What to do before a flight: checklist for trips inside Iran and abroad

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When you book

Weeks before

Check your passport: at least six months left after the return date, and a free page or two.Read more
Check the entry rule for your destination and apply for the visa or e-visa before you pay for the ticket.Read more
Type the names exactly as on the passport (abroad) or the national ID (inside Iran). A wrong letter can cost a new ticket.
Know what you bought: a system fare refunds on the national penalty table, a charter fare is often non-refundable.Read more
Read the baggage allowance on the ticket, not the airline's general page: charter and cheap fares often carry less.Read more
Pick seats together if you travel with family; the seat map at purchase or at online check-in is the one that counts.Read more
Children need their own documents: birth certificate or national ID at home, their own passport abroad. A minor travelling without the father needs his notarized consent.
Buy travel insurance from an Iranian insurer before you go; some visas require it and foreign hospitals do not take Iranian cards.
Book at least the first night and keep the address: passport control and the visa form ask for it.Read more

Seven days out

Pay the exit tax in advance through Sadad or your bank app and keep the receipt; the airport kiosks have queues.Read more
Iranian bank cards do not work abroad. Take cash in dollars or euros, or arrange a card issued outside Iran.
Decide on a SIM: an eSIM bought before the trip, or a local SIM at the airport with your passport.
Save the ticket, the hotel booking and the visa approval as PDFs on your phone and print one copy; phones run out of battery.
Medicines in the original box with the prescription; some common Iranian medicines are controlled abroad.
Download offline maps of the destination and open the airport help pages on this site once so they work without internet.Read more
Check the plug type: Turkey, Georgia and Armenia use the same two round pins as Iran; the UK, Malaysia and the Gulf do not.
Look at the route status: airspace closures, grounded fleets and border changes show up there first.Read more

24 hours out

Check in online when the airline opens it (usually 24 to 48 hours before) and choose your seat.
Re-check the departure time and terminal on the airline's site; domestic schedules change at short notice.
Liquids in the cabin bag: containers of 100 ml or less in one clear bag. Power banks and spare batteries go in the cabin, never the hold.
Weigh the bags at home; excess baggage at the counter costs several times the online rate.
One pouch with everything: ID or passport, ticket, visa print, hotel, insurance, exit-tax receipt, some cash.
Charge the phone and the power bank; set two alarms for an early flight.
Book the ride to the airport the night before and check how long it takes at that hour; Tehran traffic can double the time.Read more

Leaving home

Be at the airport three hours before an international flight; passport control and the exit-tax check add time.Read more
Check the terminal: Mehrabad has four, by airline; Imam Khomeini has two, and a few foreign carriers use the Salam terminal.
Keep the ID or passport and the boarding pass in your hand, not in the bag: you will show them four or five times.
At security: laptop out of the bag, belt and metal off, water bottle empty. Lighters and knives do not fly.
Go to the gate at the boarding time printed on the pass, not the departure time; gates can change, so watch the screens.

During the flight

Phone on airplane mode, seat belt on whenever you sit; keep the boarding pass for baggage claims.
For small children, give something to drink or chew on take-off and landing so their ears clear.
Fill in the arrival card if the crew hands one out; keep the hotel address and the return ticket ready at passport control.
Change only a little money at the airport; city exchange offices give a better rate.
Use the official taxi rank or the metro and bus lines on the airport page here; refuse drivers who approach you inside the terminal.Read more

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What we could not confirm

Check-in closing times differ per airline and airport; the ticket shows the one that applies.
Which foreign carriers currently use the Salam terminal at Imam Khomeini.