Language: The official language of Iran is Persian, also known as Farsi. English is mostly spoken and understood by businessmen.
Currency: The unit of currency is the Iranian Rial (IRR) which is divided into 100 dinar but the toman is used by Iranians today as an amount of ten Rial. Most Iranians state the value of things in toman instead of Rial. Prices are most often marked in toman, with 1,000 or 1,000,000 toman equivalent to 10,000 or 10,000,000 Rial respectively. It is best to travel with US Dollars, which can be exchanged upon arrival in the airport or bank in big cities
or at street rate in the streets. Travelers are not advised to take travelers cheques unless it is a necessity as they can only be exchanged at the Bank Melli branches at the international airport in Tehran and in central Tehran. An increasing number of mid-range hotels and all top-end establishments accept Visa and MasterCard. Some of the more expensive Iranian hotels charge in US Dollars.
Time: Local time is GMT + 3.5.
Electricity: Electrical current is 230 volts, 50Hz. European and British style plugs are standard.
Communications: The international dialing code for Iran is +98. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. +44 for the United Kingdom). Internet cafes are found in major cities and public telephones accept 5-10 and 50 Rial coins and/or telephone cards. Iranian mobile telephone systems are not compatible with those of other countries except for satellite phones.
Duty Free: Travelers do not have to pay duty on a reasonable quantity of cigarettes; reasonable quantity of perfume for personal use; gifts on which the import duty/tax does not exceed US$80. Prohibited items include Alcoholic beverages; all horticultural and agricultural goods including seeds and soil; living (or collection); bacteria, fungi, insects, nematodes or viruses; old books or magazines; live birds, animals and their products. Penalties for being in possession of narcotics are very severe. It is prohibited to import pork or alcohol products and women's magazines and DVDs or videos depicting sexual relations are forbidden.
Tourist OfficeTourist Information Office, Tehran: +98 (0) 21 892212-5.
EmergencyEmergencies: 115. Police: 125. Fire: 129.
Embassies
Embassy of Iran, Washington DC, United States of America: +1 202 965 4990.
Embassy of Iran, London, United Kingdom: + 44 (0) 207 225 3000.
Embassy of Iran, Ottawa, Canada: + 613 235 4726.
Embassy of Iran, Canberra, Australia: +(02) 6290 2427.
Embassy of Iran, Pretoria, South Africa: +27012 342 5880/1.
Embassy of Iran, Dublin, Ireland: 01 288 0252.
Embassy of Iran, Wellington, New Zealand: +64 4 386 2976.
United States Embassy, Tehran, Iran: + 98 (0) 21 8878 2964.
British Embassy Tehran, Iran: + 98 (0) 21 6670 5011/9.
Canadian Embassy, Tehran, Iran: + 98 (0) 21 8152 0000.
Australian Embassy, Tehran, Iran: +98 21 8872 4456.
South African Embassy, Tehran, Iran: +98 21 270 2866-9.
Embassy of Ireland, Tehran, Iran: +98 21 2280 3835.
New Zealand Embassy, Tehran, Iran: +98 21 2280 0289.
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