1 Iraq Country Profile

Overview

Geographic Location: The Republic of Iraq is located in western Asia and shares borders with Turkey from the north, Iran from the east, Kuwait from the south, Saudi Arabia from the south, Jordan from the west, and Syria from the west. It has a small coastline of just 36 miles (58 km) along the north of the Arabic Gulf.

Language: The first official language in Iraq is Arabic, which is understood almost universally, and the Kurdish language is the second official language in Iraq. The Arabic language is used for official communications with government departments throughout Iraq but it's preferable to use the Kurdish language for official communications with government departments in the KRI, in addition to other languages spoken in Iraq. Other unofficial languages are Turkmen, Syriac, Chaldean, or Assyrian.

Country size: 169,234 square miles (438,317 square kilometers), Highest Point: Cheekha Dar at 11,847 feet (3,611 meters), Lowest Point: Arabic Gulf at 0 feet (0 meters).

Population: The estimated population of Iraq is 41,428,544 (2021), nearly 70% of Iraq's population lives in urban areas. The largest population by far is at the nation's capital, Baghdad, with a population of 9.5 million. The cities of Basra and Mosul both have populations exceeding 2 million. Erbil, Kirkuk, Sulaymaniyah, and Hilla have populations of over one million. According to current projections, Iraq’s population will continue to grow for the rest of the century, surpassing 100 million people by the end of 2085. Iraq is currently growing at a rate of 2.32% per year, adding just under 1 million every year. Despite the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, resulting in both a rising death rate and an exodus of refugees, the population continues to grow. This is explained by Iraq’s fertility rate of 3.588 births per woman and a drop in its infant mortality rate. The fertility rate, however, is decreasing as more women have access to education and professional opportunities.

Ethnic Group: Almost 75% of Iraq's population is made up of the dominant ethnic group, the Iraqi, or Mesopotamian Arabs. Other major ethnic groups include Kurds (17%), Turkmen (3%), Assyrians (2%), and Persians (2%). There are about 20,000 Marsh Arabs in the southern part of the country.

Religion: Islam is by far the most common religion in the country as 97% of the population is Muslim. Non-Muslims, mostly Assyrian Christians, Sabaeans, or Yezedi make up 3% of the population. The Christian community in Iraq has existed for nearly 2,000 years and most are descended from the pre-Arab Mesopotamians-Assyrians. It has been believed that 65% of Muslims are Shia while the remaining 35% are Sunni. Najaf and Karbala are two of the holiest places for Shia Muslims that are located in the southern regions of the Capital, Baghdad.

Political History: From 1980 to 1988, Iraq was involved in the Iran-Iraq war, which devastated its economy. Due to several wars and subsequent conflicts since 80^th until 2003, the following activities, such as social instability was ongoing. In 2003, Iraq was invaded by the coalition.. In June 2004 the Iraqi Interim Government was established. In January 2005, the country held first elections after the invasion and the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) took power. In December 2005, another election was held which established a new four-year constitutional government that took power in March 2006.Despite its new government, however, Iraq was still highly unstable during this time and violence was widespread throughout the country.

Current political situation: The politics of Iraq take place in the framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. It is a multi-party system whereby executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers as the head of government, as well as the President of Iraq, and legislative power is vested in the Council of Representatives and the Federation Council.

Iraq Wikipedia Country Information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq

Iraq IMF Country Information https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/IRQ

Iraq Economist Intelligence Unit Information* http://country.eiu.com/iraq

(*note - this is a paid service)

Humanitarian Info

Iraq World Food Programme Information https://www.wfp.org/countries/iraq

Iraq UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Information https://www.unocha.org/iraq

Facts and Figures

Country Name Wolfram Alpha Information https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=iraq

Country Name World Bank Information https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/iraq

Country Name Population Information https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/iraq-population

1.1 Iraq Humanitarian Background

Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Natural Disasters
Type	Occurs	Comments / Details
Drought	Yes	Diminished rainfall and restricted releases of water from upstream reservoirs along Tigris and Euphrates caused extensive harm to Iraq’s irrigated grain crops, more information available at Iraq: Drought - Aug 2021 \| ReliefWeb
Earthquakes	Yes	Iraq's territory doesn't locate directly on a dense group of earthquake epicentres, but the geo-dynamic configurations show a medium to high seismic risk.
Epidemics	Yes	More information available at WHO/EMRO
Extreme Temperatures	Yes	Iraq's extreme heat hazard is classified as high based on modelled heat information.
Flooding	Yes	Cold winters, sometimes accompanied by heavy snowfall, which melts in early spring, and heavy rains can cause rivers to flood in some parts of Iraq.
Insect Infestation	No	N/A
Mudslides	No	N/A
Volcanic Eruptions	No	N/A
High Waves / Surges	No	N/A
Wildfires	No	N/A
High Winds	No	N/A
Other Comments	N/A
Man-Made Issues
Civil Strife	No	N/A
International Conflict	No	N/A
Internally Displaced Persons	Yes	270,392 more information available at Iraq \| Global Focus (unhcr.org)
Refugees Present	Yes	1,224,108 more information available at Iraq \| Global Focus (unhcr.org)
Landmines / UXO Present	Yes	The possibilities of UXO on Iraq-Iran border, Iraq-Turkey border, and the areas liberated from ISIS control.
Other Comments	N/A

For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters - Iraq.

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

Seasonal Effects on Transport
Transport Type	Time Frame	Comments / Details
Primary Road Transport	Yes	Mosul Bridge and Fishkabor Bridge is affected during rainy season and floods.
Secondary Road Transport	No	N/A
Rail Transport	No	N/A
Air Transport	Yes	During election all airport operations are suspended.
Waterway Transport	No	N/A

The Iraq climate even though it can reach very high temperatures in summer and below zero degrees in winter, with some snow, particularly in the northern parts, doesn't affect transport. There are minimal difficulties in secondary road transport during snowy days.

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling
Activity Type	Time Frame	Comments / Details
Storage	June - September	Summer months high temperatures might affect storage by deteriorating non-heat resistant and perishable goods.
Handling	N/A	During COVID-19 pandemic and curfew
Other	N/A	N/A

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

The movement of humanitarian cargos in the central and southern regions of Iraq (FI) needs the approval of the National Operations Center (NOC). While in the KRI region, the movement of humanitarian cargo needs the JCC letter and approval. The approval process in both regions (FI and KRI) is initiated by an official request/letter from the requesting agencies.

Movement Facilitation Request in FI

For requesting movement facilitation, UN agencies need to submit a request letter (in English and Arabic) along with other requirements/documents to NOC directly, through authorized focal point, for any inter-governmental movement by contracted transportation company. Below are additional instructions and requirements for obtaining NOC letter. The time expected to obtain the NOC letter is 3-10 days.

Movement Facilitation Request in KRI

Movement of humanitarian cargos in KRI requires the approval of Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC) and other relevant security entities. Request for movement facilitation in Kurdish needs to be submitted to JCC along with documents related to the shipment, including the origin, destination, route, driver and trucks information, etc. Request letter and related/required documents need to be submitted to JCC HQ in Erbil.

Shipments headed outside of KRI governorate, including shipments coming from the Ibrahim Khalil border route to other governorates, require the JCC’s approval for movement, as well as a tax exemption letter for humanitarian commodities from the Ministry of Finance.

Cross Regional Movement (FI and KRI)

Humanitarian cargos moving from one region to another (from FI to KRI or vice versa) will require valid NOC and JCC letters.

Following are some of the government entities that participate actively during disaster response:

Ministry of Defense - Directorate of Military Affairs for Civilian Purposes:

Under the oversight of the Ministry of Defense, the Directorate of Military Affairs for Civilian Purposes plays a major role during disaster response phase support the civilians and humanitarian community by provided floating bridges and evacuation, and other support.

Ministry of Interior - Civil Defense

It is a security and emergency services agency in Iraq, consisting of Iraqis who do everything to complement the operations of the military forces in Iraq to stand up to organized teams and individuals, they also play a major role during crises and disasters such as fires, floods, earthquakes, etc.

Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS)

An active and independent national humanitarian organization aiming to reduce the suffering of vulnerable community. The head quarter of IRCS is located in Baghdad with branches in every governorate.

https://ircs.org.iq/en/home-6/

Joint Coordination and Monitoring Center (JCMC)

Under the oversight of the General Secretariat for the Council of Ministers, JCMC, as government coordination body that established in 2014, plays a prominent role coordinating crisis response efforts. JCMC is also responsible for preparedness recovery, and risk analysis and management in the Federal Iraq (FI) region. JCMC has representatives in all the central and southern governorates.

https://jcmc.gov.iq/en/

Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC)

JCC was established in 2015 under the oversight of the Minister of Interior. The JCC Crisis Response and Management Network consists of the JCC Council located in Erbil, and the Disaster and Migration Crisis Response Responses (DMCR) Offices in KRI Governorates, namely: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok. The DMCR offices at the governorates are administratively under the governorates and technically under JCC.

JCC, in cooperation with security authorities, is responsible for processing and granting movement facilitation letter for humanitarian cargos moving to/from KRI region. JCC is also playing a coordination role during disaster response, recovery and preparedness phases. JCC offices (DMCR) have logistics centres (that contain storage space) in KRI governorates that can also be used for the humanitarian community.

https://jcckrg.org/

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.

Humanitarian Community

There are approximately 102 humanitarian actors engaged in the humanitarian relief effort in Iraq, the main actors are: UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, UNDP, UN-HABITAT, UNFPA, UNESCO, and their implementing partners, which consist of over 70 cooperating partners of INGOs and NGOs, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and UNOCHA (as coordination body of humanitarian operations with representation at the national and regional levels.

Ongoing programmers and projects:

2021 Humanitarian Response Plan to assist 1.5 million of the most vulnerable internally displaced people in Iraq and returnees Iraq | HumanitarianResponse.
Supporting COVID-19 outbreak response and vaccination effort of the Iraqi Government
Boosting the stability and socio-economic development of the country by enhancing democratic governance at the local level.
Improving the resilience of host communities, IDPs, returnees with focus on several areas: protection, health, water & Sanitation, food security, emergency livelihood, and education.

WFP operations: Currently, the World Food Program implements the following programs in Iraq (Crisis response, Resilience-building, social protection, School feeding, and COVID-19 response). The response of WFP to the humanitarian needs and the support to the vulnerable community is formulated in different modalities, such as, Immediate Response Rations (IRR) distribution, Family Food Rations (FFR), Cash-Based-Transfer (CBT) through: Voucher, Direct Cash, and Mobile Money Transfer (MMT) in additional to the emergency, preparedness, and response program and School Feeding meals project.

WFP Sub offices: Baghdad, Erbil, Basra, Dohuk, and Sulaymaniyah.

Cooperating partners: In 2021 WFP partnered with 13 Cooperating Partners from national and international organizations: Marcy Hands, World Vision International, UOS, RIRP, MFD, SWEDO, SP, WHH, PIN, REACH-IRAQ, OROKOM, HRF, and CCR).

Potential calamities:

Man Made: IDPs, Refugees, and Landmines/UXO.

Natural: Drought, Earthquakes, Epidemics, Extreme Temperatures, and Flooding.

Types of food consumed:

Meat and poultry

Dairy products and their derivatives: such as (milk, cheese, etc.).

Fruits: such as (dates, bananas, apples).

Dried foods: such as (apricots, raisins).

Legumes: such as (beans, peas, chickpeas).

Grains: such as (rice, bulgur, lentil).

Ground foods: such as (wheat flour).

Cooking oils.

Sugar (white).

Salt (regular).

Tea.

Food stocking: Ministry of Trade (MoT) is considered one of the biggest food distribution entities in the country that stocks essential food items. MoT is managing the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Iraq and has storage spaces and millings scattered around the country.

1.2 Iraq Regulatory Departments and Quality Control

Overview

The Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control is considered one of the oldest organizations in the country. It was established in 1979 under Law No. 54 issued on 4/6/1979, and contains the following departments:

The Standardization Department.
Quality control circuit.
Technical and Administrative Services Department

The procedures for approving and monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the National System of Quality Control (1988) are among the most important exclusive competencies of the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control under the provisions of Article 3 / second, third of Law 54 of 1979 as amended, and these procedures aim to ensure the protection of the consumer, public health and the environment through evaluation mechanisms Conformity of goods and products (local or imported) to the approved Iraqi specifications that are directly related to the consumer.

The Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control has sought, since 2011, and based on the provisions of Article 3/8 of its applicable law, and in implementation of the general government policy and in cooperation and coordination with all concerned parties to follow the international contexts in authorizing global, impartial inspection bodies accredited in accordance with the highest international specifications and standards and has the experience and competence to implement Pre Shipment Inspection program (PSI) through official government contracts that lasted for the period 2011-2019. This program included more than 930 different industrial commodities (food, engineering, chemical, construction, textile) directly related to the consumer and doesn't include the imports of specialized public sector entities not related to the consumer.

Today, the Agency presents the new phase of the program for the period 2020-2022 after completing the pre-qualification process for companies wishing to obtain a pre-supply inspection license and issue a certificate of conformity in accordance with the directives of the Economic Affairs Committee / Council of Ministers, where three contracts were signed to grant a license with three qualified international companies and a full development The legal and supervisory framework for the work of licensed companies by issuing a guide to granting a license (1/2019) and in conjunction with the resumption of monitoring, auditing and verification procedures to ensure and enhance the efficiency of the pre-supply inspection program by the employees of the device at the border crossings and over the hours and working days of the ports.

Pre-Shipment Inspection Programme (PSI)

The Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control started to engage in Pre-Shipment Inspection program (at the country of origin) which is considered as one of the methods for quality assurance that have been recognized in the field of international trade by carrying out inspection through third party (an internationally accredited neutral entity). The inspection company grants the manufacturer or supplier a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for the goods or products prior to shipping. On May 15, 2019, the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control announced a public / international invitation (1/2019) for contracting and conducting Pre-Shipment Inspection and to issuing a Certificate of Conformity at the country of origin. The outcome of the invite resulted in contracting with the following companies to be licensed and accepted by FI for issuing CoC:

Intertek International Limited / UK (The only company operating in KRI at Ibrahim Khalil Border Crossing). Kurdistan Products
HQTS-Helmsan & Quality & Technology Services.
Geo-chem / Middle East U.A.E.

Programme Mechanism

Steps	Description
Conformity Verification Request	The importer or exporter applies for verification of conformity to one of the licensed companies (Intertek, HQTS, Geo-chem.) This application should include the following: Proforma invoice, final invoice, letter of credit, with a list of (names of goods destined for export, and the name and address of the importer and exporter). Conformity documents that may be available for goods destined for exportation, for example: Certificates, inspection reports / analysis reports according to safety specifications and/or Iraqi and international specifications (ISO, IEC, EN) or food codex specifications. Quality Management/Safety Systems Certifications (IOS 22000, HACCP, ISO\TS 16949, ISO 13485). Information regarding the location and date of the goods’ presence for the purpose of conducting physical inspection.
2. Documentary Verification	The inspection company reviews the provided information and conducts sample taking for laboratory testing/analysis.
3. Physical Inspection	After document’s verification, physical and laboratory inspections are carried out to check conformity.
4. Certificate of Conformity	The inspecting company verifies the robustness and accuracy of the data collected during the conformity verification process and physical and laboratory inspection. Accordingly, the CoC is issued stating whether the item(s) is complying with the specification or not.
5. Verification at the Iraqi Border Crossings	Authorities at the entry points verify documents of the incoming shipments, including CoC by checking: The validity of the conformity certificate issued by the accountable/licensed company. Physical shipment matches shipping documents. The integrity of the seals of containers (in the country of import or export.) The shipping conditions are respected (no damages, refrigerated or frozen goods are in refrigerated containers). In case of any damage, documentation (pictures and reports) should be considered. If there is any doubt about a shipment (discrepancies), the inspecting team/committee informs the he customs department to re-verify the shipment and ensure its conformity with the inspected goods in the country of origin/exportation.

Random Check: The Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control has the right to request the customs authorities not to deliver any shipment until after re-examining and conducting random inspection.

For more information about:

Profile of the examiner companies and their contact addresses.
Addresses of corporate offices around the world.
List of imported goods subject to inspection.

Please see the attached file below in the Arabic version.

For contact information, please see the following link: 4.1 Iraq Government Contact List and 4.3 Iraq Laboratory and Quality Testing Companies Contact List.

1.3 Iraq Customs Information

Duties and Tax Exemption
- Emergency Response
- Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response)
Federal Iraq
Kurdistan Regional of Iraq (KRI)
- Exemption Certificate Application Procedure
- Exemption Certificate Document Requirements for KRI
Customs Clearance Requirements/Documents for FI and KRI
Customs Clearance Document Requirements for FI and KRI
Transit Regime

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link: 4.1 Government Contact List.

Emergency Response

When an emergency is officially declared by the government, certain protocols for emergency response are activated. During the activation of Emergency Response Protocols, the humanitarian community is allowed to import goods and collaborate with the government entities to facilitate the entry and distribution of relief items. For more information about the Emergency Response Protocols, please contact JCMC.

In the following table, state which of the following agreements and conventions apply to the country and if there are any other existing ones

Agreements / Conventions Description	Ratified by Country?
WCO (World Customs Organization) member	Yes - 1990-06-06
Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention	No
OCHA Model Agreement	No
Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations)	No
Regional Agreements (on emergency/disaster response, but also customs unions, regional integration)	Refer to JCMC Baghdad & JCCC – KRI and Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response)

The UN agencies are exempted from customs fees through the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, while the NGOs are granted customs and tax exemptions through the customs law of Ministry of Finance - Custom Regulation No (6) of 2016, based on the Iraqi customs law No (23) of 1984, according to article (165), provided that the agency/organization is officially registered and licensed to operate as a humanitarian agent in Iraq (FI & KRI regions) through the MoFA in FI or Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) in KRI.

Organizational Requirements to obtain Duty Free Status
United Nations Agencies
All United Nations Agencies must be officially registered and licensed to act as a humanitarian agent.
Non-Governmental Organizations
All the NGOs must be officially registered and licensed to act as a humanitarian agent, either standing alone or in partnership with a United Nations agency.

Federal Iraq

In FI, the Customs Authority is under the oversight of the Ministry of Finance (MoF). Though, requests for import permit and Customs and Tax exemption are processed and channeled through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The Ministry of Interior (MoI) plays a coordination and monitoring roles supporting Customs Authorities control over entry points.

While in KRI, tax and customs exemption requests are processed by either JCC or Department of foreign Affairs (DFR).

Import Permit and Customs and Tax Exemption (food and non-food items, except medical/medicine)

In normal cases, the import permit process usually takes 4 – 6 weeks to be issued. For requesting import permit and customs exemption for general food and non-food items, the below documents need to be submitted to MoFA.

Land Freight	Official request letter Packing list (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Commercial Invoice (Translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Certificate of Origin (CoO) Certificate of Analysis (for medical items)
Sea Freight	Official request letter Bill of Lading Packing list (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Commercial Invoice (Translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Certificate of Origin (CoO) Certificate of Analysis (for medical items) Food items imported through Um Qasr port will subject to Quality and Health testing by the southern region Department of Health. The food items will not be cleared until the results of the quality analysis show conformity with the Iraqi standards. The quality testing and analysis process may take 5 – 7 days.
Air Freight	Official request letter Airway Bill Packing List (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Commercial Invoice (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin)

Import Permit and Customs and Tax Exemption (medical items)

To import medicine through Land and Air, the below documents are required for processing import permits.

Land Freight	Official request letter Packing List (contain the following information: Name, type, description manufacturer, batch number, and does weight) (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Proforma invoice (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Certificate of Origin Certificate of Analysis
Air Freight	Official request letter AWB Packing List (contain the following information: Name, type, description manufacturer, batch number, and does weight) (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Proforma invoice (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin) Certificate of Origin Certificate of Analysis

Land Freight

Official request letter
Packing List (contain the following information: Name, type, description manufacturer, batch number, and does weight) (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin)
Proforma invoice (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin)
Certificate of Origin
Certificate of Analysis

Air Freight

Official request letter
AWB
Packing List (contain the following information: Name, type, description manufacturer, batch number, and does weight) (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin)
Proforma invoice (translated to Arabic and authenticated by Chamber of Commerce / MoFA at the country of Origin)
Certificate of Origin
Certificate of Analysis

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure

The flow chart explains the procedure for processing import permit and tax and customs exemptions for food and non-food items.

For Medicine, the approval for Ministry of Health through International Health Department (IHD) is required. The IHD coordinates with the State Company for Drugs & Medical supplies (KIMADIA) to determine the quantities and types of medicines that are scarce or required in country. After obtaining the approval of MoH/IHD, a request for customs and tax exemption will need to be submitted to MoFA while attaching MoH approval.

Kurdistan Regional of Iraq (KRI)

The process of importing humanitarian shipments into Iraq - KRI begins by submitting a Tax Exemption Letter directed to either JCC (The Joint Crisis Coordination Centre) or DFR (The Department of Foreign Relations) with the necessary documents highlighted below. The JCC or DFR will send a cover letter to the relevant Ministries/Government Departments based on the items list that will enter the country. After obtaining the approval from the concerned authorities, JCC or DFR will send a letter to the Customs Department / Ministry of Finance to obtain customs and tax exemptions for humanitarian imports. The approval will then be forwarded to the customs authorities at entry points from which the goods will be imported/enter the country. Food, Non-Food Items, and Medicine Supplies: All regular and standard shipping documents will have to be provided. Medicine shipments will have to be approved by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Kurdistan Medical Control Agency (KMCA).

Security/Sensitive Supplies: Such as (Armed Vehicles, Telecommunication, VHF Radio, and PPE), in addition to approvals from the Ministry of Finance - Customs Department shipping documents must also be processed and approved by the Ministry of Interior and relevant security agencies such as the Public Security Directorate (PSD).

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure

Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure
Generalities (include a list of necessary documentation)
Certificate of Origin (endorsed by the Iraqi Embassy at the country of Origin or the chamber of commerce) Certificate of Analysis (for medicine and wheat flour) Certification of Conformity (check items requires Intertek certification in Intertek list below) Certificate of Donation (if applicable) Packing List (translated to Kurdish) Commercial Invoices (endorsed by the Iraqi Embassy at the country of Origin or the chamber of commerce) Waybill (detailing the date of arrival, consignee with full address, contact person to receive shipment) if available
Process to be followed (step by step or flowchart)

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements for KRI

Duties and Taxes Exemption Certificate Document Requirements (by commodity)
	Food	NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education)	Medicines	Vehicle & Spare Parts	Staff & Office Supplies	Telecoms Equipment
Invoice	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs
Packing Lists	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs
Other Documents	Food & agricultural import regulation & standards apply	Certificate of Conformity by authorized company - Intertek list of items that require Intertek certificate for KRI is below: Regulated Product List * for items imported through EIA, no need for Intertek	1) Certificate of Origin should be certified by the Iraq Embassy at the Country of Origin or Chamber of Commerce at the country of origin 2) Certificate of analysis 3) KMCA (only KRI) form below: Required documents	Certificate of Conformity by authorized company (Intertek in KRI)	N/A	Certificate of Origin. Letter of approval to import from Ministry of Interior & MoFA
Additional Notes
It's critical that the packing list number and AWB number match exactly. Organizations also should issue a general time-bounded authorization letters (on headed paper, signed and stamped) for customs brokerage agents authorising the company to clear the shipment at the border.

Customs Clearance Requirements/Documents for FI and KRI

Customs Information
Document Requirements	As mentioned above
Embargoes	Arms & Ammunition
Prohibited Items	FI and KRI - Pork
General Restrictions	Non-compliance to regulations and standards

Customs Clearance Document Requirements for FI and KRI

Customs Clearance Document Requirements (by commodity)
	Food	NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education)	Medicines	Vehicles & Spare Parts	Staff & Office Supplies	Telecoms Equipment
D&T Exemption Certificate	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original/scanned copy, applies to UN agencies
Invoice	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to UN agencies
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to UN agencies
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to UN agencies
Packing Lists	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to UN agencies
Phytosanitary Certificate	Yes, 1 original copy, applies to both UN and NGOs, if applicable	Yes: 1 original copy of the Certificate of Origin & Certificate of Conformity, applies to both UN and NGOs	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Other Documents	Food & agricultural import regulation & standards apply	Certificate of Conformity	1) Certificate of Origin should be certified by the Iraq Embassy at the Country of Origin or Chamber of Commence 2) Certificate of analysis	Advanced notification should be given to MoFA & MOI	N/A	Advanced notification should be given to MoFA & MOI
Additional Notes
All humanitarian relief consignments are exempted and free of taxes, tariffs & fees.

Transit Regime

Kurdistan Region of Iraq is considered a corridor for transit shipment from Turkey to North-East Syria. The transit shipments enter KRI mostly through Ibrahim Khalil entry point and then carry on to North-East Syria side at enter the Syrian side through Feshkhabour entry point.

To process the transit shipment approval, organization need to be registered in KRI and should submit the request for transiting the shipment through KRI to JCC stating that the shipment is a transit shipment mentioning the source and destination. The requirements should follow the regular procedure and requirement for obtaining import permit and tax and customs exemption in KRI that is mentioned above.