1. Clothing code in Iran
2. Is bargaining accepted in Iran?
3. How to pass streets in Iran as a pedestrian?
4. Do we need legal marriage documents in Iran?
5. Where can we sleep?
6. Can hotels and hostels keep my passport?
7. As a single woman, is it safe to travel to Iran?
8. What language do I need to know in Iran?
9. Red Lines in Iran!
10. Can I get a visa on arrival in Iran?
- As a woman, what should I wear in Iran?
If I lose my scarf a bit, will I be punished? Should I wear all in black? Should I wear a back chador (the long all-body covering)? Should I cover my hands and feet even the part from the ankle down? Am I not allowed to unveil even in my room in hotels and houses?
Many questions like the ones I mentioned above can come to your mind before traveling to Iran.
Actually, you have the right to think like that! A lot of negative propaganda against Iran in the world media and since there are no real formal media to connect you to inside of Iran, then it is ok to have these thoughts.
But here I am to modify many of them and answer many of the questions you may have about traveling to Iran.
Woman clothing can be from quite strict like in Saudi Arabia to quite moderate like in Iran. Yes! Here in Iran, the woman are having (based on their choice) the moderate version of the Hijab.
Is hijab obligatory in Iran? Yes. But not to that degree of Saudi or Lebanon or Iraq you may have witnessed.
You need to put a shawl or a scarf on your head and tie it as locals do. If you are in Tehran, then clothe like Tehrani women. If you are in Yazd, Isfahan, Qazvin, Mashad, or in a village in the middle of nowhere, try to wear like locals as much as possible.
What is an accepted norm for clothing is a manto (we got it from French!), the kind of light coat that women wear on their T-shirt. Manto is low to a point between the waist and the knees. Which point? You choose! People wear different based on their interests.
How tight? Manto can be not as loose as a big pocket that you may fit in, or not as tight as that the underwear of women may be visible. Something in between is quite acceptable.
Manto should cover a point of your forearm to the neck.
Doing a little photo search on google about people’s clothing in Iran will help you dramatically.
2. Is bargaining accepted in Iran?
Bargaining is totally acceptable. The only point is that you can bargain before your purchase, not after giving the money to the shop clerk.
You can bargain with the prices for all of the products, hotel services, tours, etc. But medical services and government and state services have fixed prices, not possible to bargain.
3. How to pass streets in Iran as a pedestrian?
This can be as tricky as planning for a strategic game or solving a mystery!
Due to not having an in-depth culture of traffic, I am afraid to tell you that you need to expect something the opposite point of what you have in the west.
Cars do not have the full respect for the pedestrians and the walkers do the same for the cars!
Here is what I can suggest:
- Stick to the locals when passing streets. If you stand and walk really close to the locals, they normally know what to do.
- Ask a local to pass you through the street.
- If there are (as an example), three lines of passing cars, and not possible to pass all three at once, pass them one by one. Pass the first line, wait in the middle of the first and second, then pass to the second line and so finish this Impossible Mission!
- If you need to walk for some minutes to find a pedestrian overpass bridge, please do it!
- If you need to wait some minutes to find the best chance to pass the street, please do it!
The good news is that after the first 2-3 days in Iran, you will learn how the system works.
4. Do we need legal marriage documents in Iran?
If you travel as a couple to Iran, you don’t need to declare any legal documents. Only (if needed) you can announce you are married.
There is a legal order to all of the hotels and accommodations in Iran that they are not allowed to ask for legal documents from tourists.
The same situation may happen to you inside the society. As a couple, many people will ask if you are married. If I were you, the simple, direct answer would be: “YES”.
Then there may be a couple of more personal questions coming to you. Like, “why don’t you have a child?” “When did you get married?” etc.
First please be noted that in our culture, these questions are assumed neutral, not rude. (Though I personally think they are rude!)
But since you are a tourist and cannot start to change the culture, you may answer some of them (not necessarily based on truth!) with smiles and then switch the subject to the local food or the destinations in Iran you did or will go.
5. Where can we sleep in Iran?
In Iran, you will find hotels, hostels, and private houses in the Couchsurfing.
In hotels and hostels, the system works like in the west. You can book in advance and pay online using some online databases like 1stquest . Or you can just email or WhatsApp the hotel/hostel and make your reservation and later pay when you are in Iran.
In Qazvin and Alamut Valley, you can count on me to book your accommodation.
You will see Couchsurfing is banned in Iran. It goes back to some 5 years ago that the hotels started to complain that the tourists are having free sleeping in houses and they don’t go to the hotels and hostels! Then the government started to call many hosts in different towns who were active in the Couchsurfing and ask them to refuse to accept tourists.
But after all, like Facebook, youtube, and telegram, the Couchsurfing can be accessible by vpn’s. And there are still many people active on the couchsurfing. But please be noted that many hosts in the couchsurfin will require money. You should be asking directly. Even some tend to perform tours, which I do not recommend!
6. Can hotels and hostels keep my passport in Iran?
NO! As soon as you got in the room, tested the toilet, bathroom, bed and if everything was working properly and you liked the room and the price, you get to the receptionist, give the passport to him/her to the job, then pay the price of the room and get back your passport right away!
If the receptionist insists that you have some items in your minibar and we don’t know how much you will use, try to get his/her trust that you have paid for the room, you are a tourist and you are not here to seal their minibar! And in the morning you will pay if anything you have taken.
Or you can ask them to take out the minibar and that`s it!
According to law, hotels and accommodations are not allowed to keep the passport of the tourists. But they are allowed to receive, scan and do their job.
7. As a single woman, is it safe to travel to Iran?
Yes! I personally have had many female solo travelers coming to Alamut Valley and northern Iran. Try not to attract any attention. Try not to start to talk or stop for photos in busy streets while you are passing / walking.
Start a conversation in a café or restaurant would be quite fine, but in public busy streets or metro? I don’t recommend it. Anything coming up, you can call 110 from your Iranian simcard. Yes, 911 in Iran is 110! That is the police emergency.
8. What language do I need to know in Iran?
The workers in tourism usually speak enough English. Some taxi drivers, shop clerks, and restaurant workers in large or touristic towns like Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kashan, Yazd, and Qazvin can speak some English.
In cases needed, you can use the application Google Translate, it works in Iran just fine.
If you are interested, just learn some simple phrases to start or end a conversation with locals and the ones you will need to get services with hotels and transportation. Soon I will write a full post about the minimum language you better know in Iran. Next to tourism, I love linguistics and language teaching!
9. Red Lines in Iran!
Iran Islamic Republic of Iran, anything related to the Supreme Leader, Sepah (the military section of the government), Islam (specially Shiism), democracy, human rights, liberty, and etc are assumed to be red lines. Do not get into conversations with the locals about these subjects. You will get them or you in (potential troubles).
Don’t worry about the locals in Iran. People who can afford to leave the country, they already have planned for it. The people who are not able to leave, they already are used to the system. They know how the system works and they do live a normal life in Iran.
Even if the locals started to get you in the conversations about the red lines, try to switch the conversation to some normal subjects of tourism. After all, you are a tourist, you are here to enjoy some weeks and you cannot change anything!
10. Can I get a visa on arrival in Iran?
Before the shutdown due to Covid, that was working properly. But now that I am writing this post (April 2022), the system has not been wakened up yet completely. What I recommend, get a visa in your country. That is the safe, easier way for now. If you need someone in Iran for the visa, let me know.