Dress Code in Iran
“Hijab” which is an Islamic dress-code is a necessity in Iran and women have to cover their hair and head according to that. Women are also expected to wear loose clothing and cover all their body except for their hands, face, and feet. Wearing shorts by Men is not acceptable in public. All tourists are subject to these customs.
Religious Etiquette
In order to visit a mosque or any other holy shrine in Iran, women should wear a chador before entering the place. There is usually a kiosk at the entrance gate where you can rent one.
Men are expected to wear long-sleeved shirts when visiting a mosque or holy shrine.
You have to take off your shoes before entering a prayer area of a mosque.
Forbidden items to bring with you to Iran
Entering every type of narcotics, alcoholic drinking, weapon & munitions, every type of Aerial photography cameras (identification camera), every type of sender & receiver sets, and also every type of books, periodical, multimedia that are a promoter of moral & belief wantonness, is forbidden.
Local Time
October – March: Greenwich Mean Time plus 2:30 hours (G.M.T. + 2.5).
April – September: Greenwich Mean Time plus 3:30 hours (G.M.T. + 3.5).
Official Calendar
Iran's official Calendar is a solar calendar. Its origin can be traced back to the 11th century when a group of astronomers (including the well-known poet Omar Khayyam) created what is known as the Jalaali calendar. However, a number of changes have been made to the calendar since then. The current calendar has been used in Iran since 1925.
The Persian year starts at the vernal equinox. If the astronomical vernal equinox falls before noon (Tehran true time) on a particular day, then that day is the first day of the year. If the astronomical vernal equinox falls afternoon, the following day will be the first day of the year.
Note that there is a leap year once in every 4 years. The month of Esfand has 29 days in an ordinary year but 30 days in a leap year.
Business Hours
A week in Iran starts on Saturday and last by Friday. Therefore, all the banks, government offices and most businesses are closed on Fridays. Some also are closed on Thursday afternoon, although department stores and supermarkets remain open.
| Business Type | Business Hours (From Saturday till Wednesday) |
| Banks | 08:00-16:00 |
| Exchange Offices | 10:30 – 17:00 |
| Business Offices | 08:30-17:00 |
| Government Offices | 08:00-15.00 |
| Shops | Flexible but typically 8:00 till 23:00 |
International Credit Cards
International Credit Cards like Visa and MasterCard are not accepted in Iran, therefore to make any exchange in the country, you have to bring cash with you.
Note that, all types of cash such as US dollars; Euro; GBP and …, are acceptable in Iran, and can be exchanged for Rial.
Currency
The official currency in Iran is called Rial (code IRR). However, when talking about prices in Iran you may hear “Toman” which is equal to ten Rials. Despite this usage, amounts of money and prices of goods are virtually always written in Rials. For example, the sign on the bottle of milk states the price in Rials, e.g., "20,000 Rials," even though the clerk, if asked, would say that the milk costs "2000 tomans."
Language
The majority of the population speaks the Persian (Farsi) language, which is also the official language of the country. There are also some other dialects spoken by people around Iran. Turkic, Luri, Lari, Kurdish, and Arabic are the languages people speak in different part of the country. Armenian, Georgian, and Neo-Aramaic are also minority languages spoken by people.
| Greetings! | ||
| English | Persian | فارسی |
| Hello | Salam | سلام |
| Goodbye | Khodahafez | خداحافظ |
| See you later! | Badan | بعدا می بینمت |
| Good morning! | Sobh | صبح به خیر |
| Good afternoon | Zohr | ظهر به خیر |
| Good evening! | Asr | عصر به خیر |
| Good night | Shab | شب به خیر |
| Good night and sweet dreams! | Shab | شب به خیر و خواب های خوب ببینی |
| Welcome! | Khosh | خوش آمدید |
| How are you? | Shoma | شما چطور هستید؟ |
| I'm fine, thanks! | Man | من خوبم، متشکرم |
| And you? | Shoma | شما چطور؟ |
| Great | Ali | عالی |
| Good | Khoob | خوب |
| Not bad | Bad | بد نیستم |
| Thank you | Motshakeram | متشکرم |
| Excuse me | Mibakh’shid | می بخشید |
| You're welcome! | Khahesh | خواهش می کنم |
| What's new? What’s up? | Che | چه خبر؟ |
| Nothing much | Khabari | خبری نیست |
| Asking for Help and Direction | ||
| English | Persian | فارسی |
| I'm lost | Man gom | من گم شدم |
| Can you help me? | می تونید کمکم کنید؟ | |
| Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? | Dastshooyi/ Darookhane | دستشویی/ داروخانه کجا است؟ |
| Straight/ Left/ Right | Mostaghim/ Chap/ Rast | مستقیم/ چپ/ راست |
| I'm looking for John. | Man | دنبال جان می گردم |
| Can you show me? | Mishe | میشه نشونم بدهید؟ |
| Can you say it again? | Mishe | میشه تکرار کنید؟ |
| Can you speak slowly? | Mishe | میشه آهسته صحبت کنید؟ |
| Write it down, please! | Benevisid | بنویسید لطفا |
| I don’t understand! | Motvajeh | متوجه نمی شوم |
| I don’t know! | Nemidanam | نمی دانم |
| I have no idea! | Nazari | نظری ندارم |
| What’s it called in Persian? | Be | به فارسی چه می شود؟ |
| What does “ | “Ketab” be | کتاب" به انگلیسی چه می شود؟" |
| How do you say “Please” in Persian? | “Please” be Farsi | به فارسی چه می شود؟ |
| What time is it? | Saat | ساعت چند است؟ |
| It’s 4 | Saat 4 | ساعت 4 است |
| How much is it? | قیمتش چند است؟ | |
| How to Introduce Yourself | ||
| English | Persian | فارسی |
| Do you speak (English/ Farsi)? | Aya Farsi/ | آیا فارسی/ انگلیسی صحبت می کنید؟آیا فارسی/ انگلیسی صحبت می کنید؟What's your name? Esme |
| My name is ... | Esme man … | .... اسم من |
| Mr/ | Agha/ Khanoom | آقا/ خانم |
| Boy/ Girl | Pesar/ Dokhtar | پسر/ دختر |
| Nice to meet you! | Khosh | !خوش وقتم |
| How old are you? | Chand sal | چند سال دارید؟ |
| I'm twenty years old | Bist sal | بیست سال دارم |
| Useful words and phrases | ||
| English | Persian | فارسی |
| Good luck! | Movafagh | موفق باشید |
| Happy birthday! | تولدت مبارک | |
| Happy new year! | Sale no | سال نو مبارک |
| Congratulations! | Tabrik | تبریک می گویم |
| Bless you (when sneezing) | Afiat | عافیت باشد |
| No Problem! | Masaleyi | مسئله ای نیست |
| Good | Khoob | خوب |
| Bad | Bad | بد |
| Big | Bozorg | بزرگ |
| Small | Koochak | کوچک |
| Just a little | Kami | کمی |
| Today | Emrooz | امروز |
| Now | Alan | الان |
| Tomorrow | Farda | فردا |
| Yesterday | Dirooz | دیروز |
| Year | Sal | سال |
| Month | Mah | ماه |
| Week | Hafteh | هفته |
| Day | Rooz | روز |
| Night | Shab | شب |
| Bale | بله | |
| No | Kheir | خیر |
| English Number | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Persian Number | ۰ | ۱ | ۲ | ۳ | ۴ | ۵ | ۶ | ۷ | ۸ | ۹ | ۱۰ |
| Persian Pronunciation | Yek | Dow | Seh | Chahar | Panj | Shish | Haft | Hasht | Noh | Dah |
Electrical current
220 AC voltage and 50 Hz, requiring rounded two-prong wall plugs. Visitors may need a transformer, which most hotels can provide.
Communication
Telephone services within Iran are efficient and reliable. International calls can be made from public and private phones and fax services are available at most hotels. Internet access is widespread via Internet cafes and hotels.
National Dialing Code in Iran is 0098.
Mobile (cell phone) services are provided by three different companies in Iran. You can check their websites to understand their services and tariffs:
Health, Safety, and Security
Generally, Iran considers as a healthy country to travel in and you don’t need any vaccinations before entering Iran. However, it would be a good idea to bring some necessary medicine with you. Note that you can find the highest level of professionalism, safety and care to patients with International standards in Iran. Many doctors have educated in Western Countries and speak English fluently.
One thing you should be concern about is that treatment is never free, so it is wise to have travel insurance with health coverage.
