Visa and entry

Canada: entry rules for Iranians

Visa requiredPopular destination

Apply at an embassy or visa centre before travelling.

Confirmed on canada.ca: Iran is a visa-required country; expect a long wait and a trip abroad for biometrics.

Checked 5 November 2026Official sources

What we could not confirm

The 'up to 6 months per visit' figure is the standard IRCC rule but was not found on the pages read on the check date.
The current IRCC processing estimate for Iran was not captured (the tool loads it dynamically); the 'several months' figure is from third-party trackers.

At a glance

Maximum stay: up to 180 days
Fee: 100 CAD

How to apply: Create an IRCC Portal account, submit the visitor visa application online with your documents, pay 100 CAD plus 85 CAD biometrics, then take the biometric instruction letter to a visa application centre outside Iran (for example Ankara, Istanbul, Yerevan or Dubai) within 30 days.

Official page

Conditions

Iran is on the IRCC list of visa-required countries, so Iranians need a visitor visa (temporary resident visa) and cannot use an eTA, even for transit.
Apply online through the IRCC Portal; paper applications only in special cases.
Fees: 100 CAD per person (500 CAD for a family of 5 or more) plus 85 CAD biometrics (170 CAD maximum per family); pay the biometrics fee with the application to avoid delays.
Biometrics (fingerprints and photo) are mandatory: after applying you get a biometric instruction letter and have 30 days to attend a visa application centre. There is no centre in Iran; the nearest listed are Ankara, Istanbul, Yerevan and Dubai, and IRCC lets you use any centre.
IRCC publishes no fixed processing time for Iran; the estimate changes with the queue and includes biometrics time, and third-party trackers have reported several months for Iranian applicants. Check the IRCC processing-time tool before booking.
The visa can be multiple-entry for up to 10 years or until the passport expires; each stay is normally up to 6 months, set by the border officer.

Plan the trip

Before you book

Your passport should be valid for at least six months after the trip; many borders refuse less.
Exit tax is paid before leaving Iran; the amount depends on how many trips you made this year.
Iranian bank cards do not work abroad: plan cash or a card from outside Iran.