This post will explain everything you need to know about submitting your Iran Visa application in Bishkek. Follow the instructions and it should be an easy process. Our personal experience is explained to highlight how it was for us.
Iran Visa Application in Bishkek
One of the greatest challenges of travelling in Central Asia is the bureaucratic mine field of applying for visas along the way. We had chosen Bishkek as a base to make applications for 3 countries. Uzbekistan, Iran and Turkmenistan.
The reason for this was because:-
- We’d done as much research as we could and found out the embassies are friendly here and we had a better chance of successful applications.
- Bishkek is a wonderful city to relax in for a while, whilst waiting for our visas to be approved.
- We had plenty of time to play with and needed a break from being on the move and this was a perfect excuse to be static for some time.
- Kyrgyzstan is probably the cheapest destination in Central Asia, so as frugal travellers it made sense to spend our time here applying for visas rather than elsewhere.
The Iran Visa application process is reasonably straightforward. As long as you are well prepared and have your paperwork in order, it can be achieved quite painlessly.
This post is about our experience getting an Iranian visa in Bishkek and is a simple guide to make the experience easier for others who follow us.
It will not answer all the questions you may have about getting an Iranian visa. Different criteria applies to different nationalities. There is a lot of information online about it. We definitely recommend visiting the very informative caravanistan website for further information about applying for an Iranian visa. It is by far the best resource for all of the latest information concerning travel in Central Asia and is used by many people travelling here.
How to get to the Iranian embassy
The address is :
Razzagov Street 36, Bishkek.
The entrance to the consular section is on Moscovskvaya, (Moscow Street)
Opening hours 9.00 – 13.00, 15.00-17.00
Monday to Friday
Visa collection is in the afternoon.
Phone 0312 621281
What you will need for your Iran visa application in Bishkek.
- Your passport with at least 2 empty pages and valid for 6 months after your visa expiry date.
- A photocopy of your RN number (authorisation code) issued by the MFA and obtained from a licensed agent. More about this below.
- A photocopy of your travel insurance valid for your stay in Iran.
- Money to pay for your visa application.
Getting an RN number
To apply for an Iranian visa everybody needs a RN number issued by the MFA (ministry of Foreign Affairs) in Iran. To get one of these the best way is to go to a specialised agent who is authorised to apply for the RN number for you. There are many agents online, some better and more efficient that others. The one we used is called Key 2 Persia was recommended to us by many other travellers who had a good experience using them. They were fast and efficient with their service and their website is informative about the whole process.
It cost us $35 which we had to pay using Paypal. There is an easy online form which you fill in and send your details to them along with scanned copies of your passport and passport photos. The RN number will be emailed to you in 1-3 working days, (Ours took 2).
Important note : Once you pay Key 2 Persia through Paypal for the service, you Must then email them to confirm you have paid. If they do not receive this email they will not proceed with your RN number application and it will be delayed until you confirm. This is stressed in their detailed information when you apply with them.
Another option
The other option some people take when they make their Iran visa application in Bishkek is to go to an agent in the City who will apply for the RN and also do the visa application at the embassy for you. The agent is Parsia/Air Arabia travel and the address is 166 Soviet Street. You pay for this service though. They quoted us 205 Euros. We have New Zealand passports and our visas cost 120 Euros at the embassy so we chose the cheaper option of applying online for the RN number saving us about 50 Euros.
Once you have your RN number printed out you are ready to go to the embassy to put your visa application in.
Warning – Do not apply for your RN number through the new evisa system direct with the MFA. It either takes a very long time or does not get issued at all. We met other travellers who had tried this and failed. They were still waiting after 3 weeks and others had just given up waiting.
Our Application experience
RN Number confirmation first
We went to the Iranian embassy on Wednesday 18 July. We were slow getting started so didn’t arrive until 9.30 am. They open at 9 and we recommend arriving there then to get things moving. The receptionist checks all of your documents are in order. We didn’t need to hand in passport photos as there is a photo on your RN number printout and she didn’t require a passport photocopy because you leave your original with them. The consul will check that the RN number has been approved by the MFA before they can accept your application. The receptionist told us that the consul was in a meeting and we should telephone at 11 am to see if he has verified the approval. We said we were in the area and we’d personally call back in at 11 am.
We chilled in the park around the corner for a while. It’s a nice place to relax. We returned at 11, rang the bell and the receptionist said “I told you to return at 12!” She hadn’t, but we were not going to argue. We said “that’s fine, we can wait”. There is a nice air-con waiting room there with some nice literature on Iran so we were happy to escape the heat outside and our presence may remind them of our existence.
Pay at the bank
After 15 minutes waiting the receptionist appeared at the window to announce that the consul had checked our RN numbers and they had been approved. Next stage is to pay for the application at the Bank of Pakistan which is 900 metres away, East along Moscow Street. She gave us a bank slip with the payment details to hand in at the bank. It cost a whopping 120 euros each for New Zealanders. Only 50 euros for Europeans. She was quite apologetic about this.
We walked down the street and paid at the bank. There was also a 50 Som each bank handling charge for the transaction. They would have accepted any currency at the bank. I had just bought a few extra Euros from the currency exchange shops outside. There are plenty along there. The bank gave us a receipt that we had paid which you then take back to the embassy.
Back to the embassy
We walked back to the embassy, arriving at 11.50 am. The receptionist let us in and we handed in the bank payment slips. All done! She told us it would take 3 working days to issue the visa and we should return on Monday 23rd at 4 pm to pick up our passports. If you get it in on Tuesday, you will have it back on Friday.
Returning to collect visas
We returned to the embassy at 3 pm on Monday to pick up our passports. She had told us 4 but it opens for the afternoon at 3 so we thought we’d give it a go. When we arrived she said “After 4” so we just smiled and said we are happy to wait again. 15 minutes later she called us and gave us our passports back with our shiny new Iranian visas in. We were successful!! We were so happy to be going to Iran. She was very friendly and spoke to us about all the wonderful places to visit there. She even gave us a very nice Information book on Iran which many other travellers had not received. Iran visa application in Bishkek… Mission accomplished!
The whole experience here had been very positive and we definitely recommend submitting your Iran visa application in Bishkek if you are on the Silk Road and wish to visit this amazing country.
Next was for the real challenge. Trying to get a Turkmenistan transit visa!!
Getting a Turkmenistan transit visa in Bishkek
Iran guides
Check out what else we have been up to in Kyrgyzstan
Have you tried to apply for an Iranian visa in Bishkek? Is there anything else you’d like to know?
Please if you have any questions regarding this visa application process or if you just want to leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you.
