The Iraqi passport is a passport document issued to citizens of Iraq, including the country’s autonomous Kurdistan region, for international travel. The new "A" series of passports began circulating on February 1, 2010, as a result of Iraqi governmental initiatives to create a more secure Iraqi passport. Previous series issued by passport offices in Iraq and diplomatic representatives worldwide include the "S" non-machine-readable series, and the "G" series.
History
The new A-series passports have been issued since 1 October 2009. Passports in the G-series are thus no longer issued, but they are still valid until their expiry date. However, in autumn 2014, a document expert at a Western embassy in Amman informed Landinfo that the Iraqi authorities were still issuing G-series passports. This means that real G-series passports issued after 2009 may be in circulation. A-series passports differ from G-series passports in that they contain text in Arabic, Kurdish and English. There is also a difference on the page containing personal data – G-series passports have a field for the passport holder’s signature or fingerprints, while in A-series passports, this field has been replaced by a bar code. The page containing biometric data is laminated, as it was in the G-series. The passport holder’s signature is on page 3 in the passport. A-series passports have 48 pages and are valid for eight years. The passport number is perforated through the bottom of each page starting from page 3. Pages 4–48 are visa pages. All A-series passports are personal. Children must have their own passport.
Passport types
There are four different passport types.
Regular passport – Issued to all citizens of the Republic of Iraq. It is valid for four or eight years depending on the age of the passport applicant/holder. Those passports are not extendable or renewable and a new one must be obtained once expired.
Diplomatic passport – Issued to Iraqi diplomats accredited overseas and their eligible dependents, and to citizens who reside in the Republic of Iraq and travel abroad for diplomatic work. Title and function of the bearer is listed on the data page of the Diplomatic Passport in addition to the information already contained. It is valid for five years.
Service passport – Issued to citizen-employees of the Republic of Iraq assigned overseas, Iraqi Government employees working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or at the Iraqi Diplomatic Mission assigned abroad. Official Passports can be issued to other government officials that are to travel abroad, with prior approval, as well as to their spouses and children living in the same household. Title and function of the bearer is listed on the data page of the Official Passport in addition to the information already contained. It is valid for five years.
Special passport – Is issued to an Iraqi Citizen who needs to come back into Iraq; when issued it is valid for thirty days or until the return trip is completed and can be issued at an Iraqi Diplomatic Mission.
Passport Series
Physical appearance
Languages
The new A-series passports differ from G-series passports in that they contain text in Arabic, Kurdish and English. There is also a difference on the page containing personal data – G-series passports have a field for the passport holder’s signature or fingerprints, while in A-series passports, this field has been replaced by a bar code
Identity Information page
The front page of the Iraqi passport includes the following data:
