Iraq Is Open for Tourism, Here's What You Need to Know
A tourist visit the ancient tower of Samarra in Iraq. Robyn Huang.
In the face of years of conflict, invasions, terrorist attacks, ISIS, and then COVID, the government of Iraq has taken a big step in opening the country to foreign tourism. The security situation across the majority of the country has improved so significantly over the past few years that the authorities decided now is the time to jumpstart Iraq’s tourism sector.
With thousands of years of civilization history, ruins, archeology, religious pilgrimage sites, architectural marvels, and rich cultural traditions, Iraq has the potential to transform itself into a major cultural, historical, culinary and adventure tourism base in the Middle East.
Entry and Exit
Iraqi visas were formerly notoriously difficult and expensive to arrange. During a 2019 trip, for example, a visa invitation would cost around $500 from Baghdad and then consular fees would be around $125 plus postage, not to mention a wait time of a couple of months for processing. Now, the situation has changed entirely, with a special decree from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office allowing for new visas on arrival (VOAs) without invitations from the 15th of March 2021 for many OECD nationalities (see below).
UNSC Permanent Members: USA, UK, France, Russia, China.
EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Others: Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland.
According to the visa you receive at the airport on arrival, it states if you decide to stay longer than 10 days, you will have to “check with the residence directorate,” which is a simple registration process for southern (federal) Iraq. If you cross up into Kurdistan before the 10 days, then you do not need to register within Kurdistan, since the administrations are different.
How to get your visa on arrival in Baghdad
As long as you qualify for the VOA (you have the right passport), then you should proceed directly to the clearly marked “Visa on Arrival” counter to the left in the airport following your arrival in Baghdad or Basra (note: in Basra the process takes longs and is more strict and corrupt, while in Baghdad is it straight forward).
At the counter, you see a menu of visas to choose from— the short-term tourist visa costs $50 USD plus 1250 Iraqi Dinars plus a $2 identity fee. For all intents and purposes, prepare exactly $77 USD for the visa in clean, new US dollar bills. This way you will not have to worry about getting change, which at times can be “unavailable”.
You are handed a paper application form to fill out at the desk, then you hand over your passport and form. The officers will affix a visa into your passport in a back room and you pay them when they return with your approved visa. Theoretically, they may ask you to show a confirmed booking at a 5-star hotel for your first night (as this is actually the requirement). In practice, this is rarely asked for in Baghdad but is absolutely required if arriving through Basra.
Once you have your visa, you proceed to the immigration booths, where you present your passport and a negative PCR test result (taken within 72 hours).
Internal Borders
Within Iraq, the federal republic is separated from the Kurdistan autonomous region with its own checkpoints and border security. COVID situation permitting it’s possible to cross this border from Federal Iraq into Kurdistan.
Note, that unless you obtained your Iraqi visa already in Baghdad or Basra, you will not be able to cross from Kurdistan into federal Iraq. Visas are not available on this border. Rather, if you’re planning to visit both southern Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan in one trip, you should start in federal Iraq before going to Kurdistan. You may then either exit from Kurdistan directly or return to southern Iraq.
If your next destination or airline requires a PCR test, you can arrange for this both in Baghdad and Erbil within 48 hours.
Special permits are required for sensitive regions like Mosul. An experienced guide and local management company can handle these for you if you want to visit these areas.
Otherwise, checkpoints are rather straightforward. Independent travel is possible in Baghdad, the ancient cities of Samarra and Babylon, the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, and the southern region in and around Basra. Kurdistan is also entirely open to independent travel. This being said, for both safety and getting a more in-depth perspective on life in Iraq, hiring an experienced local guide is recommended.
