Iran Expands Visa-Free Access to Air Travelers from Tajikistan

Iran has expanded its visa-free access program to include air travelers from Tajikistan amid efforts to boost tourism and trade between the two Persian-speaking countries.

Tajik nationals will be able to travel to any airport in Iran without a visa starting February 3, 2025, according to a Tuesday report by the semi-official Fars news agency which cited a recent decision by the Iranian Cabinet.

The report said the governments of Iran and Tajikistan had agreed to lift visa curbs for travelers arriving in airports of the Iranian capital Tehran and the Tajik capital of Dushanbe as of August 10, adding that the new decision allows visa-free travel for Tajik nationals to all airports in Iran, including to Iran’s second-largest city of Mashhad which is a major religious tourism hub.

Based on the new decision, Iranian and Tajik citizens will be allowed visa-free air travel for 90 days and can stay for 30 days on each visit, it said, adding that the program may expand in the future to include road passengers from the two countries.

It comes less than two weeks after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Tajikistan to expand relations with a country with which Iran is linguistically and culturally close.

“Our cooperation can be further improved and strengthened in all areas: education, science, culture, politics, and security,” Pezeshkian said during the visit to Dushanbe on January 16, where he said, “I feel like I'm in Iran. I don't feel like that anywhere else in the world.”

It also comes amid Iran’s efforts to expand its economic presence in Central Asia where trade has been booming through new transport routes connecting China to other parts of the world. - Press TV