An article entitled Instructions for granting visas to enter Iraqi territory

First, the instructions for granting the necessary features

 The visa holder must enter Iraq from the official ports determined by the competent governmental authorities, whether by land, sea or air, and his passport or travel document should be valid for a period of no less than six months and entitle the holder to return to the country from which the document was issued or to another country.

 The visa is only granted with the approval of the Ministry’s center after the visa application form is filled out by the visa applicant and checked by the Consul and sent to the Ministry’s center, which in turn approaches the Ministry of Interior / Residence Department to obtain approval for granting the visa, and then the Consular Department informs the embassy of the opinion as soon as it is received  From the Department of Residence, whether positively or negatively, with the exception of the cases below that the mission can grant without referring to the center, taking into consideration the cases included in the exemption from the entry visa fee only and the cases included in the exemption from the entry visa and the entry visa fee, as follows:-

 A- Cases covered by exemption from entry visa fee:

 1- Holders of diplomatic and service passports in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.

 2- Officials in other countries who visit Iraq on an official mission, provided that the Protocol Department and the competent department are informed of the date of their arrival and the reasons for the visit.

 3- Diplomatic and service passport holders for workers in diplomatic missions and international, regional and Arab organizations with their families for the period of their work in the Republic of Iraq, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.

 4- Arab women or foreign wives of Iraqis, provided that the official marriage contract is presented, and the husbands of Iraqi women are not granted entry visas until after obtaining residence approval.

 As for the spouses of Iraqi women, they are not granted an entry visa until after obtaining the approval of the Directorate of Residence.

 5- Clerics, prominent political, scientific, cultural, economic and journalistic figures and sports delegations invited to visit Iraq by ministries and other official institutions.

 6- Citizens born in Iraq of Iraqi descent and inclusion of all members of the Iraqi family holding foreign nationality who are outside Iraq.  This includes the children of an Iraqi woman married to a foreigner based on Article (3) Paragraph (A) of the Iraqi Nationality Law (26) for the year 2006, regardless of his father’s nationality and from the age of (15) years or less and after verifying the official documents (Residence Affairs Directorate letter/  Directorate of Planning and Follow-up (42430) on 10/10/2011.

 7- The foreigner born in Iraq without including his family members in the exemption, as they are granted the entry visa directly in return for a fee, provided that the foreigner born in Iraq is part of the expatriate family.

 B - Cases covered by exemption from entry visa and entry visa fee:

 1- Foreign students who are enrolled in Iraqi universities, institutes and schools on the basis of cultural exchange agreements and after submitting what supports their acceptance and continuation of studies in Iraqi universities and institutes.

 2- Foreign employees who are enrolled in the service of the Iraqi government with a special contract, after providing proof of that.

 3- Foreign journalists, on the basis of reciprocity.

 (Circulars of the Consular Department No. 8/2/72210 on 7/8/2004)

 (The letter of the Directorate of Residence Affairs / Department of Foreigners No. 37344 on 12/22/2009).

 Note: In other than the cases referred to above, the applications are sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / the Consular Department, and in turn, they approach the Directorate of Residence Affairs to complete the fulfillment of the legal conditions for granting the visa and obtaining the fundamental approvals.

Secondly, types of legal privileges:

 1- A visitor or tourism visa: The tourist visa entitles its holder to enter Iraq once within three months from the date of its grant and to reside there for one month.  For the purpose of visiting tourist and archaeological sites.  As for the visit visa, it entitles its holder to enter Iraq once within one month from the date of its grant, and to reside there for a period of one month if it is for the purposes of religious occasions or visiting holy shrines (Circulars of the Consular Department 1/3/6/4664 on 2/16/2011).  The feature of the visit is also to public political figures, businessmen, investors and whom the ambassadors and charge d’affaires see as an interest in their visit to Iraq, according to their discretion, for a period of 30 days (Circulars of the Consular Department No. 6/3/12162 on 3/26/2013).  In the case of tourist groups, applications are submitted through one of the tourism companies in the mission’s work area and in coordination with one of the tourism companies officially approved in Iraq.

 2- Ordinary visa: - authorizes its holder to enter Iraq once within three months from the date of granting it and to reside there for a period not exceeding three months, and he must review the Directorate of Residence to confirm the news of his arrival ten days after his arrival and entry into Iraqi territory (Uncles of the Consular Department 8/3/8  /98609 on 10/14/2009).

 3- Political Visa: - The political visa is granted to officials in other countries who visit Iraq on an official mission, as well as workers in diplomatic, international, regional and Arab missions in the Republic of Iraq with their families based on an official memorandum and accordingly they are granted a special residence.

 4- Service visa: It is granted to persons who hold service passports based on an official memorandum by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country in which the mission is accredited, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.

 5- A transit visa: - entitles its holder to enter Iraq once within three months from the date of its grant and to reside there for a period not exceeding seven days.

 6- Non-stop traffic visa: - authorizes its holder to pass from Iraqi territory under the supervision of the competent authorities without interruption and for one time within three months from the date of granting it.

 7- Compulsory visa: - granted by the residence officer at the border crossing points to a foreigner who arrives in Iraq with the intention of entering it and who was not in possession of an entry visa from our missions abroad if he is convinced of the reasons that prevented him from obtaining the visa.

 8- The multiple visa:- It is granted for a period of three months, six months, or one year after the legal conditions are met.

 (Foreigners Residence Law No. 118 of 1987 and its amendments (Article Four)) and (Letter of the Directorate of Residence Affairs/Foreigners Section 37344 dated 12/22/2009).

 Attribute application requirements

 The following conditions must be met in the visa application:-

 1- To hold a valid passport for a minimum period of six months.

 2- Fill out the visa application form with two personal photos.

 3- To be able to cover his living costs during his stay in Iraq for ordinary passport holders.

 4- There is no impediment to his entry into the territory of the Republic of Iraq for a reason related to public health, security, public morals or the national economy.

 5- To provide a convincing reason for the visit, according to the type of visa.

 6- He must not be accused or convicted outside Iraq of a crime for which he may be extradited.

 7- That no order has been issued to deport him from the Republic of Iraq, and to achieve this, the records of those banned from entering Iraq must be checked according to the attached form No. (1).

 8- His address in the place where he will be located in the Republic of Iraq.

 (Foreigners Residence Law No. (118) for the year 1987 and its amendments / (Article Five)).

 Instructions for issuing the theme

 1- Checking the information recorded in the visa application form (Form No. 1) and checking the validity period of the passport of the foreigner requesting the visa (valid for a period of six months as a minimum).

 2- Recording the information in the attributes register, Form No. (2).

 3- Recording the number of companions next to the visa if their names are written in the passport of the visa applicant.

 4- For the lack of clarity of the handwriting and its difference from one person to another, the approval of electronic printing is attributed to filling in the fields of the entry visa application form and the fields of the entry visa adhesive, Form No. (3)

 (Cousins ​​of the Consular Department No. 8/3/General/86987 on 9/19/2010) and (8/3/1/89904 on 10/13/2010)

 5- It is necessary to fill in all the fields of the visa application form in Arabic, especially the address of the visa applicant in Iraq (local / alley / house / function point) and the special phone number for the purpose of expediting the response to visa requests. Note that a number of missions still send visa application forms without filling out much  Of its fields, especially the address field in Iraq (circles of the Consular Department No. 8/3/General/92543 on 11/1/2010)

 6- The visa is signed by the Consul and stamped with the seal of the Consulate.

 7- The fees for granting the visa shall be collected according to the accounting receipt (37A) as follows:

 A- An amount of (30) US dollars shall be collected for granting the tourist visa and the religious visit visa to the arrivals according to the approvals of the religious tourism companies as groups exclusively and for all individuals included in the visa lists, including those accompanying them in the passports.

 B- An amount of (40) US dollars is collected for granting the ordinary visa and religious and solitary visits to the passport holder, and the companions are exempted from fees.

 C- An amount of (100) US dollars is collected for granting the multiple visa.

 (Circulars of the Consular Department No. 8/3/4/80480 on 12/7/2010)

 General Notes for Granting Features

 1. When there is an impediment to entering the territory of the Republic of Iraq for a reason related to public health, national security, public morals, or the national economy, the competent Iraqi authorities are approached to obtain their opinion on the matter.

 2. When granting entry visas to children under the age of fifteen, a health certificate is required to prove that they have been fully vaccinated with the polio vaccine, i.e. no less than 5 doses of the oral polio vaccine.

 3. Excluding Arab women married to Iraqis from the decision to prevent Arab nationals from entering Iraq after duly proving the fact of the marriage (Circulars of the Consular Department No. 8/3/28/40618 on January 23, 2006).

 4 .  Allow entry to Arab nationals and foreigners who have legal residence in Iraq exclusively.

 5. Granting the emergency visa is within the authority of the residence officer who works at the border residence center if he is convinced of the reasons that prevented him from obtaining the visa ((includes the persons covered by the authority to grant the visa from the mission)).

 6. Correspondence concerning the visas of foreign diplomats to enter Iraq (“granting entry visas”) are directed to the Protocol Department and a copy is given to the Consular Department for information.

 7. When granting the visa, the number and date of the residence book shall be mentioned in order to be able to match it with the approval sent to the residence and borders.

 8. The visa whose validity period ends may not be extended, but a new approval is obtained with a new fee. In exceptional cases, such as closing the borders, the Residence and Passports Center at the border crossing will explain the situation to the visa and allow them to enter without an extension or obtain a new approval, provided that it does not exceed seven  days of reopening the port.

 9. According to the letter of the Directorate of Residence Affairs, Department of Foreigners No. A.J / Simat / 1822 / 2011 / 29559 on 7/6/2011, which includes ((not granting entry or residence visas to foreign workers unless they obtain work permits from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs)  The following categories are excluded from this:-

 A- Employees of international bodies, diplomatic missions and general consulates accredited in Iraq.

 b- Foreigners who are allowed by international laws, agreements and treaties to which the government is a party.

 C- Foreigners registered with the Iraqi government, provided that the Directorate of Residency is provided with books that support the foreigners’ contract with ministries and government departments, along with filling out visa application forms in the Arabic language, so that the necessary measures can be taken.

 D- Foreigners working in the reconstruction of the holy shrines in Iraq