NEW DELHI: Iran will now offer visa-on-arrival (VoA) to Indians at its airports. Iran’s private airline Mahan Air has told Indian travel agents that the new system has been put in place from this Monday (July 23). “We are yet to get the modalities of how the system will work,” said a Delhi-based travel agent.

An official in the visa section of Iran embassy, New Delhi, said: “Before leaving India, the visitor should take a tracking code from our e-visa system on our website, submit two photos and passport details. Then on arrival in Iran, the applicant will need to pay Euro 90 and get the VoA.”

It is learnt that Iran had decided to make it easier for Indians to visit the country during the visit of President Hassan Rouhani 's to Delhi this February.

Two airlines of Iran, Mahan Air and Iran Air, fly to India. Some Indian carriers like Air India Express have been planning to start flights to Iran for a while now but the flights are yet to start. Air India used to have a Mumbai-Tehran flight till 1993. “There is huge demand for travel from Iran to India. A lot of people from Iran come here for treatment in Indian hospitals. Leisure travel is also a big pull. Goa, for instance, is a favourite destination for Iranians,” said an official of an Indian carrier.

In recent weeks, a number of West Asian nations have been opening up their doors for Indians by simplifying travel norms for them. The maximum relaxations have been given by UAE from VoA for Indians who have valid US visas or are American green card holders to free limited period transit visas.

Ukraine has also decided to give VoA to nationals of some countries, including India. Last month, Oman also decided to issue unsponsored tourist visa on arrival to Indians “who reside in or hold an entry visa to any one of these countries — US, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan and Schengen States”.

