Iraqi passport
The Iraqi passport is the travel document issued to citizens of the Republic of Iraq for the purpose of international travel. As of 9 January 2023, a new ICAO approved, biometric passport is being issued. 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 previous 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passports have a field for the passport holder's signature or fingerprints, while in A-series passports, this field has been replaced by a bar code.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.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.
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 codeIdentity information page
The front page of the Iraqi passport includes the following data:- Photo of passport owner
- Type of document
- Code for issuing country
- Passport number
- Full Name
- Surname
- Date of birth
- Sex
- Nationality
- Place of birth
- Date of issue
- Date of expiry
- Authority that issued the passport
- Owner's signature