Iran announced on Thursday (December 14th) that it is lifting visa requirements for 33 countries, including India and Saudi Arabia. According to ISNA news agency, Iran’s Ministry of Tourism believed that the open door policy would show Iran’s determination to deal with different countries of the world.
The decision would increase the number of countries or territories whose citizens can visit Iran without having to obtain a visa to 45, ISNA said.
Which countries will be able to travel without a visa?
According to the news agency, Iran’s visa requirement has been lifted for 33 countries, including Lebanon, Tunisia, India, Saudi Arabia and several Central Asian, African and Muslim countries.
Only one European nation of the Western Allies was on the list, Croatia, a small member of the European Union and NATO.
Tehran’s decision is another step in thawing relations, particularly between Iran and Saudi Arabia, after years of tension between the two Gulf oil-producing rivals. The news agency further reported that in addition to Bahrain, nationals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, with which Tehran has not yet established full relations, were included in the decision to lift the visa requirement.
“Russians will benefit from this visa exemption only if they visit the country in groups,” the news agency said.
Omani nationals were allowed to travel to Iran visa-free prior to this announcement.
