Passport renewal applicants abroad need to go through a relatively complex process to renew their Iranian passports. Not paying attention to this complexity and its many details sometimes leads to confusion for the applicant or mistakes that force them to restart the operation and register a new application. To avoid such problems, we draw your attention to the most important and common mistakes made by Iranian passport renewal applicants abroad.
1. Not Registering in the Mikhak System
The Mikhak system was launched to provide consular services to Iranians residing abroad and offers services such as marriage registration, civil registration, consular and judicial support, passport application and renewal, obtaining a certificate of no criminal record, document verification, power of attorney preparation, student services, etc.
All consular requests must first be registered in the Mikhak system, and a tracking code must be obtained. Passport applicants must, after creating an electronic file (profile) in the Mikhak system, complete the passport issuance application form, upload images of the required documents, send them to the relevant representative office, or visit in person (with the tracking code received from the system) to complete the issuance and delivery of documents and receive their passport.
Before the launch of this website, Iranians residing abroad had to go to consular offices and receive the services they wanted in person. This process was not only costly but also time-consuming, and things progressed slowly. The Iranian government established the Mikhak system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, it was called Tak (Consular Document Verification), but over time, as the range of services offered increased, its name was changed to the Integrated Consular Services Management System (Mikhak).
2. Providing Incomplete or Incorrect Documents
Preparing the initial documents is the first and most important step in the passport renewal process. Images of these documents must be uploaded to the Mikhak system, and in the next step, the original or a copy of these documents must be submitted to the representative office or consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran. How these documents are submitted (in person or remotely) may vary from country to country. For example, Iranians residing in Canada must send images of these documents once again via the internet to the Iranian embassy in Ireland or present them in person at the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, DC. The important point when referring to the Mikhak system is that incomplete requests will not be processed, and the applicant must restart their application process and obtain a new tracking code.
3. Not Paying the Related Fees
The issuance fee varies depending on the applicant’s situation and in different countries, and it is essential that the applicant first checks the figures listed on various websites (including this website) to have an approximate estimate of the relevant costs and then contact the relevant representative office or consulate for accurate information on the latest rates. In some special cases, such as consular affairs for Iranians residing in Canada, the passport issuance fee must be paid by a relative or acquaintance in Iran at one of the currency branches of the National Bank throughout the country to the announced Euro account number in the name of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the payment receipt must be sent online.
4. Ignoring the Remaining Passport Validity Period
One of the questions most travelers face is how long a passport should be valid to start a trip and leave the country. Many people are forced to pay fines due to not being aware of this issue. If the person’s passport does not have the necessary validity, the person will be deported from the destination country and returned to their country or will have to pay heavy fines. Therefore, being aware of the minimum passport validity period is very important for travelers. In line with this and due to the importance of being aware of this issue, all the necessary and important points regarding the passport validity period for leaving the country are presented below.
Typically, passports issued in Iran are valid for 5 years. Individuals should be aware that before their passport expires, they must take steps to renew and extend its validity. The minimum passport validity period varies for different countries. However, usually, the person’s passport must be valid for at least 6 months. Therefore, it is recommended that individuals apply for passport renewal and receive a new passport after 4 or 4 and a half years to avoid encountering problems when traveling.
5. Not Scheduling an Appointment
In some countries (for example, in the US and Canada, where they refer to the Iranian Interests Section at the Pakistani Embassy), consular applicants must schedule an appointment before visiting. Not paying attention to this point causes delays in following up on the applicants’ affairs and their dissatisfaction, and not paying attention to the expiry date and end of the validity of the previous passport can lead to further delays in the applicants’ travel. When applying for passport renewal abroad, include scheduling an appointment in your schedule to avoid unwanted delays in your trip or other legal matters.
6. Not Following Up on the Application Status
After you have formally registered and submitted your request, don’t forget to follow up on its results. For example, you may receive an email from the Mikhak system or the representative office or consulate you visited about a deficiency or error in the submitted documents (e.g., an illegible image of one of the documents), and this email may accidentally be moved to the spam folder, and you may not be aware of receiving such an important message. When submitting documents, be sure to inquire about the approximate response time and set a date in your mobile phone’s digital calendar (or any other method available to you) to remind yourself to follow up on the results to avoid possible problems and receive your passport within the expected timeframe.
7. Not Being Aware of Up-to-Date Fees
As mentioned earlier, it is essential that the applicant has an approximate estimate of the relevant costs and then contacts the relevant representative office or consulate for accurate information on the latest rates. Due to the volume of applicant requests and the country’s turbulent economic situation, the rates of various services may change from time to time. Not being aware of the up-to-date fees will cause applicants to proceed with a payment receipt based on old rates, and after visiting or corresponding with the relevant representative office (consulate), they realize that the amount paid is less than the amount they must now legally pay. In this case, the applicant will face the trouble of re-visiting the relevant financial payment system, paying the difference, and re-visiting (or corresponding) with the representative office, and their request will face an unforeseen delay.
8. Not Providing Legal Residency Documents
When applying for a passport, pay attention to the fact that your residency status must be clear, and legal and verified documents by the Consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding your residency in that country must be provided. Generally, the place of passport issuance is the same country where you are officially residing. This is different from your citizenship. For example, in the new Iranian passport of a person residing in Germany, “Germany – Berlin” is registered in the place of issuance. For this purpose, it is necessary for the applicant to provide strong legal documents proving permanent residency in Germany. In exceptional cases (e.g., Iranians residing in Canada), the place of issuance may be the Iranian Consulate in another country (e.g., Ireland), but documents are still required to prove residency in Canada. In other cases, such as student passports (i.e., passports of students who have a verified educational file in Mikhak and their current semester’s certificate of study has been verified), they are only issued with the place of residence as Iran. Before proceeding, make sure what documents you need to provide according to this point so that your application is not returned to you as incomplete.
9. Not Paying Attention to Changes in Laws
In general, consular and immigration affairs have fluid and non-constant laws. The laws and details of regulations related to passport issuance may change slightly every few months. These changes may not be significant, such as a slight change in the cost of services or the specifications of the images (scans) of the documents you send. But not being aware of these small changes may cause problems or delays in reviewing your application. Always ensure that your documents comply with the latest regulations announced by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before finalizing your application (whether online, such as in the Mikhak system, or in person) so that you do not have to register a new application and repeat the process.
10. Not Providing the Necessary Certificates for Students
The passport issuance process for students is accompanied by many details and points. These cases have been discussed in detail in various articles on this website. We recommend that you carefully study these materials and prepare the necessary certificates and documents with care. Make sure you are aware of the latest changes related to rules and regulations in this area and then proceed. Using consulting services offices for Iranian immigrants or students can help you find out about new items and points that may not have been reflected on websites yet.
