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Iraq no longer gives a visa on arrival to most visitors. The UK FCDO entry page says you must have a visa and apply on the Iraqi e-visa portal at least 24 hours before travel, and it lists the fee as USD 160. From Dubai the work is the same as from anywhere: the right passport, a clean photo and an approved e-visa before you board.
What we do and what you do
You send us the passport page, a white-background photo and your dates. We check the passport against the entry rules, fill in the e-visa, and tell you if your trip includes the Kurdistan Region, which has a separate visa. When the visa arrives by e-mail we check the name, dates and number of entries against your booking. You print it and carry it. Nobody in the UAE can stamp it for you, and the airline can refuse boarding without it.
Fee and validity
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Iraq e-visa | USD 160 | UK FCDO entry requirements |
| Validity | 60 days (FCDO) or 30 days (evisa.iq) | Both pages disagree |
| Filing deadline | At least 24 hours before travel | UK FCDO |
| Visa on arrival | Stopped | UK FCDO |
Source: UK FCDO Iraq travel advice and the evisa.iq home page, checked . The portal page we could read shows no fee, so the amount on your application screen is the one that counts. We list no UAE dirham figure because no official page gives one.
Does UAE residence help?
We found nothing that does. The pages we read describe the rule by passport. A UAE residence permit may help you at the airline desk in Dubai, but Iraq's own page names no concession for residents of the UAE. We prefer to say that plainly than to promise a shortcut. If you hold a passport the FCDO page does not cover, we check the portal for that passport before filing.
Passport and photo
- Passport valid at least 6 months after the day you arrive, with one blank page (UK FCDO).
- A valid passport and a digital personal photo with a white background (evisa.iq).
- An e-mail address you read daily, since the visa comes by e-mail.
- A return or onward ticket, because the FCDO says airlines may refuse boarding without one.
Kurdistan Region
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq runs its own e-visa process, according to the UK FCDO. Those visas can be had electronically or on arrival and are valid in the Kurdistan Region only. If you fly to Erbil and then want to drive to Baghdad, the Kurdistan visa does not carry you there. Tell us the full route and we match the visa to it.
Travel warnings you should read
The UK FCDO updated its Iraq advice on . It advises against all travel to Kirkuk, Ninawa, Salah al-Din, most of Diyala, Sadr City in Baghdad and areas within 5km of the Iran and Saudi or Kuwait borders. It advises against all but essential travel to the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Baghdad, Babil and Anbar, among other areas. Travel insurance often stops covering you in those areas. Other governments publish their own advice, and we did not read them all.
Steps from Dubai
- Check your passport dates and blank pages.
- Send us the passport page, photo and travel dates.
- We file the e-visa at least a few days before you fly.
- Check the validity dates on the approved visa.
- Print it and carry it with your ticket.
Why e-visas fail
- A photo that is not on a white background.
- A passport name that does not match your ticket.
- Filing less than 24 hours before the flight.
- Trying to use a Kurdistan visa for the rest of Iraq.
The Iraqi embassy in Abu Dhabi
The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq is in Abu Dhabi and has a page on the Iraqi foreign ministry site, last posting notices on . The page we read lists no visa fee or procedure for foreigners. For Iraqi passport holders who want to visit the UAE, see Dubai visa for Iraqis.
How it works with us
Send the passport copy on WhatsApp or use the form on this page. A visa adviser checks which Iraq visa fits your route, then gives one total price before you pay. The team files it, follows up and sends you the approved e-visa. We are a private visa service and the Iraqi authorities decide the application.
If the e-visa is refused, the Iraqi government does not return its fee. Before you pay, the adviser tells you in writing what part of our total, if any, comes back in that case.
Official sources
- Iraq e-visa portal: 30 days, passport and photo, e-mail delivery
- UK FCDO Iraq entry requirements: visa, USD 160, passport rules, Kurdistan
- UK FCDO Iraq travel advice: regions advised against
- Embassy of Iraq in Abu Dhabi: embassy page on the foreign ministry site
More: visas from Dubai, visa-free countries for UAE residents.
