Tehran Feb 7: Iran on Tuesday announced the initiation of a 15-day visa-free policy for Indian tourists visiting the country, the Iran Embassy said in a statement here. It has abolished visas for Indian citizens from February 4 subject to four conditions.

What is the aim of Iran to announce visa-free policy for Indian tourists?

Iran approved a new visa-waiver programme for 33 countries, including India, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico, in December. Iranian culture minister Ezzatollah Zarghami had said the move is aimed at boosting tourism and neutralising "Iranophobia campaigns".

This also came after External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, who visiting Iran in the middle of an escalating West Asian conflict and challenging situations in the Red Sea, also had meetings with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.

What are the four conditions?

1. Indian citizens would be allowed to enter Iran with ordinary passports once every six months and with a maximum stay of 15 days which will not be extended.

2. The visa abolition only applies to individuals entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran for tourism purposes.

3. If Indian nationals wish to stay for a longer period or make multiple entries within a six-month period require other types of visas, they must obtain the necessary visas through the respective representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India.

4. The visa abolition outlined in this approval specifically applies to Indian nationals who enter the country just through the air border.

Iran, the latest country to do so

Iran has become the latest country in the past few months to give visa-free access to India tourists. Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka have also eased visa rules for Indian tourists. Earlier last year, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that visitors from India and China will be granted 30-day visa-free entry into Malaysia from December 1. He said that the visa exemption is still subject to security screenings for records of crime or violence.

Similarly, Thailand announced that Indian tourists will be allowed visa-free entry to the country for a period of six months starting November 10. The announcement was made following a decision by the Thai Cabinet, which agreed to exempt tourists from India and Taiwan from requiring an entry visa to stay in Thailand for up to 30 days, effective till May 10, 2024.

Moreover, Sri Lanka has also allowed visa-free entry to visitors from seven countries, including India, China and Russia.

Indian Tourists and Iran

According to the World Tourism Organization, Iran’s foreign tourist arrivals during 2022 rose 315% from a year earlier. Data showed some 4.1 million tourists came to Iran in 2022, up from 990,000 in 2021.

Moslem Shojai, who heads the Iranian tourism ministry’s foreign tourism marketing and development office, said in December that there had been a “notable growth” in travellers from India in 2023. 31,000 Indians visited Iran in the first six months of 2023, marking 25% growth compared to the same period in 2022. Most foreign travellers visit Iran for tourism, trade, medical treatment and pilgrimage, Shojai said.