Visiting Iraq

Iraq is a country in the Middle East. It lies at the north end of the Persian Gulf and has a small (58 km) coastline in the southeast of the country. It is surrounded by Iran to the east, Kuwait to the south, Saudi Arabia to the southwest, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, and Turkey to the north.

Iraq is presently a war zone. Traveling there is extremely dangerous and strongly discouraged. All foreigners are in danger of kidnapping, murder, and general armed violence. Tourism visas for Iraq are not granted at the moment.

Although the northeast provinces which comprise Iraqi Kurdistan can be considered safe for foreigners, the margins for errors are small. While no foreign deaths have occurred in the province since the 2003 Iraq invasion, many foreign deaths have occurred elsewhere in Iraq. Note that citizens of Iraqi Kurdistan themselves generally do not leave the province, as their lives are also in danger (although citizens of Kirkuk are an exception).