IRAQ: New Employer Requirements

September 27, 2018

Effective immediately, Iraq’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) requires companies that do not have a waiver from the Prime Minister’s Office to pay a security deposit of IQD 100,000 for each visa applicant to obtain a visa Letter of Approval (LOA).

In addition, to process the security deposit payment and release the LOA for a standard visa submission for a Non-Arab national, MOI now requires that non-exempt employers present copies of updated corporate registration documents (see below) bearing the 2018 clearance stamp at the MOI Baghdad office.

Note

• The official visa LOA issuance date for pending applications with MOI will be the date that the employer pays the security deposit, and the visa LOA will be valid for three-months from the date of issuance.
• These rules apply only for standard visa applications. For urgent (VIP) applications, the employer must pay the security deposit to MOI during Multi-Entry/Exit Visa (MEEV) activation and will not be required to present the updated company records.

Required Documents

Corporate documents that must be presented include:

For a registered branch:

• Branch registration licences
• Board of directors resolution
• Passport of the foreign director or branch manager, or civil documents of the Iraqi director or branch manager
• Contracts with an Iraqi Ministry or primary contractor

For a registered LLC:

• Shareholder resolution
• Articles of association
• Certificate of Incorporation
• Passport of the foreign director or branch manager, or civil documents of the Iraqi director or branch manager
• Contracts with an Iraqi Ministry or primary contractor

Our Advice

All non-exempt companies should update their corporate documents in advance of paying the security deposit to release visa LOAs.

For general advice and information on immigration and business travel to Iraq, please email us at [email protected]