Always carry your original physical passport. Iraqi law requires foreign travellers to carry official photographic identification at all times. How you respond depends on who is asking and the setting.
Uniformed officers at checkpoints
- Cooperate and present your original passport. Officers inspect travel documents at highway checkpoints, city entrances, and airports across federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
- Carry printed paper copies of your approved visa alongside your passport. Officers at road checkpoints inspect physical documents and may not accept a phone screen.
- Keep the document in sight during the inspection. If you travel with a licensed driver or local guide, let them speak to the officers first.
- Verify your jurisdiction. A Kurdistan regional e-visa is valid only inside the Kurdistan Region. Entering federal Iraq requires a distinct federal visa.
Hotel check-in desks
Hotel reception staff routinely ask for your passport to record guest information. Allow them to scan or photocopy the document, and take the original back immediately. Do not leave your passport behind at the reception desk.
Plainclothes strangers or unverified requests
Official travel advice warns that militias and criminal groups have operated unofficial or fake checkpoints. Never surrender your passport to plainclothes individuals on the street. Request official identification, or ask to walk to the nearest established police station. If authorities retain your passport, ask for the officer's unit and a written receipt, then contact your embassy.
Keep digital copies saved offline and carry paper photocopies separately in case documents are lost or seized.
Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Travel.gc.ca, and Smartraveller.
Checked on 2026-10-25.