Iran
Iran, formerly Persia, can be considered part of the Middle East or Central Asia; indeed the Persian Empire was the dominant Central Asian power for many centuries. The wellspring of one of the world's great civilizations, Iran is a country of striking natural beauty and gorgeous tiled mosques. Wikivoyage
Cities
Cities with a full Wikivoyage guide, largest first.
Can I go? Entry and visas
From GOV.UK, for United Kingdom passports, updated 13 August 2026:
You must have a visa to visit Iran unless you hold an Iranian passport.
Check the expiry date of your visa before travelling. If you overstay your visa, you may have to stay in Iran until this is resolved and you may be detained.
If you’re travelling through an Iranian airport, check visa requirements with your airline and the Iranian Embassy in the UK.
Passport validity
If you choose to enter Iran against FCDO advice, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. It’s not possible to apply for a British passport from Iran.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Your embassy in Iran
Finding embassies…
For a lost passport, an arrest or an emergency.
Iran's embassy in United Kingdom
Finding embassies…
For a visa before you go.
Entry rules change, sometimes overnight. Always confirm with the official source before you book or travel. This is a pointer, not legal advice.
Good to know
Emergency numbers in Iran
- Currency
- Iranian Rial (IRR)
- Time
- UTC+3:30
- Tue 17:29 there now
- Plugs and power
- Types C, F · 220 V
- Driving
- On the right
- Calling code
- +98
- Languages
- Persian
- Capital
- Tehran
From Wikidata, Unicode CLDR (currency, languages) and the IANA time zone database; checked 10 October 2026.