Guide

General Information for Tourists

The best time for visiting Iran:

Spring and Autumn are the best times to visit Iran. Please be informed that in Ramadhan, the fasting month of Muslims, most of the restaurants in Iran are closed during the day, and it is impossible for us to entertain you as best as possible. (Hotels are excepted from this rule.)

Climate:

Because of varied topography, Iran has a variety of climates and temperatures very considerably different from season to season and from one place to another. The climate diversity in Iran is such that some tourists can enjoy winter sports in the mountains while others can bathe in the warm waters of the southern shores, both within a few hours drive from the main cities. Iran has a good climate compared to other Middle Eastern countries. More than one third of the land surface received rainfall of more than 250 mm on average each year, while the heavy winter snowfalls on the mountains which surround the central plateau provide a reservoir of water irrigating spring corps.

Statistically, about 20.7% of the total area of Iran is desert and uncultivable land, 54.9% natural range land, 7.6% forest land, and the only remaining 16.8% is potentially arable land, of which 11.6 million hectares go annually under cultivation. Despite the fact that generally the climate of Iran is dry, the land is however, rich in terms of inland lakes and wetlands (total of 33), some of which are Lake Oroomiyeh West Azarbaijan, Lake Parishan, Lake Maharloo Barmshoor and Neiriz Lakes Fars, Hamoon-e-Hirman Sistan around Kooh-e-Khaje.

Customs:

Passengers entering Iran are prohibited from carrying alcoholic beverage, guns, narcotics, ammunition, obscene articles and publications.

Currency:

Rial

Time:

GMT plus 3.5 hours

Iranian Calendar year 1390 (2011 - 2012 A.D)

A few of the main occasions and holidays:

March 21	Now Rooz (Iranian New Year)
March 22	Now Rooz (Iranian New Year
March 23	Now Rooz (Iranian New Year)
March 24	Now Rooz (Iranian New Year)
April 1	Islamic Republic Day
April 2	Day of Nature (Sizdah Bedar)
April 30	Persian Gulf National Day
May 24	Birthday of Hazrat-e- Fatemeh Zahra, the daughter of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H)
June 4	Demised of Imam Khomeini (RAH)
June 5	Ghiyam-e- 15 Khordad
June 16	Birthday of Imam Ali (A.S)
June 30	Appointment of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) as the last Messenger of God
July 17	Birthday of Imam Mahdi (A.S)
August 21	Martyrdom of Imam Ali (A.S)
August 31	Eid-e- Fetr
September 24	Martyrdom of Imam Ja'afar Sadegh (A.S)
September 29	Birthday of Hazrat-e- Masoomeh (A.S)/ Girls Day
October 12	Hadez Day/ Day of decreasing the effects of Natural Disasters
November 7	Eid-e- Ghorban
November 15	Eid-e- Ghadir Khom
November 22	Family Day
December 5	Tasooaye- Hoseini
December 6	Ashooray-e- Hoseini, A.S (Martyrdom of Imam Hosein, Grandson of Prophet Mohammad P.B.U.H)
December 25	Birthday of Hazrat-e- Masih (Prophet Jesus Christ, P.B.U.H)
January 10	Martyrdom of Mirza Taghi Khan-e- Amir kabir
January 14	Arbaeen-e- Hoseini
January 22	Demise of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H)
January 24	Martyrdom of Imam Reza (A.S)
February 10	Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H)
February 11	Victory of the Islamic Revolution
March 19	Nationalization of Iranian Oil Industry

(a) Visa entry requirements for Iran

The following requirements are applicable to any and all nationalities except US Citizens. Please take a moment to read these instructions carefully, as they need to be followed in order to apply for your visas to Iran.

Darwan Tour & Travel Co. Ltd. can and will apply on your behalf upon request, to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for your single or double entry visas into Iran. Unless otherwise specified by the Ministry, your visa once issued will be good to stay in Iran for up to 30 days. However, granting visas and time permitted to stay in Iran, is totally at the discretion of the Ministry and we assume no obligation or responsibility for duration of stay, approval, or refusal, of your visa, as this is beyond our control.

Once you submit your application to us, we go through it to make sure everything has been filled correctly. When you decide to apply, please have the following information at hand, and make sure that you scan your identification page of your passport and email that to our either company’s accounts at inbound@darwantour.com or info@darwantour.com

Once the visas is issued, we will send you a reference number, and you need to take this reference number to the Iranian Embassy or Consulate specified in your application, and have your passport stamped. Please make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months from the time you enter Iran. Also, have at least 2 blank pages left in your passport. Upon completion of your application, it usually takes 14 working days to process your application. We offer a service to get you a landing permission. Currently, our fee for such service is $40.00 per passport which is payable to our company’s bank account. PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR PASSPORT TO US.

(b) Visa entry requirements for Iran

The following requirements are applicable to all US Citizens. Please take a moment to read these instructions carefully, as they need to be followed in order to apply for your visas to Iran.

Darwan Tour & Travel Co. Ltd. can and will apply on your behalf upon request, to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for your visa. Please note that currently the Ministry does not allow American passport holders to travel to Iran independently. Every US Citizen, who wishes to travel to Iran, is required to travel on escorted tours; either as part of a tour group, or a tailor made individual. The traveler must also strictly adhere to his/her own Itinerary. In order to obtain your visa, we need to make your all travel arrangements including accommodation, a private car and guide/driver throughout the trip, and internal flights. Unless otherwise specified by the Ministry, your visa once issued will be good to stay in Iran for up to 30 days. However, granting visas and time permitted to stay in Iran, is totally at the discretion of the Ministry and we assume no obligation or responsibility for duration of stay, approval, or refusal, of your visa, as this is beyond our control.

Once you submit your application to us, we go through it to make sure everything has been filled correctly. When you decide to apply, please have the following information at hand, and make sure that you scan your identification page of your passport (page 1-3) and email that to our either company’s accounts at inbound@darwantour.com or info@darwantour.com

To complete your application, we will need to know your father’s name, your occupation, if you have been in Iran before or not, your Itinerary with as much detail as possible, and at which Iranian Embassy or Consulate, you wish to collect your visa. If you have booked your tour through us, you do not have to submit your Itinerary. However, you will need to submit other information if they have not been submitted at the time of reservation. You will also need to complete FORM #104. Once we send your approval reference number, you will need to have your passport stamped at the Interest Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington D.C. Please make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months from the time you enter Iran. Also, have at least 2 blank pages left in your passport. Currently the stamp fee for American passport holders is set to be $91.00.

Upon completion of your application, it usually takes 25 working days to process your application. We offer a service to get you a landing permission, provided you reserve your tour through us. Currently, our fee for such service is $55.00 per passport which is payable to our company’s bank account. PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR PASSPORT TO US.

(c) 7 Days Entry Visas

In accord with the new visa regulations announced from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, visitors of many countries may now obtain their tourist visas at the designated airports ( IKIA, Mehr Abad International Airport, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz and Isfahan Airports) in Iran.

This is subject to couple of conditions; (i) That the applicant’s visas has never been refused by any Iranian Missions before; (ii) That the duration of stay in Iran shall NOT exceed 7 days; (iii) That the applicant would provide a copy of his/her passport and other info requested (applicant’s father’s name, his/her occupation, flight itinerary) to the travel agent at least 24 hours prior to his/ arrival at Iran. Citizens of the following countries may now use this facility;

Azerbaijan, Albania, Germany, Austria, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Spain, Australia, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, UAE, Indonesia, Ukraine, Italy, Ireland, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Purtugal, Peru, Tajikstan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, China, Denmark, Russian Federation, Romania, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, France, Palestine, Finland, Philippines, Cypress, Kyrghyzstan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Croatia, South Korea, North Korea, Columbia, Cuba, Kuwait, Georgia, Lebenon, Luxamburg, Poland, Malaysia, Hungary, Mongolia, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, Venezuela, Vietnam, Netherlands, India, Yoguslavia, and Greece.

Electricity:

220v AC, 50 HZ

Dress Code:

Visit From the moment you enter Iran, you are kindly requested to observe its dress code.

Ladies are requested to wear a scarf to cover their hair only. It is recommended that they have a long sleeves shirt, with a trousers on. The shirt should cover the hip area (for women). The shirts or pants should not be transparent. Wearing Mantaux for women is NOT mandatory. Makeup for women is allowed.

There are no restrictions as to the woman's Jewelry. No shorts for both men and women is allowed in public.

If you have any questions or concerns, about the dress code, or you are not sure about the dressing rules, please feel free to contact us. Our staff have been trained to help you in this regard. As for women, we may also send you some complementary "Roosari" (Scarf) for your convenience.

Measures:

Metric