Getting Iraq Visa at Iraq-Iraqi Kurdistan border?

[byhike]

Hi everyone,
I’m looking to spend this winter cycling around Iraq, Iran and Oman however am having difficulties finding information whether it is possible to get a visa for the Republic of Iraq while being in Iraqi-Kurdistan. I will cross from Türkiye into IK and get the 30 day eVisa beforehand.
For the Republic of Iraq, as I have an EU passport I would be able to get a 60 day VOA at land-borders. However I don’t know whether this includes the Kurdistan/R.o.Iraq border (is there even a real border?). Or is it possible to get a visa for R.o.Iraq at an embassy in Erbil for example?

I know this isn’t exactly fitting for Caravanistan but maybe someone has some experience and can help me out. Thanks

[TornadoTim]

Afaik it's not possible to get a Federal Iraq Visa at any border crossing to Iraqi Kurdistan. It's also not possible when crossing the internal border. You would have to cross into Iran and go further south to a direct border crossing into Federal Iraq. When you cross into Iraqi Kurdistan the only possibility to get a Federal Visa would be to fly from Erbil to Baghdad and get a VOA at the airport. You could then either take your bike with you or fly back to Erbil and travel further with your new Federal Iraq Visa.

[JONO5K1]

According to 2x Iraqi embassies this is incorrect. The embassy of Iraq in Tbilisi and Istanbul confirmed that if your nationality allows for a visa on arrival then you may obtain one at the internal border. I was informed of this in-person at both locations in July/August 2024. I'm willing to acknowledge, however, that embassies may be incorrect.

[JONO5K1]

Arrived in Mosul yesterday from Duhok, Kurdistan. No visa or visa fee necessary to enter Federal Iraq as of last week after obtaining 30 day arrival visa in Iraqi Kurdistan! Border post stated that this policy applies to most Europeans and the United States among other countries and that they themselves were only informed last week. No extra papers or stamps are issued. The stamp/visa issued for $73.00 in Kurdistan is now sufficient for travel within ALL of Iraq. ALL information stating the contrary is now void!

[Serapidex]

Thanks Jono for sharing your experience. I suppose you entered the Kurdistan region from Türkiye? I plan on doing the same in a couple of months. Just visited the Iraqi embassy in Bern, Switzerland, and they said visa aren’t required for several countries. They didn’t however seem to know whether it was possible to cross from Kurdistan to Federal Iraq (said I might have to fly from Erbil to Baghdad, which I really don’t want).

[JONO5K1]

Hi,

Ignore the embassies and consulates.They know absolutely nothing of their own country. I attended the Tbilisi and Istanbul Iraqi embassy and all information they gave is completely flat out wrong. Myself (UK) and a German crossed 3 days ago from Kurdistan into main Iraq. She entered via Turkey and I entered through Erbil airport and we proceeded to Mosul. You will pay $73 for the "Kurdistan Visa" (only card is accepted at the airport) and this ALLOWS ENTRY INTO THE REST OF IRAQ without any additional fee, stamps or documents! The border guards said they were informed of the new policy only a few weeks ago. All online information is now completely outdated. I am writing this post from Karbala now From Dohuk to Mosul the shared minivan price is 5,000. I recommend bringing dollars as you will profit sizably as the street rate will give you approximately 15% more Iraqi dinars. Once you reach Mosul and the rest of Iraq ATMs are a major issue. Only two bank ATMs have worked and the best is the Bank of Baghdad which charged a 5,000 fee. The other bank was a 10,000 fee. I used Revolut, but my Wise card did not work.

[JONO5K1]

As the policy change is quite fresh and we all know how hard it can be to find useful bits of information, I shall post some things below that I hope can be of some use.

Erbil:

Wizzair operates a very cheap route to Abu Dhabi (where I entered from). If arriving at Erbil airport, the queue can be horrendous. My total wait time was 150 minutes. When you arrive proceed downstairs if you do not have a visa where there is a single booth operated by 1 official. The visa for 30 days is $73 and only card is accepted (a person in front of me was unable to pay by card so the official kindly paid the fee with his personal bank card and the man gave him cash). This queue was approximately 20 minutes. The immigration queue was the remaining two hours and 20 minutes. There are no shops on this side and I didn't see any water fountains. Now this bit is especially important for backpackers....

Once you pass immigration there is a free shuttle bus that takes you to the airport entrance and taxi terminal. This terminal is a complete scam. The set taxi fee is $25 minimum, yet the journey to the centre of Erbil is approximately 7 minutes (I stayed at Vote Hotel which can be booked online, and 7 minutes was the distance). I understand it is very hot, however, if you proceed through the terminal carpark, past the security gates, and out of the airport compound and walk 10 minutes straight in the direction of the city you can get the same taxi for $3.00. Download the app. CAREEM (The Uber of the Middle East) and if your phone is e-sim compatible, download a cheap plan before you arrive as the airport had no working WiFi. Airalo, Yesim, Redteago, Easysim and Saily are such examples. If you don't do this you'll pay a scam price of $25.00.

When you book hotels, the prices are for the room not per person generally. A cheap room (often quite dirty) can be 15,000. A normal budget room is 25,000-30,000. You can book a small selection of hotels via accommodation platforms online only for Kurdistan currently but not the rest of Iraq. I will create a post for hotel prices in Dohuk with some recommendations for Karbala and Mosul as I contacted a lot. Bring multiple banks cards (Monzo, Revolut, Starling Bank, N26 and Wise are some examples) as some may not work at all. And if you find yourself without cash you can download Talabat which is like Uber Eats and your card will work fine and the app is in English (Note. CAREEM worked in Erbil but not in Duhok. Likewise Talabat works in Duhok and Erbil, but in Mosul it does not. There is a similar app called Talabatey that works if you speak Arabic. Within the apps it is specified where they operate). In addition to the above, 95% minimum of businesses do not accept card in federal Iraq and it isn't that different in Kurdistan. Cash is king here and in federal Iraq only two ATMs have worked and only for Revolut. My Wise card has not worked at all. Bank of Baghdad is the best and the fee is 5,000. The other bank was 10,000. Aside from that already mentioned there is a British pub with sports in Erbil called 'Princes Pub.' 6 beers and a water were $27. Very reasonable prices given that it is a sort of fancy expat pub, though there aren't too many people there. Ask for 'happy Hour' As it is all day irrespective of the menu prices. As stated earlier many businesses charge less if you pay in USD or more than the official rate if you wish to pay in Iraqi Dinar. That $27 bill was 20% more than the official rate in Iraqi Dinar.


Hitchhiking:

Hitchhiking was super easy in Kurdistan. Everyone was friendly and it felt super safe at all times. We hitch-hiked 9 times in 1 day to reach some historical sites around Duhok and it only took minutes to wait each time for a ride. If you're a solo female traveller you will find that a lot of things are gifted to you for free. Even if you want to pay at some restaurants they will not accept your money as a single woman

I will write another post later with more information specifically on accommodation.

[JONO5K1]

Hi,

I have listed some budget hotels below. The prices derived from contacting each business via WhatsApp directly and inquiring via Google translation (in Arabic) what the price of a budget/economy single occupancy room would be (generally the price of a room is for a family).

Places I stayed at:

Erbil: Vote Hotel (I pre-booked with free cancellation via Booking.com through the Wizzair websites affiliate link which gives you 5% cashback in Wizzair credit. For 5 nights it was $135 for a double bed ensuite with an exceptional breakfast included. As stated before you can only currently use booking platforms for a small number of hotels and only in the Kurdistan region. When I checked to extend, the booking.com price had doubled. Note that it is worth enquiring directly once at the hotel as booking platforms take around 20% commission.

Dohuk: Aran Hotel: 30,000 (I had room 105 and it was good)
Dohuk: Qasr Al-Rasheed Hotel: 15,000 (The most disgusting room I've ever seen. Human fluid and blood everywhere)

Mosul: Hotel Alsafer: 30,000 (Room 212. Good for the price)

Karbala: Janata Al-Kawther Hotel (25,000. Very Clean Indeed)

Dohuk (Some Other Hotels):

Elegance Hotel: 100,000 (Apartment for 5 Adults)
Capital Apartments: 90,000
Hojin Hotel: 60,000
Benz Hotel: $50.00
Marya Hotel: 50,000 (Breakfast Included)
Azadi Hotel: $40.00
Jabal Bahdinan Hotel: 40,000
Duski Hotel: 40,000
Ganj Hotel: 40,000 (With Open Buffet Breakfast)
Aran Hotel: 30,000 (I stayed here (Room 105) and it is good)
Motel Bnavi: 30,000
Sleven Hotel: $20.00 or 20,000? (They just said '20')
Paris Hotel: 25,000 (It is located on the dirty disco/bar street)
Hotel Berlin: (A recent Gmaps review states the price is 25,000)
Qasr Al-Rasheed Hotel: 15,000 (The most disgusting room I've ever seen)

Hope this helped.

There is a train that departs from Baghdad and Basra in the evening, once a day, every day and it stops at all the bucket list towns south of Baghdad. Information is on Seat 61. Prices are from 10,000 for the whole journey. I took a GMC shared taxi though for 25,000 from Karbala to Basra which took 6 hours and then for 3,000 (very cheap!), a fancy shared taxi to Safwan late at night. The Iraqi-Kuwait border was the final cherry to the cake. When I attempted to leave Iraq the main officer said I had illegally entered Iraq and that I was not permitted to be there. I cooly told him that the rules had changed last week, and without believing a word I said, he called the big boss on his mobile who verified that I was correct. He stamped my passport with a smile and wished me on my way. On the Iraqi side you can exchange Iraqi Dinar for Kuwaiti dinar at one shop for a 20% loss after being stamped through. The Kuwaiti side, however, is rather comical. There is a bus that takes you for 0.50 Kuwaiti dinars (official price stamped on the bus). The bus is mandatory if you don't have a car. If it is an emergency and you don't have cash, the driver will be fine with it and he'll let you proceed for free. There is a very large air conditioned clean waiting room with prayer rooms, drinking water and clean bathrooms where western toilets are available. The Kuwaiti side, however, is also a maze. I did this at around 23:30 and with only a dozen people. If there is only one bus during the day, it would be a nightmare. The bus is tiny and could barely fit us twelve alongside the stacks of luggage. The bus then drives to the immigration booth. I was the only passenger who needed a visa and the entire bus had to wait for me. The process was undertaken by the most efficient officer I've seen with absolute speed and friendliness and it still took 15 minutes...so if there is a queue...it would take potentially hours!!!. The driver then collects a piece of paper issued by immigration from every passenger, before continuing on to the x-ray where every bag is taken, scanned, and opened. Once again, if this was during day hours...it would take a very long time indeed! After this process is complete the bus continues to a final gate where an officer enters the bus and checks everyone's stamps. Following this, the bus drives into the literal desert where there is no asphalt to a swamp of hungry taxi drivers who charge exorbitant prices (by western standards, but for Kuwait probably quite normal). The cheapest price called by a very desperate man was 10.00 dinar. At the Iraqi border a Kuwaiti driver tried to charge 40-50 dinar! Me being me, I walked to the desert road at midnight and continued for a few hours (and actually a taxi did stop and offered 5.00 dinar (£12/$16)... until the very man that issued me my visa, stopped, invited me into his vehicle and drove me the entire 120km to the airport whilst we chatted about football, where I arrived comfortably at around 3.00am. Not a single other driver bar that 1 taxi had stopped, and there were surprisingly plenty at that hour.

I hope this helped.

Best of luck,
J

[ostrich]

Hi there,

IS there any way to get Iraq visa in advance? Is there any travel agency for that?

[JONO5K1]

Embassy/Consulates