Iraq Travel Guide
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Guide
Iraq split its visa system down the middle, and it matters which half of the country you are heading to. Visa on arrival for Federal Iraq ended on 1 March 2025 for the roughly three dozen nationalities that had used it, and the government has pushed travelers toward a mandatory e-Visa instead, priced at around 160 US dollars including insurance. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in the north, kept its own visa on arrival running at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah international airports, priced at roughly 65 to 77 US dollars depending on the exchange rate, but that visa only works inside Kurdistan.
The two systems do not automatically connect to each other. A Federal Iraq visa, whether the e-Visa or an embassy visa, does get you into the Kurdistan Region as well, but a Kurdistan visa on arrival does not get you into the rest of the country, Baghdad, Basra, or anywhere else under federal control needs its own Federal Iraq visa, even if you already have a Kurdistan entry stamp.
Border crossings
- Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, the Kurdistan gateways
Both airports still issue a visa on arrival for entry into the Kurdistan Region specifically, and the Kurdistan Regional Government runs a separate eVisa portal at visit.gov.krd alongside it.
- Baghdad International, for Federal Iraq
Since the visa on arrival ended there in March 2025, arriving at Baghdad without an approved e-Visa or embassy visa already in hand is the mistake to avoid.
- Moving from Kurdistan into the rest of Iraq
This is the crossing point people misunderstand most, a Kurdistan entry stamp alone will not get you past it into federally controlled Iraq, plan your visa around your actual itinerary, not just your first stop.
Transit routes
- Apply for the Federal e-Visa if Baghdad or Basra are on your route
It is the mandatory replacement for the old visa on arrival, and it needs to be sorted before you fly, not at the airport.
- Decide your route before you pick a visa
Kurdistan only, or Kurdistan plus the rest of Iraq, changes which visa or visas you actually need, and getting this backwards at the airport is a real risk.
Entry point notes
- The federal e-Visa is around 160 dollars, insurance included
Budget for it as a fixed cost of visiting Federal Iraq, not a fee you can talk your way around.
- A federal visa works in Kurdistan, the reverse is not true
Getting the wider federal visa if your plans are even slightly uncertain is the safer route.