Iran will formally launch its “tourist card” during Government Week in late August, the country’s tourism minister said, as authorities move to give foreign visitors a regulated way to exchange currency and make rial payments.
The current tensions with the US have seen tourism numbers to Iran drop off, however, recent flight data shows a slow return of foreign airlines to the country on August 13, as it aims to try and resume some sort of normality.
Reza Salehi-Amiri, minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, said the card was ready and that the necessary steps had been completed in cooperation with the Central Bank of Iran and several participating banks. He said the launch would most likely take place the following week.
The card is designed to address two long-standing barriers to tourism in Iran: the absence of a functioning foreign-exchange mechanism for visitors and the lack of access to international credit card networks under sanctions.
Previous card schemes by private providers have attempted to fill the gap where Visa and Mastercard are not available using crypto payments between Iran and the outside world. The foreigner is then given a local Shetab bank card which can be used at POS and ATMs.
Salehi-Amiri thanked the participating banks and said he hoped the scheme would mark an effective step towards supporting tourists and expanding tourism services. He said travel gained meaning through the presence of visitors and that the groundwork for easing trips and providing suitable services needed to be laid.
Government Week is an annual commemorative period in late August marking the anniversary of the 1981 assassination of President Mohammad Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar, during which Iranian ministries routinely announce projects and inaugurations.
Iran’s tourism sector saw a rebound in 2025, with official reporting indicating roughly 7.3 million to 7.4 million foreign arrivals and about $7.4 billion in tourism revenue for the Persian year ending March 20, 2025, however, since the war with the US and Israel, foreign visitor numbers have dropped off significantly.
Several Western countries have continued their travel advisories for Iran, with several using their highest warning levels. The UK says “advises against all travel,” while the US says “do not travel,” and Canada continues a “avoid all travel” to the Islamic Republic.