Iraqi passport ranks 109th globally, announces interior ministry
Ordinary Iraqis with passports frequently complain about the arduous procedures they have to go through in order to obtain visas, particularly from Western countries.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi interior ministry announced on Saturday that the country’s passport is ranked 109th globally due to the limited number of visa-free destinations, to which its holders can travel.
Iraqi passport holders can only visit 29 countries without a visa, the interior ministry’s General Director of Passport Affairs Brigadier Majid Adnan Ahmed told the Iraqi state media.
The official did not elaborate on which countries Iraqi passport holders can travel to without a visa.
Ordinary Iraqis with passports frequently complain about the arduous procedures they have to go through in order to obtain visas, particularly from Western countries.
Passport Index 2022 put the Iraqi passport as the third worst travel document in the world.
The directorate issues 100-120,000 ordinary passports monthly, according to the official. In July this year alone, 183,000 passports were issued.
Senior government officials, as well as lawmakers of the country, possess “diplomatic passports”, of which 4,000-4,200 were issued last year, he added. A holder of the document can travel to 13 countries without a visa, including Iraq’s neighboring countries – except Saudi Arabia – and a number of Asian states.
Iraqis in recent years have invested in acquiring the Caribbean island of Commonwealth of Dominica citizenship and passport, as it provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 115 countries, including the UK, EU, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil, and Hong Kong.
