Guidance

Iraq: Knowledge Base profile

Published 19 July 2024

Version 2.0

About: Iraq

This document contains useful information about Iraq which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0

• published for Home Office staff on 15 July 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Iraq: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Iraq.

Naming conventions apply in Iraq. Names consist of:

• forename (personal name)

• middle name (father’s personal forename)

• surname (grandfather’s personal forename, tribal or family name)

In some scenarios, a further name can be seen on identity cards, Iraq passports and 1957 registration documents, after the third name. For example, Ahmad Jamal Ismail AL-JAF.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Iraq.

Iraq citizens can change their personal forename, and this is done through the courts.

A person cannot change their name on their Iraq passport or identity card.

Women must keep their birth name following marriage.

Iraq: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Iraq.

Dual nationality is recognised in Iraq.

A person who holds dual nationality will not lose their Iraqi nationality under the 2006 reform. Before this reform, Iraq citizens who acquired another citizenship automatically lost their Iraq citizenship.

Iraq: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Iraq.

Legitimacy

Iraq recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child is considered:

• legitimate:

  • from birth if they are born to married parents

  • if the parents marry after the birth and register their marriage with a court in Iraq

• illegitimate if the parents never marry

Iraq: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Iraq.

Adoption is not legal in Iraq.

Iraq: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Iraq.

Surrogacy is illegal in Iraq.

Iraq: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Iraq.

Transgender citizens are not recognised in Iraq.

Iraq: civil partnership and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnership and marriage in Iraq.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are illegal in Iraq.

Polygamous marriages and proxy marriages delegated by power of attorney are legal in Iraq.

Civil marriage is legally recognised in Iraq.

Iraq: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Iraq.

Birth certificates

Hospital notification records exist and should hold both parents’ names. From 1960, midwives and hospitals issue birth certificates to newborn infants in Iraq.

An Iraq birth certificate is a temporary document issued when a child is born, it is used to register the child (on a central register) so an identity card can be issued. Once the identity card is issued, the birth certificate has no official value in Iraq.

The birth certificate will:

• include the child’s gender and father’s name

• be issued in triplicate and can be either:

  • pink

  • green

  • blue

  • white

One copy of the birth certificate is kept by the midwife or hospital, and two are given to the parents of the child.

Where a child was born in Iraq, but the father does not have Iraq nationality, the child will be granted an Iraq birth certificate on condition the parents’ passports have airport or land border entry stamps. If their passports are not entry stamped, approval from the KRG Security Department is required.

In Iraq:

• birth certificates are not issued to all citizens

• births before 1958 were not registered at the time and were later registered with the birth date of 1 July

Marriage certificates

Civil marriages are centrally recorded in Iraq. A marriage certificate is issued following the civil ceremony.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued by hospitals or morgues, depending on where the citizen is laid to rest.

There is a central register of all death records held in Iraq.

Identity documents

Iraq citizens must have their identity registered and hold a Civil status identity card or a Unified National Card identity card. This card must be applied for and issued in person in Iraq.

The Unified National Card is an electronic biometric card issued by the Ministry of the Interior from January 2016. It replaces the:

• Nationality Certificate

• Civil Identification Document

• Residency Card

The Civil Status identity card is green in colour with red lettering, containing the holder’s:

• name

• date and place of birth

• religion in Arabic

• parent’s details

• photograph

Nationality certificates are a document proving the holder’s Iraq nationality it is issued by the Travel and Nationality Directorates of the Ministry of Interior.

A Residency Card shows a family’s place of residence and confirms who is the head of the family. The Information Card issued by the Ministry of Interior, Republic of Iraqi Federal records the holder’s address.

Iraq passports issued to people born outside Iraq:

• before 2013 will show the place of birth as a town or province within Iraq

• after 2013 will show the actual place of birth

A person can apply for an Iraq passport in the country they are resident in.

A person cannot change their name on their Iraq passport or identity card.