BAGHDAD – The authorities in Iraq have abolished the facility of visa on arrival earlier available to citizens from as many as 37 countries.
Iraq’s Interior Ministry has notified that from March 1st, citizens from 37 countries including European countries need to obtain e-visa before travel.
The fresh regulation would apply to citizens from the following countries:
| List |
| Austria |
| Australia |
| Belgium |
| Bulgaria |
| Canada |
| China |
| Croatia |
| Cyprus |
| Czech Republic |
| Denmark |
| Estonia |
| Finland |
| France |
| Germany |
| Greece |
| Hungary |
| Ireland |
| Italy |
| Japan |
| Latvia |
| Lithuania |
| Luxembourg |
| Malta |
| Netherlands |
| New Zealand |
| Norway |
| Portugal |
| Romania |
| Russia |
| Slovakia |
| Slovenia |
| South Korea |
| Spain |
| Sweden |
| Switzerland |
| United Kingdom |
| United States |
“Travelers should ensure they obtain a visa before boarding to avoid any inconvenience,” Iraqi authorities have highlighted.
The Iraqi government aims to better control tourist flows and digitize procedures to simplify visitor entry through the fresh regulation and travelers must now navigate to the official evisa.iq portal to apply for their e-Visa for entry to the country.
It is to be highlighted that in addition to the e-visa fee, which must be paid online, there is a health insurance fee, which must be paid also. As far as the processing time is concerned, it is 24 to 48 hours for e-visa applications.
Interestingly, travelers departing for Iraqi Kurdistan can still obtain a visa on arrival or apply for an e-visa before entering the region.
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It bears mentioning that Iraq holds significance dominance for the world but especially for Muslims due to its religious identity. In this regard, the cities of cities of Karbala and Najaf attract Muslims in large numbers every month and it peaks during the month of Muharram (the first month of Islamic calendar).
Most importantly, Iraq welcomes hundreds of thousands of Muslims for Arbaeen which is primarily observed in Karbala. It marks the 40th day after Ashura, commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussein (R.A). Special flights from Pakistan also take off for Arbaeen and arrangements are made by the Pakistani government to facilitate pilgrims heading to the country.
