An Iranian man checks his phone in a street in Tehran on Jan 18 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

TEHRAN — An Iranian consular official said on Wednesday that 28 countries' citizens planning to visit Iran as tourists will not need a visa as of Feb 4.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Alireza Bikdeli made the remarks in an interview with the official news agency IRNA.

For Indian tourists, the visa exemption only applies to those traveling to Iran by plane but not to those entering the country through land border crossings

He added that the Iranian Foreign Ministry had sent the executive order, which was approved by the country's cabinet.

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The countries granted tourist visa exemption by Iran include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Tanzania, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, and India.

For Indian tourists, the visa exemption only applies to those traveling to Iran by plane but not to those entering the country through land border crossings, added Bikdeli. 

According to IRNA, the policy comes as Iran has already offered visa-free entry for nationals from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Oman, China, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria.

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Speaking to reporters in December 2023, Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ezzatollah Zarghami said the Iranian cabinet's decision to cancel visa requirements for visitors from certain countries unilaterally was aimed at improving the country's tourism sector, IRNA reported.