Iraq
2.3.1 Iraq Border Crossing of Fishkhabor
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Overview

The border crossing facilitates all types of cross-border activities between KRI - Duhok and Syria - Semalka. Since the closing of the Rabia/Al-Yarubiyah border crossing in 2014, border activities have grown substantially. The number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) implementing cross-border operations in north-eastern Syria through Fishkhabor crossing point has risen since closure of Rabia.

Border Crossing Location and Contact

Name of Border Crossing

KRI: Fishkhabor

Syria: Semalka

Province or District

Zakho

Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing

Zakho (47 km)

Latitude

37.068156

Longitude

42.376432

Managing Authority / Agency

Customs officials in KRI’s side carrying out administrative processes to facilitate the legal movements across the border.

The customs and border authorities coordinate closely with a Liaison Officer at the Main customs Office in Erbil.

Contact Person

Mr. Shawket Berbiary, Director of Border and Customs - peshabor.krg@gmail.com / 009647504455068 & 009647503908589

General Nazim Hamid Abdullah, Deputy Director of Border - 009647511350901

 

Travel Times

Nearest International Airport

Erbil International Airport (231 km)

Truck Travel Time: 4 hrs

Car Travel time: 3 hrs 08 min

Nearest Port

Umm Qasr Port (1113 km)

Truck Travel Time: 48 hrs - 72 hrs

Car Travel time: 13 hrs

Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity

Zakho (47 km)

Truck Travel Time: 2 hrs

Car Travel time: 1 hrs

Other Information

 

The weight bridge is only available in the customs area, and there is a fuel station in Derabin area in KRI 10 km from the border.

Hours of Operation

Mondays

Officially from 09:00 to 14:00, but it remains open until all crossing’s activities are completed.

Tuesdays

Officially from 09:00 to 14:00, but it remains open until all crossing’s activities are completed.

Wednesdays

Officially from 09:00 to 14:00, but it remains open until all crossing’s activities are completed.

Thursdays

Officially from 09:00 to 14:00, but it remains open until all crossing’s activities are completed.

Fridays

Closed

Saturdays

Officially from 09:00 to 14:00, but it remains open until all crossing’s activities are completed.

Sundays

Officially from 09:00 to 14:00, but it remains open until all crossing’s activities are completed.

National Holidays

 

Eid Al-Fitr (3 days)

Eid Al-Adha (3 days)

Nowruz (3 days - confirmation required)

New Year (1 day)

If the Syrian side is closed for any reason the KRI side will also be closed.

Seasonal Constraints

The border to date has not experienced closures due to seasonal constraints.


Border Crossing Picture

Daily Capacity

There is a river between KRI and Syria, which forms the natural border between Iraq and Syria. There are two river crossing lanes/points separated into two major uses, one for private/civilian movement and the other for commercial and humanitarian goods movement. Civilian crossings are mainly by boat, and through a one-way pontoon bridge crossing that is also used for commercial and humanitarian movement purposes. The bridge is designed to hold only one truck at a time with a maximum capacity of no more than 25 metric tons. There is a parking area for about 100 trucks that is only available during the daytime. Since trucks from Syria are not allowed to enter KRI, cargo exchange and unloading areas are provided prior to entering the customs area. It is necessary to consider the limited daily capacity of transportation and crossing through this crossing point, though no traffic was observed during the assessment.

Customs Clearance

Passengers

Authorised staff working in humanitarian organizations in NE Syria and Syrian residents with a KRI residence permit are allowed to cross the border.

Border Crossing Permit

The following documents are required by the customs office in their original version in order to cross the border:

  1. Identification cards for personal and organizations.
  2. Original format of passports/visas and approval letters.
  3. The border officials verify all the information on all the supporting documents, matches the objects and people physically present at the border crossing point.
  4. Furthermore, organizations must amend their requests if there are any modifications to the initial requirement.

Procedure

  1. In addition to the standard entrance and exit stamping routine, passengers and personal luggage are subject to scrutiny and search.
  2. Following clearance office approval, citizens need to cross the border by a boat to Syria side (no payment/fee charged). The ride takes five to eight minutes.

For Commodities

Only trucks and supplies authorised by the Fishkhabor governing body/entity are permitted to enter NE Syria.

Border Crossing Permit

The following documents are required by the customs office in order to cross the border:

  1. Tax exemption documents (The organization should have a valid registration at KRI).
  2. Packing list for the items.
  3. Permission for movement.

Notification: All organizations should consider that the border authorities are ONLY there to facilitate access to cross the border. Therefore, organizations must plan, manage, organize, and coordinate logistics aspects, such as:

  1. Obtaining KRI-licensed trucks that will transport cargo across the bridge.
  2. Organizing Syrian trucks and laborers to facilitate the cross-loading.
  3. Prepare for onward transportation into NE Syria, across the border because KRI or Syrian trucks are not permitted to remain in the designated parking area overnight.

For more information on customs in Iraq, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information.

Other Relevant Information

To use the crossing, NGOs need to be registered in both the KRI and NE Syria and they need to get approval for the movement of goods and personnel from the Border and Customs Manager in Fishkhabor/Peshabor. Requests for approval should be submitted to the following email address: Peshabor.krg@gmail.com, with supporting documents attached. Contact numbers are: +964 750 390 8589. 


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

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