No. You cannot enter Iraq with a significantly damaged passport. Iraqi border control and international airlines require a valid, intact travel document. Airlines deny boarding at departure, and immigration officers at Iraqi airports and land crossings refuse entry if your passport has visible damage.
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Definition of damage and border rules. A passport is damaged if personal details are unreadable, pages are torn or missing, the cover is detached, the laminate is lifting, or the pages have water or chemical stains. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office confirms that travellers without a valid travel document will be denied entry into Iraq. The HM Passport Office warns that you may not travel with a damaged passport and must replace it if pages are ripped or details are unreadable.
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Visa applications and airline boarding. Iraqi consular rules require an intact booklet. The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq requires an actual, undamaged passport valid for at least six months from the date of submission, and consulates reject applications submitted with damaged booklets. On the Iraqi Electronic Visa Portal, applying requires a valid passport. Even if you hold an approved electronic visa, airlines examine physical passports at check-in and deny boarding to passengers with damaged documents.
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Destination jurisdictions and entry points. This rule applies across all federal points of entry, including Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf airports, as well as the Kurdistan Region at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports and the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing. Neither federal nor regional border officers permit entry with a damaged or mutilated passport.
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Replacement process and Iraqi citizens. Foreign visitors holding a damaged passport must obtain a replacement passport in their home country before applying for an Iraqi visa or travelling. Rules depend on passport citizenship rather than residence or birthplace. For Iraqi citizens abroad whose Iraqi passport is damaged, the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in London confirms that consulates issue a single-entry transit pass, called jawaz murur, valid for six months solely for return travel to Iraq upon presentation of the damaged passport and identity records.
Checked on 2026-10-07.