Time: GTM+3.5 hrs.
Entry requirements: Travel regulations should be checked before traveling.
Passport: Required by all except certain sea men.
Visa: Required by most nationals and must be obtained in advance from a Consulate General.
Currency: No currency restrictions on entering. Credit and charge cards are
accepted. The Dollar, Sterling and the D-Mark are the most easily traded.
Weight and measures: Metric system.
Health precautions: Details of health requirements should be checked before traveling.
Mandatory: Cholera and yellow-fever certificates likely to be required if traveling from infected area.
Advisable: Typhoid, paratyphoid and cholera inoculations advisable. AIDS certificate if staying more than three months.
Air access:
National carriers: Iran Air, Asseman
Other airlines: Aeroflot, Air India, Alitalia, Austrian, British Airways,
Emirates, Gulf Air, Lufthansa, MAS, PIA, Swissair, Syrian Arab, Turkish.
International airports: Mehrabad (Code: THR), 12 Km west of Tehran, with
duty-free shop, buffet restaurant, bank post office, shops; Shiraz
(Code: SYZ), 15Km From city, with buffet, post office, shops; Bandar Imam
Khomeini (Code: BND); Isfahan.
Surface access: There are roads from Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan via 15 border roadways.
There are rail lines from Turkey, and Turkmenistan.
Main ports: BandarShahid Rajai, Bandar Imam Khomeni (containers), Bandar Bushehr, Bandar Anzali, Bandar Chahbahar, Bandar Nowshahr, Khorramshahr (the main port), and Khargh Island (Oil terminal).
Electricity supply: 220v AC, 50 cycles.
Car hire: International driving license (along with two photographs) required.
City transport:
Taxis: Taxis are not metered and frequently shared.
Those hired by telephone or by hotels are more expensive. Tipping is not expected.
National transport:
Air: Iran Air, Asseman and several private airlines run frequent services between most cities and Tehran.
Road: Surfaced roads serve main centers and total network comprises 140,000 km.
Buses: Scheduled long-distance coach services available including Tehran-Anzali, Khorramshahr Bandar Imam Khomeini, Tehran-Zahedan and all other main cities and towns.
Rail: Rail service on 6,000 km network with three classes of service past, with sleeping accommodations, air-conditioning and restaurant service available.
Public holidays:
Fixed dates: 11 February (Victory of the Islamic Revolution), 19 March (Petroleum Nationalization Day), 21-24 March (Nowruz, the Iranian New Year), 1 April (Islamic Republic Day), 5 June (Passing away of Imam Khomeini)
Variable dates: Exact dates of Islamic religious festivals are determined by the lunar Calendar, Birth of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H), Eid-e-Qorban, Eid-e-Qadir, Tasua & Ashoura, Imam Ali's Martyrdom, Birthday of Twelfth Imam and other religious holiday in Iran; Thursday is a half day for offices only-shops and markets are open.
Working hours:
Government and business: 0700/0800 - 1500/1600 (closed Fri.)
Banking: 0800-1600;(Thu) 0800-1130 (Closed Fri).
Telecommunications:
Telephone: Dialing code for Iran, IDD Access code +98 followed by area code (631 for Abadan, 31 for Isfahan, 51 for Mashhad, 71 for Shiraz, 21 for Tehran).
Telex and telefax: There are telex and telefax service at major hotels in Tehran and at most post offices across the country.
E-mail and Internet services are also widely available.
Banking:
Central Bank: Bank Markazi Jomhouri Islami Iran.
Main Center: Tehran.
Head offices: Agricultural Bank of Iran, Bank of Industry and Mines, Bank Mellat, Bank Melli Iran, Bank Refah Kargaran, Bank Saderat Iran, Bank Sepah, Bank Tejarat, Export Development Bank of Iran.
Foreign Representative Offices: ABM Amro Bank, Banca Commerciale Italiana, Banque Nationale de Paris, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank, Grindlays Bank, Llyods Bank, Creditbank, Societe Generale, Bank of Tokyo.