Iran has made an announcement that will welcome Indian tourists planning to visit the country. Starting from February 4, 2020, Indian tourists will no longer need a visa to enter Iran. However, this visa waiver is subject to certain conditions. For instance, individuals holding ordinary passports will be allowed to enter the country without a visa once every six months, with a maximum stay of 15 days, which is non-extendable. It is worth noting that the visa abolition only applies to individuals entering Iran for tourism purposes.

The move to waive visa requirements for Indian tourists is part of Iran's efforts to boost global tourism and counter any negative perceptions about the country. In fact, last year, Iran removed visa requirements for Indian citizens and tourists from 32 other countries to encourage more people to visit the country.

Iran's decision to waive visa requirements for Indian tourists is in line with similar decisions made by other countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. These countries have also waived visa requirements for Indian tourists, as the number of outbound Indian tourists has increased to 13 million in 2022.

What rules apply to Indians who want to visit Iran?

To be eligible for the visa waiver, Indian nationals must enter the country through the air border. If Indian nationals wish to stay for a longer period or need to make multiple entries within six months, they must obtain the necessary visas through the respective representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India.

It is also worth noting that the visa waiver applies not only to India but also to travelers from Russia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles, Indonesia, Darussalam, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, and Belarus. Iran already had visa waivers for Turkey, Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria.

Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami believes that boosting tourism can counteract Iranophobia campaigns. According to the latest statistics, the number of foreign arrivals in Iran increased by 48.5% compared to the same period last year, reaching 4.4 million during the first eight months of the current Iranian year, indicating that Iran's efforts to boost tourism are paying off.

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