All About Iran

Men
Shorts are not acceptable in public places.
Wearing ties or bows is not a problem.
T-shirts are acceptable.

Women
Obeying Islamic rules including Hijab or Islamic dress-code is necessary in Iran. However these rules are not observed very strict, especially for tourists and foreigners. You must not worry about maintaining your hijab , since in times you have forgotten about it, the maximum penalty will be a request (usually in a kind way) to make it correct.
There are some minimum requirements for foreign women dress-code in public places :

1. Color : It’s a completely false belief that wearing must be dark in Iran. There is no limitation in this respect and we recommend you make sure using light colors in summer.

2. Head : Hair should be covered. It does not mean you shall have a tight scarf around your head. Don’t worry, It is very usual that some parts remain out of the cover. It’s quite acceptable for women to allow whips of their hair to frame their face. Appropriate hats & caps can do this function as well as scarves. Scarf is the most common covering for head and is called “Roosari” in Farsi.

3. Body : Should be covered with loose clothes like man shirt, coat or manteau. Arms should not be bare.

4. Legs & feet : Legs should be covered down to ankles. Feet can be bare and you can wear sandals. Tight jeans are no problem.
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* Tip1 : In summer and hot weather, you can cheat(!) and not wear shirt under your coat/manteau. Who understands?!

* Tip2 : In winter time, apart from covering the head, the rest is the same as what you wear in your home country.

* Tip3 : You better enter Iran with a coat and a scarf and select your style by watching the Iranian women in the streets.

* Tip 4 : Once a chador is needed, like in holy places, it will be given upon entrance.

* Tip 5 : Following the dress-code is necessary form the time of on-boarding international flights. On Iranian Flights, it is usually requested when the plane enters the Iranian boundaries.

Exchange
For exchanging money, you can refer to the banks which have a sign of “EXCHANGE” on their entrance. There are also authorized exchange shops in the airport or tourist areas where you can exchange your money at a bit more cost, but fast. These shops are called “SARRAFI” in Farsi which is the equivalent word for exchange.
There are also street exchangers in tourist areas who usually hold a bunch of banknotes and show them to people who are passing and shout Dollars, Pounds, Euros. This way of exchange is not legal and is not recommended.
You can exchange USD, EUR, GBP, AED almost everywhere, but other major currencies can be exchanged in certain bank branches.
Foreign credit cards are not still a reliable way for payments in Iran, as the situation of their acceptance changes a lot. Sometimes, you can use it and sometimes you can’t. So, it’s better to forget it at least at this time. Hopefully, according to the new financial laws, this problem will be solved soon. There are many ATMs everywhere in Iran, but they only accept the domestic cards and are currently useless to foreigners.
Travellers Cheques may be accepted by some hotels or shops, but it’s not a reliable way of bringing money to Iran.
Considering the above matters, it is recommendable to bring money in cash in form of USD, EUR or GBP. Using a money-belt is proposed.

Current rate of exchange according to Iran’s Central Bank.
This can be different from the market rate at which you can exchange at exchange shops.

Iranian Currency

Iranian currency is Iranian Rial. There is another money unit in Iran which is called Toman and is equivalent to 10 Rials. Toman is more common in oral quotes, while Rial is the official unit and used in most verbal documents. Price etiquettes may come either in Rial or Toman and usually are understood by the buyers. In case of doubt, check it with the seller.

Regulations on Money Export/Import

– Import of foreign currencies in any amount is free.
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– Export of foreign currencies in the form of banknotes and travelers cheque is authorized up to US$ 1,000 or the equivalent amount in other currencies by the bearer of passport, and for each companion (in the case of group passport) up to US dollars 500. Excess thereto is permissible in the form of bank cheque or draft drawn by the banking system.
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– Export and import of Rials is permissible up to Rls. 500,000.
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– Import and export of Syrian Pounds, Arabian Rials, Emirates Dirhams, Iraqi Dinars, Lebanese Pounds and Afghanis are prohibited by passengers and commercially. In case a passenger has them with him at the time of entry, an exchange declaration must be filled to prevent difficulties on exit.

Arrival Travelers
* Gold & Foreign Exchange : Every passenger is allowed to have gold with him/her personal use. Otherwise, it should be declared to the customs officials.
Upon arrival, every passenger should declare his/her foreign exchange to the bank situated in the airport. The amount of foreign exchange allowed to be exited by every traveler will equal his/her previously declared amount.

* Other Goods : Import of alcoholic beverages, playing cards and so on used for gambling, weaponry, explosives, narcotics, and type of publications, films, and pictures as well as all products contradictory to the religious and national ethics of Iran is prohibited.
Import of tapes and publications is allowed if inspected and confirmed by the Ministry of Guidance representatives based at entrance gates.
* Goods authorized to enter Iran by passengers are as follow:
Home appliances, either portable or non-portable powered by electricity, gas and kerosene |Spare parts and accessories for home appliances mentioned in article 1 |Spare parts and accessories for automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles |Tableware and housekeeping implements and utensils |Personal belongings and their spare parts and accessories |Bags and suitcases |Apparel, handbags, and shoes |Textile |Foodstuff, including pastries, chocolate, fruit juice, and nonalcoholic beverages |Toothbrushes, toothpaste, eau-de-Cologne, perfumes, and so on |Cosmetics |Cigarettes |Laptops and their accessories |Sport equipment and gear |Stationary |Bicycles and tricycles | Artificial flowers |Airguns |Machine-made carpets |Hand tools |Newspapers, Magazines, calendars, albums, and other products pertaining to printing industry.

Departure Travelers
Any Passenger Leaving Iran can have his / her personal belongings within the limits of non-commercial nature. There is no limitation about the amount of handicrafts and other Iranian products (except carpet which will be described later) the amount of transferable foreign goods by each passenger is up to 160 dollars.
Nuts : Any passenger leaving Iran is allowed to take nuts with himself/ herself. The maximum permitted amount of pistachio is 10 kilograms of Saffron by any one who holds a valid Passport Moreover the accompanying persons cannot have any amount of the mentioned items.
Carpet and short – napped Coarse Carpet : Passengers who depart Iran by air can take only one hand knotted carpet not more than 6 Square meters. It means Passengers are not allowed to carry two carpets that areas are less than 6 square meters. The accompanying persons cannot benefit from this privilege.
Exit of carpet, pistachio, nuts and Saffron by those passengers whose destination is United Arab Emirates and Syria is prohibited.
Transfer of precious carpet and other objects, which have historical and cultural value, are prohibited.
Foreign Exchange : According to laws of central bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the maximum permitted transferable foreign Currency by each passenger is 1000 dollars (Bank-note, traveler check or a combination of both). Transfer of foreign Currency more than the allowed limit requires a bank statement or a transfer certificate issued by the bank system. Transfer of Dinar (Iraq), Ruble (Russia), and Afghani ( Afghanistan) is prohibited by passengers and traders. Transfer of Iranian Currency is allowed up to 500000 Rials.

The Temporary Entrance of Automobiles
The temporary entrances of passenger cars are possible as the following:
Aliens and Iranian residents abroad can import their Automobiles temporarily by receiving the carnet de passage or tripque booklets from the motoring centers in the original country.
These automobiles should be exited from Iran when the permitted period (3 months) is over.
Passengers who could not get the carnet de passage or triptique booklets in the origin country, should get the temporary admission license in the entrance frontier by putting deposit or a bank bond on security.

Although, international and fast foods are available everywhere in Iran, but Persian food must not be missed, since it’s an un-avoidable travel leisure.

Persian Foods
It’s a false understanding that Persian food is summarized only in Kebabs, but unfortunately most today restaurants just offer Kebabs as these are usually prepared easier for them. However there is much variety in Persian food which is now known as house food in Iran, although a growing number of restaurants are completing their menus with Persian foods. We have tried to propose some Persian foods here :

Khorest (Stew)
There are different stews cooked in Iran which are served with rice (or Polo). They are brought on the table in separate dishes and are usually eaten mixed. Here we propose some delicious stews :

Khoresht-e-Bademjan : Containing Egg-plants & pieces of lamb

Khoresht-e-Fesenjoon : Containing cooked chicken, volnuts and pamugranite paste

Khoresht-e-Gheimeh : Containing split pea, pieces of lamb, dried lemon and french fries

Khoresht-e-Ghorme-Sabzi : Containing a mixture of herbs, pieces of lamb, red beans and dried lemon

Polow (Rice) : Rice is served in different forms, some of them introduced below :

Polow : This is plain rice which is usually decorated with some saffron which gives it a nice yellow color on top.

Baghali Polow : This is rice cooked together with dill and lima beans. It is both served with chicken or lamb.

Zereshk Polow : Rice with sour/sweet seeds (rose berries) usually served with chicken and sometime contains pistachio and almond crisps.

Kebabs
Kebabs can be ordered alone or with rice. Rice and Kebab together are called Cholo-Kebab. Some kebabs are introduced here :

Kebab Barg : Grilled lamb fillet.

Kebab Koobideh : Grilled minced lamb.

Kebab Soltani : One Kebab Barg plus one Kebab Koobideh

Joojeh Kabab : Grilled Chiken : Ba-ostekhan (With bone) / Bi-ostekhan (bone-less)

Kebab Bakhtiari : Grilled Mixture of lamb and chicken

Shishlik : Grilled relatively big Pieces of lamb (a special part of sheep’s body); best quality can be found in Shandiz near Mashad

Mahi Kebab : Grilled fish (usually troat)

Vegeterian Foods :
The following foods can be ordered by vegeterians :
Kookoo Sabzi : vegetable cookies
Falafel : Spiced
Kashk-e-Bademjan : Smashed egg-plants with Kashk (a diary product)

Drinks
Water : Although tap water is drinkable in most cities, but it is advisable to use bottled water which is available in restaurants and super-markets.

Soft Drinks : Carbonated drinks like Colas, Orange an lemon drinks are available in different international and domestic brands. Fruit juices are also sold in fresh or packed format. There is a malta beverage which is called Ma-o-shaeer which is usually refered as aclohol free beer or Islamic beer!

Traditional Drinks
Doogh : Yogurt drink which is available in plain and carbonated forms. (called Ayran in Turkey)
There are also some other traditional drinks generally called “Sharbat” which are made by herb-waters like rose-water which are really refreshing in hot summers.