How my “Great Trip to Iran” started. Honestly.

Photo: Johannes Weichart

„So you were in Central Asia? Well I guess it’s safer than in… in.. in Iran.“

„I just came from Iran actually.“

„Oh.. eee.“ [changes the topic]

[A random conversation with almost a random person]

Thanks for caring! I’ve got many messages concerning about my trip to Iran – didn’t I like that country AT ALL that I only published one article about it?!  [You can find it HERE and I strongly recommend to read it to get the concept for further posts].

What can I say? I’m gonna UPDATE YOU SOON! No one, NO ONE should miss a detailed information how amazing is Iran! [… how cheesy…]. Of course, there were moments not as good as melted cheese, but the good news are – I’m gonna write about those as well.

Let’s have an honest start!

How many doors you need to knock to reach Iran?

The first post [okay you smarty pie, second] about Iran is going to be about „What to do to make Iranians let you into their country“. So if you can’t sit still at all you better start organizing your visa because I promise – you can sit on your chair longer than you might expect! [all worth it though].

First you need a magical code. I got mine from HERE. Once you have it feel free to celebrate a bit as the next step can be a bit more difficult [especially if you are applying to it in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan].

Got your code? Time to discover the life in embassy!

Already exhausted? I can’t believe it… but okay, okay, there’s also an easier route. If you decide to go to Iran via airport you can get your visa on-arrival [make sure you still register for your e-visa a couple of days before]. Doing so – I have to warn you – you’ll miss the fun part of running between embassies and banks [so, it’s on your own risk!].

Let’s time-travel a bit and see how it was working some months ago in Kyrgyzstan [there’s a high chance you’ll do the same one day, isn’t there?!].

Ala-too square aka the main square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

I got an e-mail with the magical code. Woke up next morning at 7 am, ran into the underground, had my papers printed out [let’s not talk about the quality..]. Walked some kilometres to the embassy where one lady told me I also need the proof of my travel insurance. Walked back home. Printed out 3 pages of text in Estonian [where there were also written that the insurance was already expired]. Walked back to embassy again. The lady had her lunch break and was late half an hour.

Instead of her I found a Kyrgyz guy in front of the door, waiting for his visa.

„Are you going to Iran? [no, to Nicaragua, why else I need Iranian embassy?]. Tehran is a boring city, I have my business meeting; but don’t go out of the hotel,“ he adviced me.

„I’m not planning to stay in the hotels,“ I replied and saw the embassy-lady coming back walking as she had the whole time of the world in her hands. She opened the door and sent me straight to the bank of Pakistan. I had to pay 50 dollars, got a small piece of paper and knocked the embassy’s door [again] 15 minutes later.

This local guy didn’t care much as I was running around the city. PS. He is not the “business” guy.

„Oh, so you’re back,“ the woman said, „call after 5 days to check if your visa is ready.“

„Five?!“ I didn’t want to believe her, „I heard it should be ready in three“.

„You can call day after tomorrow if you really want,“ the lady shrugged her shoulders.

So did I and collected my visa in two days.

[To be continued…]

Madlen