Iraqi Kurdistan — Work (Visa-free entry and in-person job search, then work residency)

Main requirements

Iranians get a 30-day visit visa on arrival (or online), and you can use this window for in-person interviews. But this entry is not a work right: working before the employer obtains a work permit and residency sponsorship is illegal. Per Iran's consulate, to stay beyond 30 days you go to the residency office with a sponsor for an extension or a 6-month or 1-year card — so in-region conversion is possible, but only once you have an employer. The KRG fee schedule has a set fee (IQD 300,000) for converting a visit visa into a residency card, and if the work permit takes longer than 30 days the visa can be extended (for foreign workers of labour companies twice, after which a residency card is required).

In the KRI a visa or residency does not by itself allow work; every foreigner needs a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Iraqi residency directorate, Sep 2024). Fragomen reported in Feb 2025 a work-permit fee of IQD 110,000 (the KRG's 2024 service page listed it as free, with about 10 days' processing), and residency applicants must buy mandatory health insurance at IQD 375,000 a year.

Under KRG Decree 172 (2022) at least 75% of every project's workforce must be KRI citizens and foreign labour may not exceed 25%; the KRG's own report (Mar 2026) counts about 45,000 foreign workers in social security. Per the KRG Labour Ministry's service page, the employer must first publish the vacancy in an official newspaper and gets approval only if no local worker is available; foreign workers are hired through a licensed recruitment company that has paid a bank deposit.

The company must be licensed by the Ministries of Labour and Interior to recruit foreign labour and each contract is registered at the Labour Directorate. Per UNHCR the permit file includes a passport copy, employment contract, social security clearance, the company's foreign-recruitment licence, a bank security deposit receipt and 4 colour photos.

Residency: your sponsor is a KRI-registered company or an Iraqi citizen holding a KRI information card; cards are usually one year and renewable, and the sponsoring company bears legal and financial responsibility for you. Fees under KRG Directive 1 of 2021: IQD 300,000 to convert the visit visa, 150,000 for the card and 25,000 admin the first time; 150,000 + 25,000 to renew. You need a passport valid 6+ months with entry stamp, the job contract, a blood test (IQD 31,500, all ages) and security clearance from the Asayish. You must collect the card in person. Since 2023 foreigners can change employer without cancelling residency or leaving the country.

Documents

Passport valid 6+ months, printed CVs, translated degree and work references, photos, travel accident insurance; after finding a job, the same documents as the employer-sponsored route.

Language

Kurdish or Arabic helps a lot when job-hunting in person; English is enough for international companies. No official language requirement was found.

Costs and proof of funds

Living in Erbil per Numbeo (Oct 2026) is about IQD 890,000 a month excluding rent, with a one-bedroom flat at IQD 410,000–655,000; hotels or short lets cost more. Each 30-day visa extension costs IQD 110,000 (100,000 + 10,000 admin). After landing a job the same government fees apply: work permit IQD 110,000 (Fragomen, 2025), health insurance IQD 375,000 a year, blood test IQD 31,500, residency card IQD 475,000 the first time. No official entry proof of funds was found.

The unskilled minimum wage is IQD 450,000 a month (Aug 2025 decision); Numbeo puts Erbil's average net salary at about IQD 784,000. Employers must register you for social security from day one (5% from your pay, 12% employer share) and you get 20 days' paid annual leave. No official data on salaries for foreign specialists was found; compare any offer with living costs (about IQD 890,000 a month excluding rent).

Steps and timeline

Line up interviews from Iran, enter, and aim to find a job within the first 30 days; if the employer's paperwork runs over, extend the visa before it expires; if nothing comes through, leave before the deadline. Usually 1–4 months overall.

Notes for Iranian applicants

You don't need to arrange a visa in advance: Iran is on the KRG's 'List A', so with a passport valid at least 6 months you get a 30-day visit visa online (visit.gov.krd) or on arrival at any KRI border point or airport. The KRG Interior Ministry's service page lists an administrative fee of IQD 100,000, while the KRG representation's letter (Apr 2025) says Iranian passports have a visa waiver, so carry dinars and check before you travel. The visit visa can be extended 30 days at a time at the residency directorate, only a limited number of times (IQD 100,000 + 10,000 admin fee each time, health test at the first extension, late penalty IQD 20,000 a day); to stay longer you need a 6-month or 1-year residency card with a sponsor (kafil). According to Iran's consulate in Sulaymaniyah, the KRI entry stamp is valid only inside the region: travelling on it to Baghdad or southern Iraq counts as illegal entry and carries 3 months to 3 years in prison, and travel accident insurance is required.

Overstaying costs up to IQD 20,000 a day per UNHCR. The consulate says to pay in dinars.

Security: since 28 Feb 2026 the region, especially Erbil, has been hit by more than a thousand Iranian drone and missile attacks, with new drone strikes reported on 8 and 12 October 2026. Since 25 Sep 2026 flights between Iran and Erbil or Sulaymaniyah have been suspended (still suspended on 2 Oct 2026), so for now you travel overland through the border crossings. Check the situation right before you travel.

After arrival (work while studying, post-study stay, permanent residence)

Once employed, you're in the same position as the employer-sponsored route: renewable residency card, employer change without leaving, no clear permanent-residence path.