Visa

We advice you to obtain a visa for your stay in Tehran before your arrival. Please refer to the Embassy of Iran in your country as soon as possible for more information on how to obtain a visa. Note that the procedure for obtaining a visa is particularly long for British, American and Canadian citizens. You will have to apply for a "business/conference/short stay" visa for which IETM's partner, Fadjr Festival, will provide an invitation letter.

In case, and only if, time doesn't permit, you can get a "tourist" visa on arrival at the airport, except if you are a national of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Somalia, UK & US.

You will be required to have a confirmed return ticket, a valid passport, a photograph to be attached to the application form and submit either an invitation letter or a hotel booking confirmation for the duration of your stay in Iran.

Note that your passport must be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date a visa application for Iran is submitted. If your passport contains an Israeli stamp or stamps from other countries’ border crossing points with Israel, you may be refused entry to Iran.

Currency

The official currency of Iran is the Rial (pronounced ree-yaal). While amounts of money and prices of goods are always written in rials, Iranians usually express amounts of money and prices of goods in "tomans" (1 Toman = 10 Rials).

Note that international credit cards are not accepted in Iran and ATMs do not accept non-Iranian cards. Therefore, it's highly recommended that you bring all the money you foresee to spend during your stay in cash. Once in Tehran, you will be able to exchange all major currencies into Iranian Rials. 

Accommodation

Hotel rates are high in Tehran, but the Ferdowsi International Grand Hotel offers a special deal at 120€ a night to the Caravan participants.

We recommend that all the participants stay in this hotel and book a room by sending an email to ietm@ietm.org. Please specify if you are willing to share a room and its cost.

Transportation

IETM and Fadjr festival have arranged a van for the journeys between the venues of the meeting, including the hotel, as well as the pick ups and drop offs at the airport.

Metro

Tehran's metro system is safe, cheap and efficient and an ideal way to avoid the traffic jams above ground. You can either purchase a single ticket or a rechargable transportation card at a station. 

Taxi

It's usually very easy to spot a taxi in Tehran. Private cars often also take passengers but we recommend you use yellow or green taxis (different companies). Alternatively, you can make use of Snapp, the Iranian version of Uber, which is fairly cheap and the price is calculated in advance.

Dress code

Women must cover their heads, arms and legs while in public. The hijab (headscarf) can be worn in different ways and women from the local cultural scene are particularly creative in its usage. Clothing must be loose although jeans are acceptable. Men are not allowed to wear shorts in public.