How to choose the right travel insurance for Iran
Because of the sanctions imposed by the USA, many travel insurance companies will not offer coverage for travel in Iran and that includes not only American companies but also some Australian and European, including some providers which I have used quite often, such as World Nomads (Australia).
Therefore, you will need to seek special travel insurance that covers Iran.
Moreover, you should know that having valid travel insurance to Iran is essential for anyone trying to get an Iranian visa on arrival at any international airport.
If you don’t have insurance, they will make you buy it before issuing your visa.
In this post, we will go through all the different options I know about, which, hopefully, will help you choose the right travel insurance for Iran.
In this post, I want to go through the 4 different options I know of regarding travel insurance for Iran. For this, let’s pretend that we are a European traveler who is going to Iran during the first 2 weeks of December.
These are, in my opinion, the best insurances for Iran:
The best insurance for any traveler – IATI Insurance
The best insurance for Europeans – True Traveller
The best insurance for budget travelers – 1stQuest
The best travel insurance to Iran for any traveler – IATI Insurance
IATI is a popular insurance provider which is based in Europe, but they offer coverage to pretty much anyone in the world, including Asians, Latin Americans and also Americans and Canadians.
I like IATI because, unlike other companies, whether you are a long-term backpacker or go on a 2-week holiday, they will have a special plan for you, no matter what your budget is.
Their most basic plans offer very competitive prices compared to other providers and, on top of that, the readers of this blog can get an exclusive 5% discount.
Let’s try to get a quote for a 2-week trip. As you can see in the picture, they have 9 different plans and the prices already include my 5% discount.
Minimum quote – 40€ and that includes 50,000€ of medical coverage plus theft, baggage loss, complete repatriation, etc.
With trekking supplement – The basic plan doesn’t really cover adventure, so you need to get a higher plan and the cheapest cost 68€.
Advantages vs True Traveller
- The most basic plan is always cheaper than the cheapest from True Traveller, regardless of whether it includes trekking or not.
- Any nationality can buy from IATI, whereas for True Traveller you need to be European.
The best travel insurance to Iran for European backpackers – True Traveller
True Traveller is a company which I discovered recently and I like it a lot because it offers the ultimate deals for long-term European backpackers, cheaper than any other company.
Furthermore, what I love about it is that it is very flexible, meaning that you can get a very basic quote and then add supplements like trekking, theft, secure your electronics, etc, so you can adapt your quote to any kind of trip.
Moreover, their biggest strength is that their medical coverage is huge, compared to most insurance providers.
Let’s get a 2-week quote for Iran again.
Minimum price – 46GBP (53€) and that includes 2,500,000€ of medical coverage and repatriation but doesn’t include theft, baggage loss, etc.
With supplement for trekking – Minimum 92€
Advantages vs IATI
- The medical coverage is way higher (even though you pay a bit more)
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE FROM TRUE TRAVELLER
The best travel insurance to Iran for super budget travelers – 1stQuest
If you are on an extreme budget, you can also buy insurance from a local provider.
The guys from 1stQuest have launched one of the first websites where you can buy insurance specifically for Iran, with an international credit card.
Their prices are the lowest but, of course, the coverage is lower than European companies.
Price for 15 days – 20€ but, as you can see, the coverage is quite low.
Another great advantage of 1stQuest is that the readers of this blog can get an exclusive 5% discount, so the price would be 20€ – 5% = 19€
Use my promotional code: ATC-QST
You can use it as many times as you want and not only for the insurance but to hire any service, including booking a hotel, flights, visa services, and tours.
The best travel insurance for Iran for super budget travelers who forgot to buy it – Airport insurance
I want to give you the best traveling advice, so you can understand that I am not doing this only for the commission.
As a traveler, you need to know that you can buy your travel insurance at the airport.
If you don’t have any or can’t prove it, the authorities will make you buy insurance before issuing your visa.
The insurance they make you buy is from a company called Bimeh. Prices are suspiciously cheap, though, with rates starting at 14€ for travel insurance for 1 month.
However, they don’t tell you any details about the policy or what is covered and Bimeh’s website is very confusing, so I don’t really know whether you would be properly covered or not. I am not saying they are bad, but just that I don’t know, so, if I was an extreme budget traveler, I would, at least, buy 1stQuest, as it only costs 1€ extra and you get all the policy details.
In any case, it is up to you to make this final decision.
By the way, here are the prices I collected at Tehran airport:
- 1 to 31 days – 14€
- 32 to 45 days – 23€
- 46 to 62 days – 28€
- 63 to 92 days – 34€
That’s all you need to know regarding travel insurance for Iran. If you have any questions, suggestions or you don’t agree with anything, kindly let me know in the comments section. Cheers!
20 comments
Hello, I am going to buy the IATI insurance via your link.
I will go hiking in the mountains with some guide and will possibly also rent a bike. Should I chose the cover for “Adventurous Sports”?
I don’t think hiking and biking are adventurous and the person I chatted with could not really explain the different types of insurance (all of them include cover for hiking and biking).
Since you used them, what would you recommend?
Thanks!
Hello! Thank you for your comment. It is about the altitude and depends on which plan you select. Iati Backpacker and Premium cover up to 3,000m. Iati Star with the “Adventure Sports” supplement cover a maximum of 5,000m. I took this info from their website. Hope that helps 🙂
I am a little disappointed by IATI, are they serious?
I am buying a backpacker insurance now and I read “BACKPACKERS INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE POLICY FOR SPANISH TRAVELLERS”
https://www.iatiseguros.com/contratar/files/documentos/eng-mochilerosindividualespanoles.pdf
And I am not Spanish.
I have just called their call centre to have clarification and
1. they answer only in Spanish, there is no language selection option
2. The disk said the office is open from 9 to 18 and then the call hung, It is 15:30 now…
Did you try to contact them over the chat?
and did you already buy it? If so, I will ask them for you. What is your number policy?
Not yet, I want to be sure I will be covered before buying it.
You will be covered but, if you wanna make sure, ask them via live chat
The chat doesn’t come up today…
It is holiday there today, will check with them tomorrow. Thanks for the prompt response
Still an issue with their form 6 months after original post above.
The form asks you to ‘read & accept’ the Conditions (which are specifically for Spanish travelers) and the Compliance Information (which is in Spanish) !!
But, after some confusing chat with the on-line person, I was given a link to the pdf for the “foreigners” policy. (Which is in English!)
15-1-2020
Iati is NOT covering Iran right now due to political difficulties with other countries.
Hello, where did you see this information! I just tried to calculate a quote for Iran and didn’t see anything out of normal, but just got the normal quote
I m a UK citizen and hoping to travel by rd through Iran land borders to Pakistan, Which insurance would I need, please as I understand the land borders are very strict on these.
I’m planning to purchase travel insurance through Blue Cross in Canada, since I’m Canadian. Would this work?
Hi Ron, I don’t know what Blue Cross is
They’re a Canadian insurance company.
what about covid 19. does aiti cover that?
Yes, it does, high coverage: https://www.iatitravelinsurance.co.uk/faqs/?r=30867932099453
Hey there! I thought about buying a one-month package from TrueTraveller for my upcoming Iran trip, as you are also recommending them especially for Iran. But as I went through there 2022 policy for non-UK citizens I came across the following condition: “You must observe travel advice provided by the UK F You oreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). No cover is provided under any section of this policy if you choose to travel to a destination to which the FCDO has advised against all or all but essential travel unless we agree in writing to include. Travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Website: http://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice”
Checking the travel advice for Iran, it is clearly stated that “The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises British nationals against all travel to Iran.”
So this would mean to me that TrueTraveller at the moment doesn’t cover Iran. Or are there any possibilities to make them cover travel there?
Would really appreciate your advice. Thanks!
Thanks for the information. I did not use the services of IATI. We should try it next time.
This blog post says it’s updated in 2023. But did you actually confirm this year with these insurance companies that they cover Iran specifically? As Phil has mentioned above UK Gov states “Advice against all traveling” and this is a major exclusion for TrueTraveller. Please verify and let us know. Thanks!