Every way into Iraq.

Iraq's federal electronic visa for tourism and short visits, applied for online at the official Ministry of Interior portal evisa.iq before travel. Since 1 March 2025 the e-Visa is mandatory for most nationalities and the long-standing visa-on-arrival facility is suspended; the federal e-Visa is single-entry, valid for entry within 90 days of issuance, and permits a stay of up to 30 days. Unlike a Kurdistan Region visa, the federal e-Visa is valid across all of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region. A mandatory health-insurance fee (around IQD 206,000) is collected in addition to the visa fee and must be shown on arrival. The visa does not authorise employment or long-term residence.

Government fee

$159

Processing time

2 days

Max stay

30 days

Validity

90 days

The consular tourist/visit visa is issued by Iraqi diplomatic missions abroad for visiting tourist and heritage sites. Per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is single-entry, allows entry once within three months of grant, and permits a stay of up to one month. Tourist groups generally apply through licensed Iraqi tourism companies rather than individually. This consular route remains relevant for nationalities not eligible for the online federal e-Visa or where a mission requires an in-person application. The stated MOFA fee is USD 30. The visa does not permit work or long-term residence.

Government fee

$30

Max stay

30 days

Validity

90 days

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG) runs its own electronic visa system at visit.gov.krd, separate from the federal Iraqi e-Visa. List A nationals (including all EU states, GCC states, Australia, Canada, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US) can obtain a single-entry tourist e-Visa online or on arrival at Kurdistan entry points such as Erbil and Sulaymaniyah; List B nationals must apply through a local guarantor/sponsor; and a set of countries (for example Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen) cannot currently be issued a KRG visa. The fee is about USD 72.26, the visa is valid 90 days for travel to the region, and the stay is up to 30 days (extendable up to 90 days total). Crucially, a KRG visa is NOT valid for travel into federal Iraq (Baghdad and the south); a federal Iraqi e-Visa is required for that.

Government fee

$72.26

Processing time

1 day

Max stay

30 days

Validity

90 days

A small number of nationalities may enter Iraq without a visa for short stays. Iranian nationals can travel to Iraq visa-free, and Turkish nationals under 15 (and, per some sources, over 50) may enter for up to 30 days without a visa. These exemptions are narrow and change with bilateral relations; most other nationalities — including GCC, Lebanese and Malaysian citizens for ordinary travel — require the federal e-Visa or a consular visa following the suspension of visa-on-arrival on 1 March 2025. Nationals of Israel are banned from entering or transiting any part of Iraq. Visa-free entry confers only tourist/visit rights and no work or residence rights.

Max stay

30 days

The transit visa allows a traveller to pass through Iraq en route to a third country. Per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the transit visa is single-entry, valid for use within three months of grant, and permits a stay of not more than seven days. A separate non-stop transit visa is issued for transit without stopping (one entry within three months). Applicants must hold a confirmed onward ticket and, where required, a visa for the onward destination. Nationals of Israel are banned from entering or transiting any part of Iraq. The published MOFA fee for the transit category is not separately stated.

Max stay

7 days

Validity

90 days

Iraq permits short business travel — meetings, negotiations, conferences and site visits — for many nationalities through the federal e-Visa at evisa.iq, and through Iraqi diplomatic missions for businesspeople holding an official invitation. The federal e-Visa is single-entry, valid for entry within 90 days of issuance, and allows a stay of up to 30 days; the same mandatory health-insurance fee applies on arrival. The business visa authorises business activity but not local employment, which requires a separate work permit and residency. Multiple-entry consular business visas (3-month, 6-month or 1-year validity, MOFA fee USD 100) are available through missions for frequent travellers.

Government fee

$159

Processing time

2 days

Max stay

30 days

Validity

90 days

Iraq hosts some of the largest Shia pilgrimages in the world, centred on the holy shrines of Najaf, Karbala and Samarra, with the annual Arbaeen drawing many millions of pilgrims to Karbala. The religious-visit (Ziyarat) visa lets eligible pilgrims enter Iraq to visit these holy sites. Per MOFA, a visit visa for religious events or visiting holy sites allows one entry within one month of grant and a stay of one month. Pilgrimage visas are very commonly arranged for groups and families through licensed Iraqi tour operators coordinating with the authorities, and special arrangements are made around Arbaeen. Published government fee schedules for the Ziyarat category vary by nationality and arrangement, so a single official fee cannot be reliably stated.

Max stay

30 days

Validity

30 days

Foreign nationals enrolled at recognised Iraqi educational institutions apply for a student visa, which is one of the special multiple-entry categories handled through the Iraqi mission and the Residency Office rather than the online e-Visa portal. After enrolment is confirmed by the institution, the student obtains a residency permit from the Directorate of Residency, generally valid for one year and renewable for the duration of the course following a medical test and security clearance. The visa is tied to continued enrolment. Official consolidated fees are not published, so the government fee is recorded as unknown.

• Study: Full enrolment at the admitting Iraqi institution.

Validity

365 days

Foreign nationals wishing to work in the Kurdistan Region must obtain a KRG work permit (a recent requirement; the permit fee is IQD 110,000) in addition to an e-work visa and a residency card issued by the KRG Ministry of Interior. Residency applicants must now also obtain Iraqi health insurance, with an annual fee of IQD 375,000. The residency card is generally valid for one year and renewable. The KRG immigration system is administered separately from federal Iraq, and a KRG residency does not by itself authorise residence or work in federal Iraq. Official consolidated visa/residency fees beyond the permit and insurance amounts are not published in one place.

• Work: Authorises employment in the Kurdistan Region with the sponsoring employer; not valid in federal Iraq.
• Residency: KRG residency renewed annually; no published permanent-residence track.
• Family: Holders may sponsor immediate family for KRG residency cards.

Validity

365 days

Foreign nationals working in federal Iraq's private sector follow a multi-stage, employer-sponsored process: an entry/employment visa obtained through an Iraqi mission, registration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs for a work permit under Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 (Articles 30-31), and a residency permit from the Directorate of Residency, generally applied for within 15-30 days of arrival. The residency permit is typically valid for one year and renewable, and is issued after a medical/blood test and security (Assayesh/clearance) checks. Employment visas are multiple-entry and are arranged by the employer through the Residency Office rather than the online e-Visa portal. Official consolidated fee schedules are not published in one place, so the government fee is recorded as unknown.

• Work: Authorises employment with the sponsoring employer named in the work permit.
• Residency: Residency permit is renewed annually; Iraq has no published fast-track to permanent residence or naturalisation through employment.
• Family: Holders with valid residency may sponsor immediate family for dependent residency permits.

Validity

365 days

Iraq does not have a distinct statutory intra-company transfer permit, but assignments of foreign managers, specialists and technical staff — common in the oil, gas, construction and contractor sectors — run through the same employer-sponsored process as standard work: an entry/employment visa via an Iraqi mission, a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and an annually renewable residency permit from the Directorate of Residency. The sponsoring company (or its in-country contractor) handles the filings. Many large operators rotate staff on multiple-entry employment visas. Because fee schedules are not centrally published and arrangements depend on the operator and governorate, the government fee is recorded as unknown.

• Work: Authorises the assigned role with the sponsoring host entity.
• Residency: Residency renewed annually; no published permanent-residence track.
• Family: Dependents may be sponsored for residency, subject to the operator's arrangements.

Validity

365 days

Announced on 20 June 2025 by the KRG Ministry of Interior, the Kurdistan Region offers two investor residency pathways. The first is a residence permit of three to five years (renewable) for those confirmed as investors by the Kurdistan Region Board of Investment. The second is a work-residence permit of one to three years (renewable) for foreigners who purchase a residential unit valued at a minimum of USD 50,000 within an approved investment project. Both pathways extend to the spouse, children under 18 and parents. This is a Kurdistan-only programme and does not confer residence in federal Iraq. The relevant legislation does not yet fully clarify the investor-status criteria or what determines the permit length, so this is recorded with low confidence.

• Work: Investor/work-residence permits permit activity tied to the investment in the Kurdistan Region.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study in the region.
• Residency: Renewable investor residency; no published permanent-residence or citizenship track.
• Family: Extends to spouse, children under 18 and parents.

Validity

1,095 days

Min. investment

$50,000

Foreign spouses and family members of Iraqi citizens (and of foreign residents holding valid residency) obtain residency through the family-reunification route at the Directorate of Residency. For a spouse of an Iraqi, the marriage must be evidenced by a contract issued by an Iraqi court, or one issued abroad and authenticated by the Iraqi embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The family residency card is generally issued for one to three years and is renewable. Iraqi husbands and wives of foreigners are a recognised category at Iraqi missions. Consolidated official fees are not published, so the government fee is recorded as unknown.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Residency renewable; spouses of Iraqis may have a separate citizenship route under nationality law, not covered here.
• Family: Covers the spouse and dependent children of the Iraqi citizen or resident sponsor.

Validity

365 days

Foreign journalists and media personnel must obtain an entry visa before arriving in Iraq; arriving to report without prior authorisation is not permitted. Applications are lodged through Iraqi missions abroad or designated offices, and media work additionally requires accreditation/licensing handled with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Communications and Media Commission (CMC). Iraq has been working to simplify licensing for foreign journalists and media delegations. Stay durations follow the relevant visit-visa rules (typically up to one month). Official consolidated fees for the media category are not published, so the government fee is recorded as unknown.

• Work: Authorises accredited media work only, not general employment.

Max stay

30 days

Validity

90 days

Iraq issues political (diplomatic) and service visas for diplomats, officials and members of official delegations. Per MOFA, a political visa is granted on the basis of an official memorandum from the applicant's home government, and a service visa is issued to service-passport holders via an official memorandum on a reciprocity basis. Holders of diplomatic and service passports of several countries (for example China, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Russia, Serbia, South Korea and Turkey) benefit from exemptions of 30 to 90 days under bilateral agreements. These visas are arranged government-to-government through diplomatic channels rather than the online portal, and fees are generally waived or set by reciprocity, so a government fee is not stated.

• Work: Authorises official duties for the sending government, not private employment.
• Family: Accredited dependents of diplomats are covered under diplomatic arrangements.

Validity

90 days