Iraq: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
Iraq's borders: every crossing point
Iraq's land border crossings, listed by neighbour:
With Turkey: Ibrahim Khalil — Habur in the north, the main crossing into Kurdistan.
With Iran: Khosravi, Mehran and Penjwin.
With Jordan: Trebil — Karameh in the west.
With Kuwait: Safwan — Abdali in the south.
With Saudi Arabia: Arar.
With Syria: crossings exist, but the route is closed and unsafe.
Ibrahim Khalil is the main route for anyone travelling overland: it is the way into Kurdistan from Turkey.
Internal checkpoints are the norm, and moving between provinces comes with document checks.
Driving to Iraq
Temporary vehicle import into Iraq is handled under local rules, and those differ from country to country and change: find out the permitted period and whether a carnet is needed in advance.
Insurance is bought locally.
An International Driving Permit is required.
A driving route through the country requires the situation to be assessed section by section, and it changes.
Travelling to Iraq with a pet
You need an international veterinary certificate, endorsed by the state veterinary service of the country you are leaving.
The rabies vaccination must be valid on the date of entry.
An import permit is arranged in advance.
Before bringing an animal into Iraq, check with two authorities: the country's veterinary service and the carrier. Either of the two lists can stop you.
When the situation is unstable the veterinary services work erratically, and the paperwork takes an unpredictable amount of time.
Overstaying your visa in Iraq
A fine accrues for every day beyond your permitted stay and is paid on departure.
The amount is worked out at the moment of departure. Published rates for Iraq contradict one another and go out of date — count on cash and an extra hour at the border.
When the situation is unstable an overstay is more dangerous than usual: document checks are more frequent, and the consequences less predictable.
Extensions are arranged in advance, before the permitted period runs out.
What else to check before you go
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Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.