Erbil inaugurates Iraqi e-passport

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's capital Erbil on Sunday officially inaugurated the issuance of electronic passports, as the country is rolling out the new system. 

Iraqi head of citizenship directorate along with the Erbil governor and other local officials inaugurated the new system of issuing the travel document, which contains a smart chip (SIM card) that stores the passport holder’s key information.

As a high-tech document, the passport is very unlikely to be forged, the governor and Iraqi citizenship officials said.

The new system is in line with the Kurdistan Region’s efforts to digitalize the public service provisions, Governor Khoshnaw said.

The new passport costs a citizen nearly 91,000 IQD (around $70), and the payment should be made via a bank card. 

An Iraqi citizen who wishes to renew or issue a passport only has to present a personal ID and residence card, cutting the excessive bureaucracy in place previously, according to the officials. The newly issued or renewed passport could be collected on the same day of the request.

Sulaimani province is set to inaugurate the system on Tuesday, Salar Abdula, the head of the Sulaimani passport directorate, told Kurdistan 24  on Sunday, hailing the new travel document as “high quality.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani in March inaugurated the electronic passport in Baghdad.

Kurdistan Region has previously digitalized a number of public services, including driving licenses, visa issuance, and business registration system as part of its efforts to be a paperless government by 2025. 

Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 Erbil reporter Renas A. Saeed and Sulaimani reporter Aram Bakhtiyar