Iran
August 2012
Trabzon (Turkey)
Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Esentepe Mah. Iran Cad. Kiziltoprak Sok, Tel: (+90-462) 3267650/1/2
Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 12:00 a.m., 02:30 - 04:30 p.m.
Passport
1 passport size photograph (preferably reputable, no beach snapshot, women sometimes require one with a headscarf, but photo shop just around the corner)
Application (you get on site to fill in)
75, - € for 30 days
You have 90 days to enter the country and then visa runs for 30 days.
A few hours
Ideally be there by 9 a.m. and ring the doorbell. As a woman, ideally abide by the Iranian dress code to make a good impression. Give them passport and photo. You can sit down inside and fill in the application (questions about where you want to cross the border, which places you want to visit in Iran, how much money you plan to bring etc.). You get a piece of paper, with which you go to the prescribed Bank (Merkes Is Bankasi,Trabzon Subasi 28A, opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 12:30 a.m., 01:30 to 05:30 p.m.) and you pay the money there in cash with Euros, Dollars or Turkish Lira. With the deposit slip you go back to the consulate. With a little luck it only takes one or two hours until you get your visa.
Rumor has it that sometimes visa are issued for only 2 weeks. Make sure that you explain you are travelling by bike, that you are slow as a snail and therefor need a visa for 2 weeks. For German citizens and probably also for other Europeans there shouldn't be any problems, but from Australians for example they demand a reference number which you can get from an online agency.
Istanbul, Ankara, Erzurum (Turkey)
But beware, some of them demand a reference number from an agency! This takes time and money. This happened to us in Istanbul, which is why we went to Trabzon.
You can extend your visa in every provincial capital with help of the "Police of Aliens".
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