Tehran Travel Forum

Entering Iran on 2 passports for two purposes?

I am an Iranian citizens, as well as a Canadian citizen visiting Iran this Spring, (I am entering on my Iranian passport) and staying 3 months, no longer. My question is since I plan to enter either Armenia, or Turkmenistan after Iran, do I need to show my Iranian, or Canadian passport at the Armenian or Turkmen embassies in Tehran to get a visa? Obviously, the price for Iranians should be a little lower, but I am more concerned with the practicalities of having 2 passports in Iran, one for entering, and the other for getting visas for 3rd party countries.

How should I do this in Iran? If you are living in Iran, please advise me. Thanks.

Hey,
It depends on Armenian and Turkmen Embassies (Which are both corrupted!); legally you are not supposed to use your Canadian Passport in Iran and your Iranian passport in Canada. Why don't you get your visas in Canada before you go to Iran? Why don't you go to those 3rd countries with your Iranian passport?

Are you kidding? Iranian visas for Canadian passports are short, expensive, and a pain to get, plus going to Iran with an Iranian passport = 3 months in Iran, no other passport can do that.

And Iranian passport is useless outside Iran, except maybe Turkey (3 month stay).

I will of course try using my Iranian passport to get Turkmen/Armenian visas, after all it is cheaper for Iranian passport holders I think, but there may come a logistial problem when I try to cross the Turkmen/Uzbek border, or the Armenia/Georgia border, since it's better to go into Georgia with Canadian passport, I think Canadians have prefered treatment in Georgia.

I did not recommend you going to Iran with your Canadian passport! Because you simply can't! I said why don't you get Turkmen and Armenian visas in Canada( or wherever you residing currently!) before you go to Iran.

You can get an Iranian visa in your Canadian passport, what are you talking about?

And I am not in Canada, and not going back anytime soon. All the paperwork has to be done in Iran, the only question remains is which passport to use

It is usually a good idea to start at the official website of your own country's foreign ministry:

"Dual nationality is not legally recognized in Iran. Dual nationals have to enter and exit Iran using their Iranian passports. When returning to Canada from Iran, Canadian-Iranian nationals must carry both Canadian and Iranian passports, as airlines require a Canadian passport. The Embassy of Canada's ability to assist Canadian-Iranian nationals is very limited. Naturalized Canadians who are Iranian by birth should be aware that Iranian authorities could take an interest in them for reasons related to politics, security, property, or professional background.

The following problems have occurred:

- If a dual national enters Iran with a transit pass issued by an embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran abroad, it may take anywhere from one to twelve months to obtain an Iranian passport to exit Iran or return to Canada.
- If a male dual national has not completed his Iranian military service, he will be required to do so. Iranians who reside outside Iran are temporarily exempted from military service while abroad and are permitted to visit Iran once a year for a period limited to three months. Dual nationals ignoring this limitation may be prohibited from leaving Iran.
- Iranian immigration authorities have been known to confiscate the foreign passports (including Canadian) of Iranian dual nationals.
- Iranian authorities sometimes insert an observation in Iranian passports limiting the bearer to one trip to Iran per year. Dual nationals using an Iranian passport to enter Iran should take note of this limitation as it is strictly enforced. Canadians who have exceeded this limitation have been prohibited from leaving Iran, separating them from their family in Canada. This situation seems to be more frequent for dual nationals who have not completed their military service in Iran.
- Iranian authorities sometimes allow entry to dual nationals travelling with an Iranian passport along with a Canadian citizenship card or a Canadian passport that is valid for less than six months or has expired. Upon departure, these individuals are often stopped at border crossings and are not allowed to leave Iran until they have obtained the appropriate documents.
- Dual nationals who have obtained their Canadian citizenship after being accepted as refugees in Canada may have their Iranian passport seized at a port of entry and be prohibited from leaving the country for a year."

Source: www.voyage.gc.ca (essential information for Canadians abroad, website of Foreign Affairs Canada)

Yes I am aware of that information, thank you. I am curious about Armenian tourist visa/Turkmen transit visa collected in Iran, either by Iranian or Canadian passport, which one should I use?

Nevermind! It seems you don't need any help

I think what Azadeh is trying to tell you is that you cannot get any visas at embassies in Iran if you didn't enter Iran on that passport. I.e. if you have to enter Iran on your Iranian passport, you'll need to get visas on that one.
As for getting visas : getting them on a western passport is usually much easier. Central Asian countries' governments are more welcoming to western tourists' dollars than to Iranian travellers (mostly merchants), and you are likely to find it a lot easier to get visas on your Canadian passport than on your Iranian one.

except of course in the case of Turkey, where it's free for Iranians, and Canadians have to pay $60 (to enter Turkeu for 3 months).

I no longer am interested in central asia, instead I am going to Armenia after iran. an getting visa at the land border on arrival

Now i need to know about Turkey, which passport to use enter at Istanbul (from Europe)

As I said preiviously, both have drawbacks :

Canadian passport : Visa fee but hassle-free entry
Iranian passport : No visa fee, but likely longer questioning about the purpose of your stay. There is chance you might even be asked to provide an onward ticket (which you won't have if you're travelling on to Iran overland), so there might be problems on that front.

You are right, but I am entering Syria after Turkey (not Iran), if visa on arrival at the Syrian-Turkish border is impossible for Canadians or Iranians, I will enter Cyprus, from Turkey.