Most Iranian citizens cannot currently travel to the USA. A presidential proclamation signed on June 4, 2025, and continued in December 2025, suspends the entry of Iranian nationals as both immigrants and nonimmigrants, with only a narrow set of exceptions. Iranians who already held a valid U.S. visa when the ban took effect can still use it, and specific categories such as lawful permanent residents, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, certain diplomatic travelers, adoptees, and persecuted minorities remain eligible to apply. Everyone else is blocked unless the Secretary of State or Attorney General grants a case-by-case waiver, which is rare.
What the Current Ban Blocks and What It Leaves Alone
President Trump issued the proclamation under Sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, citing Iran’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, its refusal to cooperate with U.S. security vetting, and its history of not accepting deportees. The suspension covers tourist visits, student enrollment, work-based travel, and most family-based immigration alike.1The White House. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats A December 2025 proclamation continued the full suspension for Iran.2The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
The ban applies to Iranian nationals who were outside the United States on the effective date and did not already hold a valid visa at that time. Visas issued before the ban were not revoked, so an Iranian who already had a valid visa in hand can still travel on it.1The White House. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats
Who Can Still Travel
The proclamation carves out several automatic exceptions. No special waiver request is needed to fit within them, but the categories are narrow.
- Lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders).
- Iranian citizens who also hold citizenship in a country not covered by the ban, when traveling on the other country’s passport.
- Holders of diplomatic and international organization visas (A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1 through G-4, and NATO-1 through NATO-6).
- Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens on IR-1/CR-1, IR-2/CR-2, and IR-5 immigrant visas, meaning spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents. These applicants must provide clear and convincing evidence of identity and relationship, often including DNA testing.
- Adoption cases in the IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, and IH-4 classifications.
- Immigrant visas for members of ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
Family preference categories, which cover siblings, married adult children, and other more distant relatives, are blocked unless a case-by-case waiver is granted. Waivers are theoretically available when the Secretary of State or Attorney General finds that entry serves a critical U.S. national interest, but under the similarly worded Proclamation 9645 during Trump’s first term, data from the Iranian American Bar Association showed roughly 98% of waiver applications were denied. Anyone building a plan around a waiver should treat it as a long shot rather than a route.
Iranian nationals are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program under any circumstances, so a visa is always required.3U.S. Department of State. Visa Waiver Program The Diversity Visa lottery remains technically open to Iranians, but a DV selectee who does not fit an exception is blocked by the ban, making the lottery functionally unavailable right now.4U.S. Department of State. Instructions for the 2025 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
Where Iranians Apply for a U.S. Visa
The United States has no embassy or consulate in Iran, so every applicant must travel to a third country for an in-person interview. For nonimmigrant visas, Iranians commonly apply in Ankara, Dubai, or Yerevan, where consular staff have more experience with Iranian cases and sometimes include Farsi speakers.
Immigrant visa cases are handled at three designated posts only: the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, and the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. The National Visa Center assigns each case to one of them; applicants cannot pick freely.5U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran. Immigrant Visas
The Nonimmigrant Visa Process for Iranians Who Qualify
For those within an exception, or for anyone planning ahead in case the policy changes, the process for a visitor, student, or exchange visa follows the standard framework with some Iran-specific wrinkles.
Applications start online with Form DS-160, which takes about 90 minutes and collects personal information, travel history, education, and employment.6U.S. Department of State. Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application (DS-160) The nonrefundable Machine Readable Visa fee is $185 for most categories, including B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F-1 student visas.7U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services Because of reciprocity rules, a B-1/B-2 visa issued to an Iranian is a single-entry visa valid for three months, much shorter than what applicants from most other countries receive.8U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country – Iran
Federal law presumes every nonimmigrant applicant is an intending immigrant, and the applicant has to prove otherwise.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1184 – Admission of Nonimmigrants Concrete ties to Iran carry the argument: an active job, ongoing studies, dependent family members, or real estate. Vague statements about planning to return home do not. Any Farsi document submitted to the consulate needs a full English translation with a signed certification statement giving the translator’s name, signature, address, and date; notarization is not required.
Students and exchange visitors have extra steps. An F-1 applicant must first be accepted by a SEVIS-registered school and receive a Form I-20; a J-1 applicant needs a Form DS-2019 from their program. The SEVIS I-901 fee is $350 for F-1 and $220 for J-1, paid separately from the MRV fee before the interview.10U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee
The DS-5535 Supplemental Questionnaire
Iranian applicants are commonly asked to complete Form DS-5535 after the interview. It requests 15 years of address, employment, and travel history, plus five years of phone numbers, email addresses, and social media usernames. The form does not ask for passwords. Applicants who don’t use social media answer “none.” Failure to submit within one year can terminate the visa application.11U.S. Embassy Djibouti. Form DS-5535 Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants
Administrative Processing
Because Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism, nearly every Iranian visa case goes into administrative processing after the interview. This is a mandatory security clearance that runs background checks across multiple agencies, and the consulate has no control over its timeline. The State Department does not accept status inquiries until 60 days have passed. Some cases clear in a few months, others stretch beyond a year, and some never conclude. Anyone applying should avoid buying nonrefundable tickets before the visa is physically in hand.
Immigrant Visas Through Family
For the immediate-relative categories the ban still allows, the path begins when a U.S. citizen files Form I-130 with USCIS.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative After approval, the case moves to the National Visa Center, which collects fees, the Affidavit of Support on Form I-864 from the U.S. sponsor, and civil documents such as birth and marriage certificates.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA Farsi documents need certified English translations.
Before the interview at Ankara, Abu Dhabi, or Yerevan, the applicant completes a medical examination with an embassy-approved physician, including required vaccinations.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual – Vaccination Requirement Iranian family-based cases under the current ban also require clear and convincing evidence of the relationship, which in practice often means DNA testing.
Getting Through the Border
A visa in the passport is permission to seek entry, not a guarantee of it. At the port of entry, a Customs and Border Protection officer decides whether to admit the traveler and how long the stay will be. Secondary screening is common for Iranian nationals. The authorized period of stay is recorded on the electronic I-94, and the traveler should verify it online after arrival.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record
The I-94 date, not the visa expiration date, controls how long a traveler can lawfully remain. Staying past the I-94 date automatically voids the visa, and the traveler then becomes ineligible for a new nonimmigrant visa except at a consulate in their country of nationality.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1202 – Application for Visas For Iranians, that consulate does not exist. An overstay can effectively lock a person out of the nonimmigrant visa system altogether, unless the Secretary of State grants an extraordinary circumstances exception. Working on a visitor visa or dropping below a full course load on a student visa carries similar consequences, including future ineligibility.
Two Practical Issues for Longer Stays
You Can Become a U.S. Tax Resident Without Realizing It
Iranians who spend significant time in the United States can trigger the IRS substantial presence test, which treats a person as a U.S. tax resident once they have been physically present for at least 31 days in the current year and 183 days on a weighted three-year calculation. Tax residency means worldwide income becomes taxable by the United States.17Internal Revenue Service. Substantial Presence Test
F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors are generally exempt individuals whose days do not count, but the exemption has time limits (roughly five calendar years for F-1 and two for J-1). After that, days count normally. The United States has no tax treaty with Iran, so anyone approaching the threshold should get professional advice.
Moving Money Under OFAC Sanctions
U.S. sanctions on Iran restrict most financial dealings, but the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations authorize noncommercial personal remittances between individuals for non-business purposes. Transfers must run through a U.S. bank or registered broker-dealer, must not debit or credit an Iranian government account, and must not go to blocked persons.18eCFR. 31 CFR Part 560 – Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations Even so, many U.S. banks decline Iran-related transactions on compliance grounds, so students and travelers often rely on intermediaries in third countries. Cash brought into the country in amounts of $10,000 or more must be declared to CBP at the port of entry; failing to declare is a federal offense regardless of whether the money’s source is lawful.