How to search for an Iraqi statute in the Legislation Database
Searching for an Iraqi statute does not start with a general search engine or with an unattributed compilation. The method used by the Law Office of Ali Barakat is to open the search page of the Iraqi Legislation Database of the Supreme Judicial Council, and then to narrow the query enough to distinguish the instrument from others.
What should the search be limited by?
If the official title is known — or a stable part of it, such as "Companies Law" or "Labour Law" — that wording is entered in the title field. If the number and year are known, they narrow the field so that instruments that carried the same number in other years do not crowd the list. A full-text term helps when the title is not remembered, but it may also return later regulations and instructions; the original statute is identified first.
Once the list appears, the type of instrument (statute, regulation, instructions, decision), its date, and whether it is in force, amended or repealed are read. The intended instrument is then opened, not the nearest similar title.
What is checked after the text is opened?
The legislation record is read for the Official Gazette (al-Waqa'i al-Iraqiya) issue number and date, and for the relevant article if the question concerns a particular rule. If amendments exist, their records are opened and brought into the reading. A consolidated text makes the display easier, but on any discrepancy the published issue is the point of reference.
The first result is not enough if it only has a similar name. A repealed statute may appear next to a statute in force on a similar subject. Older instructions may also remain in the database after later instructions have repealed them; the repeal note and the commencement date are read.
Limits of the search
The database is a means of reaching the text. It is not a substitute for understanding the context of an article, or for reviewing the body that applies it. If the question concerns legislation of the Kurdistan Region, a search of the federal database may not be sufficient, and the regional source is obtained as set out on the page on official legal references.
Legal basis and sources
Frequently asked questions
Is a short informal name of the statute enough for a search?
More than one instrument may appear. The number and year, together with part of the official title, are preferable; the instrument is then opened after its type and status have been checked.
What if both a repealed version and a version in force appear?
The version recorded as in force is relied on after the amendments have been read. The repealed version may help in understanding the history of a rule, but it is not the text on which a current procedure is built.
Related topics and articles
- 01Official references for federal law and Kurdistan Region legislationWhere to obtain the official text of a federal Iraqi statute and of Kurdistan Region legislation, and how the Gazette and the Legislation Database differ.
- 02When should the official wording be quoted, and what is its authority?When the Arabic Official Gazette text should be quoted verbatim, what an unofficial translation is worth, and what does not count as citing the source.
- 03What recent changes are confirmed in labour, social security and companies law?Recent instruments in the Iraqi Legislation Database on labour, social security and companies or branches, without any claim that the list is complete.
- 04Does the same rule apply in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Region and Basrah?How the 2005 Constitution decides which law applies in Baghdad, in the Kurdistan Region and in Basrah: exclusive federal powers, the Region's right to amend how federal law applies there, Kurdistan legislation since 1992, and the powers of a governorate council outside a region, with examples from the Income Tax Law.