A residence card for a person who is not Iraqi in the Kurdistan Region
A residence card for a person who is not Iraqi in the Kurdistan Region, and a work permit, are two paths, and neither takes the place of the other. A work permit is sought from the Department of Labour and Vocational Training under Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 and Instructions No. 1 of 2026, as set out on the work-permit page and on the page about the Instructions. Residence is read first from the Foreigners' Residence Law No. 76 of 2017, which organises a foreigner's entry into the Republic of Iraq, exit from it and residence in it, and which names the General Directorate of Residence (مديرية الإقامة العامة) at the Ministry of Interior as the federal body the text names for the grant of entry visas and for the residence card.
The Law Office of Ali Barakat follows the question from Baghdad, al-Yarmouk.
What does the work-permit path require in relation to residence?
Instructions No. 1 of 2026 require the foreign worker's entry into Iraq and residence there to be lawful under the Foreigners' Residence Law No. 76 of 2017, and they require the Directorate of Residence Affairs at the Ministry of Interior — together with the Department of Pension and Social Security for Workers — to confirm that there is no outstanding violation, on the part of the employer or the worker, relating to recruitment or employment. The permit itself does not take the place of a residence document, and a visit visa or a tourist visa does not take the place of the permit: the Residence Law provides that the holder of a visit visa or a tourist visa has no right to work anywhere in the Republic of Iraq, with or without a wage, under article 7.
The mere loss of a job does not, under article 34 of the Labour Law, place a foreign worker who is lawfully resident for the purpose of work in an irregular position, and it does not of itself lead to withdrawal of the residence authorisation or the work permit, unless the worker has breached Iraqi laws. Cancellation of a work permit on grounds listed in the Instructions is a labour decision; it is read together with the residence file.
The federal framework for a residence card in Law No. 76 of 2017
The Law applies to the natural foreign person, under article 1. Its aims are to organise entry and exit, to determine the types and conditions of entry and exit visas, and to organise the foreigner's residence in the Republic of Iraq, under article 2. Entry and exit are subject to a passport or travel document valid for not less than six months, a valid entry visa endorsed on arrival and on departure, use of the official border crossings, and proof of freedom from contagious and communicable diseases in accordance with the law, under article 3.
A foreigner who wishes to remain in the Republic of Iraq for longer than the period allowed by an ordinary visa must, before that period ends, obtain a residence card from the residence officers for a period not exceeding one year, and may, thirty days before it expires, request an extension for a further year; that request may be repeated so long as the reason for which residence was granted remains, under article 19. The Director General of the General Directorate of Residence may refuse to grant residence or to extend it if the public interest so requires, and the foreigner has the right to object to a decision of refusal before the Minister within fifteen days of being notified of it, the objection being answered within a period not exceeding thirty days from the date on which it is presented, under the same paragraph. The Minister may at any time cancel the residence of foreigners before it expires, for reasons connected with the public interest. The text does not set out a route for objecting to that ministerial decision.
If the foreigner leaves the Republic of Iraq for more than six months, the remaining period granted to the person is cancelled, and on return a new residence document must be obtained, under article 19, fifth paragraph. A resident whose period of residence has ended must surrender the residence card when attending to obtain an exit visa at the crossing.
Notice to the residence officer on employment
Anyone who employs a foreigner must notify the residence officer within forty-eight hours of the date of employment, or if that foreigner has left the Republic of Iraq, and must attach the foreigner's passport or work card if one exists, and the sponsor must attend the Directorate of Residence in order to complete the cancellation of a sponsored residence or a change of sponsorship, under article 18, third paragraph. That notice is a duty under the Residence Law; it is not the same as notifying the Department of Labour and Vocational Training and the nearest police station if the worker absconds, under the work-permit Instructions, and it is not the same as enrolling the worker in social security. The file brings these duties together, and none of them takes the place of another. The text also requires a guarantee of the return of a person recruited for labour, in the form the article sets out.
What is said about the Region, and what is not said?
The Foreigners' Residence Law is a federal statute organising residence in the Republic of Iraq. The Kurdistan Region may organise residence-card procedures locally.
A person who works or resides in the Region reviews the procedures in force there together with the federal framework and with the conditions for a work permit. The office reads the question from Baghdad, al-Yarmouk, with no branch in Erbil or in another city, and without presenting this page as a city page.
Legal basis and sources
- Foreigners' Residence Law No. 76 of 2017 (Iraqi Legislation Database)
- Instructions No. 1 of 2026 on the recruitment, employment and work permits of foreign workers
- Labour Law No. 37 of 2015, article 34
Frequently asked questions
Does a work permit take the place of a residence card in the Region?
No. The Instructions require lawful entry and residence under the Foreigners' Residence Law No. 76 of 2017. The permit is a work path; a residence card is a different path.
Before whom is a refusal to grant or extend residence objected to under the federal law?
Before the Minister of Interior, within fifteen days of notification of a decision of the Director General of the General Directorate of Residence, under article 19, second paragraph. The text requires the objection to be answered within a period not exceeding thirty days from the date on which it is presented.
Where are the Region's residence procedures read from?
From the published official regional source that organises them locally.
Related topics and articles
- 01Instructions No. 1 of 2026 on the recruitment, employment and work permits of foreign workersA reading of Instructions No. 1 of 2026: applications, committees for three or more workers, cancellation and training.
- 02Renewing and cancelling a non-Iraqi's work permit, and what happens when the job endsWhen a non-Iraqi worker's permit is renewed and when it is cancelled under Instructions No. 1 of 2026, what follows from a contract ending, a business closing, unauthorised absence or a change of employer, and what rights the worker keeps.