Section of the
Embassy of Pakistan internet web site is http://www.daftar.org (click
on "English"). U.S. passports are valid for travel to Iran.”
Source: U.S. Department of State - Consular Information Sheet
http://travel.state.gov/iran.html
The entire document found at the source above contains valuable
information concerning US citizens traveling to Iran so should
therefore be read very carefully.
The first thing that you will need to travel is a US passport, if you
don’t already have one.
* Other Than at Passport Agencies, Where Can I Apply for a Passport? *
“You can apply for a passport at over 5,000 passport acceptance
facilities nationwide that include many Federal, state and probate
courts, many post offices, some libraries and a number of county and
municipal offices. These designated acceptance facilities are usually
more convenient because they are near your home or workplace.”
These facilities can be found by entering your zip code and state in
the form found at this site:
http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/
* Where Can I Get Passport Forms? *
“Passport acceptance facilities stock passport forms. Passport forms
can also be downloaded from the Internet at http://travel.state.gov or
obtained by calling the National Passport Information Center at
1-900-225-5674 or from the passport agencies.”
A list of agencies can be found here:
http://travel.state.gov/agencies_list.html
“If you apply at a passport acceptance facility, the same day that you
apply, your application will be sent to Passport Services for
processing. Your will receive your passport within 6 weeks via first
class mail. If you apply at a passport agency, you will receive your
passport within 5 weeks (25 business days) via first class mail. Your
passport will be mailed to the mailing address you provided on your
application.”
Source of the above and other information concerning applying for a US
passport:
- Applying for Your U.S. Passport the Easy Way -
http://travel.state.gov/passport_easy.html#easy6
Alternatively, if you prefer to apply for your passport online, this
site explains the procedure in detail:
- USA Immigration Services -
http://www.usais.org/apply_passport_services.htm
The next document you will need to travel to Iran is the visa.
Information and the procedure for applying for the visa can be found
here:
- Embassy of Pakistan: Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of
Iran -
http://www.daftar.org/default_eng.htm
The application can be found here in pdf format:
http://www.daftar.org/frm_visa.htm
Contact information:
The Iranian Interests Section of the Embassy of Pakistan
2209 Wisconsin Ave.
N.W, Washington, DC. 20007
Tel: 202-965-4990, 91, 92, 93, 94, 99
Fax: 202-965-1073, 202-965-4990
Website: http://www.daftar.org
Another site worth visiting with information on visa, fees, and almost
everything else about traveling to Iran:
- Travisa: Iran -
http://www.travisa.com/Iran/iranportal.html
Visa procedures and criteria are shown here:
http://www.travisa.com/Instructions/IranInst.htm
(Note the processing time for visas is 10 business days.)
An interesting country guide to Iran:
- Tours, Adventures & Travel Services: Iran -
http://www.first48.com/guide/iran.php
Search words used:
US citizen traveling to Iran
applying for US passport
US citizen visa to Iran
I hope the information I provided is helpful. If you have any
questions regarding my answer please don’t hesitate to ask before
rating it.
Have a safe trip!
Best regards,
rainbow-ga |
Clarification of Answer by
rainbow-ga
on
16 Apr 2003 09:13 PDT
Hi londonice,
Since you are being sponsored, your sponsors must obtain approval for
your visit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iran and have that
approval sent to the Iranian Interest Section in Washington DC.
The contact information for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ebn e Sina St.
Emam Khomeini SQ,
Tehran, Iran
Tel: (0098-21) 3211
Fax: (0098-21) 3113149
E-mail: matbuat@mfa.gov.ir
Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ir/
You will find all the requirements needed for a visa at the site I
posted in my answer:
http://www.travisa.com/Instructions/IranInst.htm
You may want to call the Iranian Interest Section in Washington DC:
Tel: 202-965-4990, 91, 92, 93, 94, 99
They will undoubtedly offer any advice and information you will need
regarding sponsorship.
I hope this helps. I’ll be happy to assist you further if you have any
other questions.
Best of luck,
rainbow-ga
|
