Electronic visas have replaced paper visas at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport as of early February.
Travelers formerly received a sticker in their passport whose procedures were complicated and time-consuming.
The e-visa, instead, is stored in a computer system and linked to the passport number with no need for a label, sticker or stamp in the travel document, IRIB News reported.
The electronic service eases the process considerably and reduces the amount of time travelers need to spend before entering the country.
“Travelers from 180 countries can now apply for an e-visa if they plan to travel through IKIA,” Hossein Panahi-Azar, deputy for Iranians and parliamentary affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said at the inauguration ceremony on Feb. 11.
He added that centralized, precise and fast procedures and more importantly, the impossibility of counterfeiting a visa are among the advantages of the new system.
“Travelers’ visas can be verified easily through the passport number,” he said. Based on statistics, some 1,200 visas are issued at IKIA every day.
“With the launch of the electronic system, the number is expected to rise by four times,” Panahi-Azar said.
Shahram Adamnejad, director of Imam Khomeini Airport Town Company, said the airport should be a pioneer in offering all travel services in a smart fashion and the e-visa is the first step.
“Upgrading IKIA’s portal, designing a mobile application and smart parking facilities are among the e-service priorities of the airport city’s IT department,” he said.
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