KRG launches first-ever electronic visa portal, announces PM Barzani
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) today launched an online visa program to allow easier travel for people to visit Iraq’s Kurdish region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced the new system on Wednesday.
The new portal, available in three languages – Kurdish, Arabic, and English – allows visitors to apply for the Kurdistan Region visa online, the first of its kind.
“I’m pleased to announce the launch of the KRG’s first e-Visa portal (http://visit.gov.krd), in line with our promise to become a fully digital government by the end of 2025,” Barzani announced on Twitter.
The new “paperless portal” facilitates boosting tourism and foreign investment in the Kurdistan Region, Barzani said in a tweet thread.
“Several other systems have been developed with the e-Visa program to improve border security,” he added.
A single-entry visa for one month to the Kurdistan Region will cost $72.26, including the transaction fees.
The new portal also helps the Region provide more digital services as well as paving the way for “serious upgrades to our airports and border crossings,” the premier said.
As part of KRG’s digital strategy, the government has introduced the new system to “improve public services, citizen satisfaction, and ease of doing business” in the Kurdish region.
I’m pleased to announce the launch of the KRG’s first e-Visa portal (https://t.co/EwkBlqVVhN), in line with our promise to become a fully digital government by the end of 2025. pic.twitter.com/CFCNsh7rEj
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) February 22, 2023
PM Barzani announced the Digital Transformation Strategy in October 2022, with the goal to fully digitalize its services by 2025 to combat red tape and “enhance transparency.”
The premier in August last year launched the first-ever online digital driving license program. A month later, he inaugurated the Kurdistan Region’s data center.
Pm Barzani “commended” the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Information Technology for their efforts in the digitalization process.
Fully-developed by KRG
Announcing the new portal, Barzani said several other systems have been developed with the platform to “improve border security.”
The portal is one of the elements of the Border Control System (BCS) that has been fully developed by the KRG Department of Information, Hiwa Afandi, the head of the government office, told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.
The BCS encompasses other subsystems, including the Entry/Exit Management System, National Stop List, Guarantor Information Management System, and Visa Information Management System, the official explained.
“All financial transactions are digital,” Afandi said.