Holy See (Vatican City State)
Iran passportEdit check
Visa, stay set by the visa
Before you travel: you need a visa from an embassy or consulate.
How long you may stay is set by your visa.
Entry and stay only. What this covers
Source & evidence Read the original words
Official wording
Nationals of third countries listed in Annex I shall be required to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States.
Aevamo’s reading
Legge N. CXXXI is the instrument that creates the Vatican access regime: art. 9(1) requires non-citizen non-residents to hold a Governatorato permit to enter the parts of Vatican territory where free access is not permitted, and thereby grants free access to the remaining parts. The EU visa regulation is the transit regime through which the enclave is reached, not the regime of the Vatican itself.
Article 3(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 requires nationals listed in Annex I - the nationalities of most of these issuers - to hold a visa when crossing the Schengen external border; since the Vatican is an enclave reachable only through Italian (Schengen) territory, a traveller holding one of these travel documents must obtain that visa before reaching the Vatican.
Source details
How the documents behind this regime are dated
Decree N. DCCX: 19 dicembre 2024, in force immediately (art. 10). EU regulation: original 14 November 2018, consolidated 13 October 2024 (with Vanuatu moved to Annex I by Regulation (EU) 2025/11). EUR-Lex visa-waiver record: DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE table as served.
What this answer covers Limits & assumptions
Work and residence rights are separate from this check. This is the entry rule and the length of stay the instrument grants. It is not a decision about you: the officer at the border decides admission, and we do not evaluate the purpose of your trip, your passport's remaining validity, an onward ticket, funds, insurance or health requirements.
Informational planning, not legal or immigration advice. The source is linked so you can check our reading.