01Free
The 30-second card
Emergency · tap to call
Source: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Visa · United States passport
Online visa or authorisationSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 2 of 5: Mostly a cash economy; cards are accepted only in some places.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Iraq
Iraqi Dinar · IQD
Keep plenty of small dinar notes for daily purchases; large notes are hard to break.
Bring crisp, undamaged banknotes; torn, creased or stamped ones may be refused as suspected fakes.
Refuse old pre-2004 dinar notes showing Saddam's image.
For large hotel bills, US dollars or euros are often easier than stacks of dinars.
Collect Iraqi Dinar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Thu, 10 Dec 2026 · Victory Day
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Wed, 6 Jan 2027 · Army Day
Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)
Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)
Sun, 21 Mar 2027 · Nowruz
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day
Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)
Sun, 3 Oct 2027 · National Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Iraq say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
Travel warning
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Do not travel
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Level 4 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 22 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 22 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
Advises against all travel to parts of the country
Some regions differ, see the official page.
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 22 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 22 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Routine shots plus hepatitis A, B and typhoid; ask about rabies or cholera. Altitude sickness in some areas.
Vaccinations
Be current on routine shots; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised for most travellers, and rabies or cholera shots may be worth discussing with a doctor.
Altitude
Altitude sickness can affect visitors in some parts of the country.
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
In the app: the travel layer
The travel layer
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What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $254.4 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $5,410Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | crude petroleum, refined petroleum, petroleum coke, gold, natural gas (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 47 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 22.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 73.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Muslim (official) 95-98% (Shia 61-64%, Sunni 29-34%), Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East), other 1-4% (2015 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2015 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 438,317 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern IraqSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and TurkeySource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | federal parliamentary republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +964Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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