Iran is set to cancel visa requirements for visitors from 33 new countries including India. According to news agency ISNA, Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami said that the decision has been taken with an aim to boost tourism and attract more visitors.
The decision will result in an increase in the number of countries or territories whose citizens can visit Iran without needing to obtain a visa to 45, it stated. According to ISNA, the decision is another step towards ensuring cordial relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in particular after years of tension between the two oil-producing Gulf rivals.
"The ministry of tourism believes that an open-door policy will showcase Iran's determination to engage with different countries of the world," the semi-official ISNA reported.
The 33 countries approved for Iran's new visa-waiver program are as follows: India, Russian, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles, Indonesia, Darussalam, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Belarus, as per ISNA.
Earlier, Iran had visa waiver programs for visitors from Turkiye, Republic of Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon and Syria.