Iran’s consul general in Iraqi Kurdistan said Monday a system of electronic visa has been launched to ease the application process for Iran-bound Iraqi Kurds.
“The consulate in Erbil is seeking, among other things, to facilitate access to its services. In the same vein, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consulate general has begun issuing electronic visas to those intending to travel to Iran,” Morteza Ebadi was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The new system is aimed at making the visa process less demanding by referring the applicants to a website at e_visa.mfa.ir to punch in the required personal details, ridding them of the need to make frequent visits to the consulate in person.
The applicants formerly needed to refer to the consulate twice, once to submit their passport and once to pick up their visa.
The new system has eliminated the first stage by allowing the lodging of applications through the website.
“With a copy of the application form in hand, travelers can receive their visa with a single referral,” Ebadi said.
He added the new visa regime, which has been in place since earlier this month for a trial run, has not affected the application fee.
Under the revised procedure, businessmen and other frequent visitors who often make applications for long stays, are granted long-term visas “upon the recommendation of the consulate’s economic experts,” the diplomat added.
Conventionally, an electronic visa is stored in a computer and is linked to the passport number with no label, sticker or stamp placed in the passport before travel. The application is done over the Internet.
