Visas must for Iraq visit after July 1

By: Hamoud Kufi

BAGHDAD, Iraq: Iraqi Interior Ministry said Saturday all foreigners visiting Iraq after the interim government assumes power July 1 will require visas.

Foreign visitors “without exception” must apply for visas at Iraqi embassies abroad, director of the Interior Ministry's travel department Hadi Al-Muhanna said adding that does not include the 150,000 American and other foreign soldiers deployed here.

Temporary visas will not be given at Baghdad's international airport or at any of the country's land border posts, Al-Muhanna said. “These are the same rules that are followed in other countries.”

Since a US-led invasion unseated Saddam last year, visitors have been able to enter Iraq at border posts and airports without visas by presenting a passport upon entry.

The Iraqi official said the visa requirements were necessary to combat ongoing instability. Once inside Iraq, visitors will have to report their presence to an office at the Interior Ministry within one week.

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