To enter Iraq through Al Najaf International Airport, you need a passport valid for at least six months from your arrival date and an approved federal entry visa. Airlines verify travel documents and proof of onward travel before boarding. Visas issued solely for the Kurdistan Region are not valid for entry at Najaf.
Document checks and boarding
Before departure, airline staff check that your passport has at least six months of remaining validity and at least one blank page. Airlines also require proof of onward or return travel. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office warns that airlines can deny boarding to travellers without a return or onward ticket.
Border control and customs
After landing at Najaf Airport, follow signs to border control. Present your passport and your printed electronic visa to border officers. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior eVisa portal specifies that you must print the visa sent by email and present it at border control. The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington, D.C. confirms that passports must be undamaged and valid for at least six months. Border officers inspect documents and stamp your passport. An approved visa does not guarantee entry, because Iraqi border authorities make the final admission decision.
After border control, collect your luggage and pass through customs. You must declare local currency over 200,000 Iraqi dinars and foreign currency or valuables valued over 10,000 US dollars.
Airside and landside transit
Najaf Airport does not operate a confirmed sterile international airside transit corridor. If you have a connecting flight, you must pass federal border control, collect baggage, and enter the landside departures hall to check in again. Contact your airline before travel to verify flight routes, crossing status, and baggage arrangements.
Checked on 2026-11-04.