After decades (literally) of being pretty isolated from the outside world, Iraq finally decided to open its borders to international travelers, making a dream for many come true.

This is the cradle of modern civilization and the heart of Ancient Mesopotamia, home to Babylon, the City of Ur and Nineveh, once the center of the world, and today epic archaeological sites awaiting to be discovered by intrepid adventurers.

The country, however, is much more than just archaeological sites; Iraq is made of its people, kind-hearted Iraqis who will accompany you in your journey, offering you unprecedented doses of Arab hospitality and generosity.

Jaw-dropping shrines, the lively streets of Baghdad, and a surprisingly elaborate local cuisine: there are many reasons to travel to Iraq.

This country is truly an adventure, and this guide contains absolutely everything you need to know to travel to Federal Iraq, including visa procedures, how to move around, where to stay, going through checkpoints, budget, money, security tips and much more.

Note that this guide is aimed at independent travelers wanting to visit Iraq.

In this Iraq travel guide, you will find:

COVID-19 travel bans Visas Tours Travel insurance Recommended books Safety Independent travel vs organized tour Top experiences Iraqi culture Iraqi cuisine Best time to visit Getting in Internet & connectivity Budget & money Moving around Checkpoints Where to stay Solo female travel More information

Iraq COVID-19 travel bans, restrictions and requirements

COVID-19-related requirements for entering Iraq have been lifted.

Here’s the updated statement from the American embassy in Baghdad.

Travel Insurance for Iraq with COVID-19 coverage

How to get a tourist visa for Iraq

For your information, you can travel to Iraq since March 2021, when they finally introduced a very long-awaited Visa on Arrival(VOA) regime.

The visa on arrival for Iraq is available at:

Which countries can get a visa on arrival (VOA) for Iraq?

Bonus: What happens with the rest of the nationalities?

If you are not one of the lucky countries, you can still travel to Iraq, but you will need a Letter of Invitation (LOI).

However, this LOI should be issued directly by the Ministry, something which you must arrange through an authorized Iraq company.

For this service, they usually charge $250, plus you need to join one of their guided tours.

The LOI may take up to 4 weeks but once it’s issued, you’ll be able to collect your visa at the embassy.

How to get an LOI for traveling to Iraq

As mentioned, one must first book a guided tour in Iraq.

By joining one of our expeditions, we can easily get the LOI for you.

Our next scheduled Iraq expedition is:

From October 29th to November 5th

How long is the Iraq VOA valid for?

The visa allows you to travel in Iraq for 60 days.

Iraq VOA requirements

Getting my Iraq travel visa on arrival was surprisingly easy.

Upon my arrival at the airport, all I had to do was fill out a form and pay the respective fee.

They processed my visa in less than 15 minutes.

Officially, the cost of the Iraqi visa is 75USD – it’s actually written there – but they ask for 77USD, the extra being a tip I believe.

I recommend bringing the exact amount.

Up to 2022, having a hotel reservation in one of the authorized hotels was a must-requirement, but this isn’t the case anymore.

Iraq is becoming more and more tourist-friendly by the day.

Is the Iraq travel visa valid for the Kurdistan region?

Yes, it is. Once you are in possession of an Iraqi tourist visa, you can travel freely all over the country, from Baghdad to Erbil, including by land.

However, if you enter Iraq via the Kurdistan region, the Kurdistan visa (60USD, on arrival) is not valid for Federal Iraq. Therefore, given that the visa for Federal Iraq is only available if flying in, you will have to fly from Erbil to Baghdad.

How to sign up for a tour in Federal Iraq

Travel Insurance for Iraq

Useful books for planning your trip to Iraq

Iraq Travel Guide by Bradt

The Rise of the Islamic State by Patrick Cockburn

Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

Safety is the number one concern for people visiting Iraq.

From the war between Iran and Iraq in 1980 to Saddam’s Hussein regime, the US invasion in 2003 and the more recent ISIS rule, decades of conflict and religious sectarianism made Iraq an actual war-torn country, labeled by all international media as one of the most dangerous destinations in the world.

While it’s true that for decades, Iraq was a pretty dangerous country to travel to, the situation has drastically improved.

This has been recently proved by the visit of Pope Francis in March 2021, thanks to whom – no kidding – Iraq finally opened its borders for tourism.

I traveled around Iraq independently, moving around by public transportation and I was particularly surprised by how calm and peaceful everything seemed to be, especially Mosul and around, an area occupied by ISIS just a few years ago.

With the exception of the endless checkpoints, everything else seemed pretty normal when traveling in Iraq, with the particularity that Iraqis, in general, were always extremely kind, helpful, and generous, like nowhere else you might have been to.

Nevertheless, remember that religious sectarianism still exists across the country and that occasional bombings may happen from time to time, in Baghdad in July 2021.

Iraq is mostly safe to travel but even experienced travelers should keep an eye open because we can’t forget that the country is highly unstable.

Always stay up-to-date with the latest security updates but, instead of reading biased newspapers or the Iraq travel advice FCDO, do contact the local people. For that, Iraq Travelers Café is an invaluable source of information, where you can get in touch with English-speaking Iraqis.

Iraq independent travel vs organized tour

For most people, Iraq is perceived as a challenging country to travel to, a destination only aimed at experienced backpackers, the reason why most travelers tend to visit Iraq with a local guide or on an organized tour group.

Traveling in Iraq independently – aka backpacking in Iraq

You would be surprised to know that independent travel in Iraq is completely doable, in fact much easier than in countries like Pakistan or Afghanistan.

There’s plenty of public transportation, most cities have a range of hotels and local Iraqis are super helpful.

The only challenge you may encounter, however, is police and army checkpoints.

Some checkpoints are pretty easy to get through, but some may come with their own challenges, for which is best to have a local contact, which you can easily get from Iraqi Travelers Café. More on checkpoints later.

Nevertheless, some previous experience traveling alone in Arab countries like Palestine or Lebanon is highly recommended.

Traveling in Iraq with a local guide or on a group tour

That’s what most people do, and it’s fine.

Against the Compass (this site) is leading group expeditions into Federal Iraq.

Learn more: Against the Compass EXPEDITION to Federal Iraq.

Top experiences when traveling in Iraq

Explore vibrant Baghdad

With its bustling bazaars and lively districts, Baghdad is a thrilling city with so much going on, the destination within Iraq where you need to spend at least one day.

Learn about the Islamic State legacy

The rule of the Islamic State in the north of Iraq is still latent in people’s life, living history I call it.

Witnessing the city’s reconstruction and the Iraqis’ struggle to return to normality is an unmissable part of their history to experience.

Touring the Mesopotamian Marshes on a boat

The Arab Marshes are a wetland ecosystem in south Iraq, a huge aquatic landscape in the middle of the desert, home to a distinct cultural group named the Marsh Arabs. Going through the Marshes on a traditional boat, visiting the different islands and the local people is a great experience.

Witness one of the largest pilgrimages in the world

The city of Karbala, along with Najaf and Samarra, are the holiest cities for Shia Muslims, cities that every year receive millions and millions of pilgrims from all over the world, especially from Iran.

Discover Iraq’s ancient history

Iraq was the heart of Ancient Mesopotamia, the people who developed the first cities, writing and agriculture, between 10,000 and 3,000 BC.

Discover Iraq’s glorious past by paying a visit to the most relevant archaeological sites.

Iraq culture, language and religion

Iraqis are proud Arabs, something you are likely to notice throughout your travels in Iraq.

They comprise 75% of the total Iraqi population, the rest being Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandaeans, Shabaks, and other minority groups.

It’s an ethnically diverse country but these figures might have changed in recent years, especially those of Yazidis, Mandaeans and Turkmens, whose numbers have drastically decreased due to violence unleashed against them.

Getting to know local Iraqis

Before traveling in Iraq, I expected Iraqis to be very generous, similar to their Arab neighbors, but what surprised me the most is that they could be perfectly equal to PakistanisAfghans or Iranians – you know, the most hospitable countries in the world – unprecedented hospitality in the Middle East.

Topics aside, making friends in Iraq is particularly easy, and a lot of fun.

Local Iraqis will always be super happy to hang out with you, to show you around, something truly appreciated in a country where chances to meet other travelers are scarce.

They can, however, be over-protective sometimes, and will always want to pay for all your meals and buy you souvenirs. This made me feel awkward but that’s their culture, you are their guest and, although you should always attempt to pay for your own food, just go with their flow.

Language spoken in Iraq

Arabic is the common language throughout Iraq, understood by pretty much everybody, except for a large portion of Kurds.

English is relatively commonly spoken among highly educated people but not the rest of Iraqis, especially at checkpoints, so learning some Arabic words can prove very useful.

Religion in Iraq

More than 90% of Iraqis are Muslim, divided into Shia and Sunni Muslims by ≈ 50%, depending on the report.

This extreme division dictates Iraq’s everyday politics and is one of the reasons why religious sectarianism flourishes.

There is a large proportion of Christians too, around 7% according to some reports, mostly living in Baghdad, Mosul, and Erbil.

Close to Mosul, there is a city named Bakhdida, home to 300,000 people, 90% of whom are Christian, the largest Christian city in Iraq and perhaps in the whole Middle East. Pope Francis visited it in March 2021, where he said Mass in a recently restored Catholic church that had been burnt down by ISIS.

Cuisine in Iraq

Before traveling to Iraq proper, I had spent two weeks in Kurdistan running two expeditions, eating nearly the same thing every single day.

In Iraq proper, where I also traveled for two weeks, I thought I’d be eating the same dishes again, but I was wrong.

While it’s true that shawarma, falafel, and grilled kebabs abound everywhere, being their staple foods, there are many must-try, elaborate dishes defining Iraq’s rich, complex history.

In the north, I found the food to be more sophisticated, more varied, probably because of their proximity to Syria and also because the land is more fertile. The classic Syrian foul for example, which is like hummus but made of beans, could be found everywhere in Mosul.

In the south, I ate mandi on a few occasions, consisting of rice with meat on top, and the national dish in Yemen, but also in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Anyways, some more must-try dishes when you visit Iraq are:

Kubba – Consisting of a couscous paste filled with meat. It comes in plenty of different sizes and shapes, depending on the region in Iraq. I was always down for kubba

Masgouf – An old Mesopotamian dish consisting of a huge fish from either the Tigris or Euphrates, which they grill for hours sometimes.

Kahi with Geymar – The national breakfast, consisting of a sweet pastry with honey or syrup, covered with a creamy, thick white cream made from buffalo milk. Amazing.

Gus – Similar to shawarma but eaten with broth and floating pieces of bread. Typical from Mosul.

When is the best time to visit Iraq

Best season to travel to Federal Iraq

From mid-October until March, when the temperature is pleasant.

You should know, however, that in winter, especially from December until January, the northern part (Mosul and surroundings) can get pretty cold (0ºC).

The south is warmer but it can also get chilly at night so, if you are traveling in Iraq during winter time, do bring some warm clothes.

Worst season to travel to Federal Iraq

Summer, late spring, early autumn.

During the warmer months, all Iraq can be too hot for traveling so, unless you can stand extreme heat (40 to 50ºC), I don’t recommend visiting Iraq at that time of the year.

How to get to Iraq

How to travel to Iraq by air

The International Airport of Baghdad has connections with pretty much any city in the Middle East, especially Dubai, Doha and Riyadh.

If you are coming from Europe, Istanbul is a common stopover, Pegasus having the cheapest fares.

Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, has an international airport too, with similar connections to Baghdad. Remember, however, that it’s recommended to fly into Baghdad first because the Iraqi visa can be used for Kurdistan too, while the Kurdish visa is only valid for Kurdistan.

How to travel to Iraq by land

Now that you can finally get a visa for Iraq at most landborders, things have improved a lot when it comes to overlanding into Iraq.

Traveling from Turkey to Iraq

You can easily cross into the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

There are direct buses from the city of Diyarbakir to Zakho, the first Kurdish town, and a visa is available on arrival.

Traveling from Iran to Iraq

You can also cross into both Kurdistan, and the rest of Iraq, and the visa is available at both.

You cross the border on foot because direct transportation is not available.

I once crossed from Iran into Kurdistan at Bashmak-Penjwen.

Traveling from Jordan to Iraq

The border is open, and there are direct shared taxis from Amman for around $75.

Traveling from Kuwait to Iraq

The border is open as well, but transportation options might be more scarce.

Travel reports on this border are welcome in the comments section.

Traveling from Saudi Arabia to Iraq

The border is fully open, and you can get a visa on arrival.

Read my Saudi travel guide

Traveling from Syria to Iraq

The border is closed. Read my Syria travel guide

Internet & connectivity in Iraq

Buying a SIM Card in Iraq

You can buy a SIM Card in a phone shop but not all of them can sell one, you will have to enter and ask.

I recommend Zain. Typically, they have 1-week or 1-month plans, the 1-week plan starting at 10,000IQD, more or less, for 3-5GB.

If you start your journey in Kurdistan, don’t get Korek, a Kurdish operator with limited service in southern Iraq.

Connecting to Wi-Fi in Iraq

Relatively good hotels do have Wi-Fi, and some cafés too, but it’s not very reliable. Do buy a SIM Card to stay connected.

Get a VPN for traveling in Iraq

Money and budget: need to know

In Iraq, they use the Iraqi Dinar (IQD) and approximately:

Exchanging money in Iraq

Exchanging money in Iraq is fairly easy.

Exchange offices are plentiful, but one small issue I encountered is that Euros (€) are not accepted everywhere, especially outside of the big cities.

US dollars, however, can be changed all over.

Withdrawing money in Iraq

There are ATMs accepting both VISA and Mastercard but you need to look for them. It’s better to bring cash with you.

Also remember that except for a few fancy places, you can’t pay by credit card in Iraq, but only cash.

How much does cost to travel in Iraq independently?

Baghdad was obviously the most expensive city in all Iraq, while Mosul was the cheapest.

Kurdistan lies somewhere in between and the rest of Iraq is pretty affordable. These are the cost of the most typical things:

Transportation: how to travel around Iraq

Moving around Iraq by public transportation is fairly easy.

Typically, most towns and cities are connected with either local shared taxis or minibuses.

The local shared taxi is always a bit more expensive than the bus, but it’s way faster and more comfortable. I only took shared taxis and I recommend you do the same.

Shared taxis I took (with prices):

Hitchhiking in Iraq

I didn’t hitchhike but in Karbala, when asking for the Hilla garage, a random Iraqi told me: I am going in that direction, you can join me. Does that count as hitchhiking?

In any case, hitchhiking in Iraq should be easy.

Taxis to move around Baghdad

If you have a SIM Card, get your Careem App, which is the regional version of Uber.

Taxi rides within Baghdad cost anything between 3,000-7,000IQD.

Checkpoints in Iraq

As mentioned, military checkpoints are the one challenge travelers need to face when backpacking in Iraq.

A few things about checkpoints in Iraq:

However, there are 2 checkpoints that can take a lot of time, like hours of waiting.

Based on my own experience, here’s an overview of each one of them:

Nasiriya checkpoint

Nasiriya is a big city in southern Iraq and an unavoidable destination for anyone heading to Basra or the Marshes.

Its main peculiarity is that this is home to al-Hoot prison, an American-made high-security prison, today filled with ISIS fighters, and the reason why the Nasiriya checkpoint is a tricky one.

Basically, in order to enter Nasiriya, you are supposed to have a local to sponsor your visit. If you don’t have one, you will eventually make it through but there are reports from travelers who waited there for several hours.

In my case, I did have a friend in Nasiriya.

I gave his phone number to the authorities and after 45 minutes, they let me go. During those 45 minutes, all we did was have friendly chats, mainly about Spanish football. That’s it.

Samarra checkpoint

In 2006, the city of Samarra was affected by a suicide bombing targeting Al-Askari mosque, one of the holiest shrines in the world for Shia Muslims.

Since then, the armed group and Shia militia Sarayat al Salam has taken control of Samarra, establishing checkpoints all over the city, closing all hotels, and making Samarra the worst city to live today in Iraq, according to local Iraqis.

Sarayat al Salam is a paranoid group which is suspicious of everyone, especially foreigners. If you come to Samarra by yourself, without a local Iraqi, chances are that you can be waiting at the checkpoint all day before they let you through.

I visited Samarra with two local Iraqis actually from Samarra and even with them, we had to wait 15-20 minutes at each checkpoint before they let us through.

Where to stay in Iraq: accommodation guide

Solo female travel in Iraq

According to female travelers I have been talking to, traveling in Iraq as a solo woman isn’t very different than in other Arab countries like Egypt or Jordan.

Occasional verbal harassment does happen, but it’s rare, and most Iraqis will be nothing but extra kind with any foreign women.

What to wear as a solo female traveler in Iraq

In cities like Baghdad, Mosul, or Nasiriya, you will see all sorts of women dressing in all different ways, some of them apparently quite liberal.

However, do always dress modestly in order to avoid unwanted attention, and bring a headscarf with you, since you may need it depending on the area you are visiting.

On the other hand, in Karbala and Najaf – two very holy cities – a full abaya covering your whole body is mandatory.

For more information, read this Iraq travel guide for females.

More information for traveling in Iraq

Travel guides to other countries in the Middle East

You will also like our Libya travel guide.

You will also be interested in: Where in the Middle East is safe? and The most beautiful places in the Middle East.

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By: Joan Torres
Title: A guide to traveling in Iraq in 2023
Sourced From: againstthecompass.com/en/travel-iraq-federal/
Published Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2023 04:39:00 +0000

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