The Kurdistan Region
Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok have their own security services and a long record of hosting visitors. Independent travel here is normal.
Travel advisory
Safe Passages
Security has improved considerably, and the practical picture varies by region. Here is what to expect, and what is expected of you.
The current picture
Iraq is not one security environment but several. The Kurdistan Region has been stable for years and is straightforward for independent travel. Federal Iraq — Baghdad, the southern shrine cities, the archaeological south — is visited routinely now, but with more structure: a local operator, a driver who knows the route, and attention to current advice.
Read your own government's travel advisory before you commit, and read it again the week you leave. Advisories move, and so do the conditions behind them.
Federal Iraq
Baghdad, Babylon, Najaf, Ur and the marshes are all visited regularly, and are best arranged through an operator who handles permits and checkpoints for you.
Respecting local custom
Iraqi hospitality is not a slogan — you will be fed, offered tea, and asked where you are from more times than you can count. Meeting it halfway is both good manners and the simplest security measure there is.
Dress
Cover shoulders and knees. At shrines and mosques women should carry a headscarf; an abaya is usually lent at the gate where one is required.
Photography
Ask before photographing anyone, and take no for an answer. Never photograph checkpoints, military positions or government buildings.
In public
Public affection is out of place. Accepting tea is not optional so much as inevitable — take it, and take your time over it.
Emergency numbers
Register with your embassy when you arrive, and keep a paper copy of your passport and visa on you.
Worth knowing
Insurance
Check the policy names Iraq and covers medical evacuation. Many standard policies exclude it.
Checkpoints
Frequent, routine and usually polite. Carry your original passport and visa, not a photocopy.
Cash
Cards are accepted in little beyond the big hotels. Bring clean, new US dollars to change.
Entry rules, fees, opening hours and road conditions all change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm the detail with your nearest Iraqi embassy or your operator before you book.
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