Iran has begun implementing a “Tourist Card” for foreign visitors, offering a daily official exchange rate, safer cash-free payments in rials, and greater transparency in managing incoming foreign currency.
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Reza Salehi Amiri, has announced the launch of the “Tourist Card” project for foreign visitors, emphasizing that the initiative will significantly improve financial security and ease of payment for tourists in the country.
Speaking to ISNA on the sidelines of the latest cabinet meeting, Salehi Amiri explained that the main obstacle delaying the project had been how to set the exchange rate. He confirmed that an agreement has now been reached with the Central Bank of Iran to adopt a “negotiated” rate, which will be officially announced by the Central Bank on a daily basis.
According to the minister, this rate will be slightly lower than the free-market rate, but it will offer tourists greater transparency and safety by reducing the need to carry large amounts of cash. In the initial phase, the Tourist Card is being implemented at international airports, where visitors can exchange their foreign currency and use the card balance to pay in Iranian rials at hotels, shops, restaurants, and other service providers.
Salehi Amiri added that preparations are underway to extend the system to land border crossings in the next stage.
On 26 October 2025, the Central Bank officially launched the pilot phase of purchasing foreign currency from tourists at international airports in Iran for use via the Tourist Card by foreign visitors and non-residents. The project aims to channel incoming foreign currency through official banking routes, facilitate rial-based payments for tourists, and increase transparency in the inflow and circulation of foreign exchange within the country.