Iraq Ziarat visa update for 2025 unveiled as new condition imposed
Iraq Ziarat visa update for 2025 unveiled as new condition imposed
Baghdad tightens pilgrimage rules amid record crowds and security strains
The Iraqi government rolled out a (Iraq Ziarat visa update for 2025) revamped Ziarat visa regime on 1 October 2025, introducing a mandatory online security pre-clearance and a $90 non-refundable processing fee for all religious pilgrims heading to Karbala and Najaf. Officials say the changes disclosed after last year’s Arba’in pilgrimage drew an estimated 22 million visitors are designed to curb overstays, improve crowd management, and screen out potential security threats. Under the new system:
- Applicants must upload a biometric passport scan, proof of round-trip tickets, and a confirmed hotel reservation or sponsor letter approved by the Shia endowment (Awqaf)
- Processing time is capped at ten working days, after which travelers receive a single-entry, 15-day visa valid only for the provinces of Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf
Diplomats from Iran, Pakistan, and India who together account for 70 % of foreign pilgrims were briefed last week in Baghdad. Tehran has already negotiated a group-travel concession: registered caravans of 50 or more can still obtain a collective landing authorization at Najaf airport, but every name must now be pre-vetted through the same portal. Iraq’s interior ministry also announced a seasonal quota: no more than 3 million visas will be issued for Arba’in 2026, with country-specific ceilings published in March.
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Tour operators warn the fee and paperwork could cut regional numbers by up to 15 %, hitting low-income pilgrims hardest. “Previously a Pakistani pilgrim paid only the $35 visa-on-arrival stamp; now the total outlay exceeds $130 before airfare,” complained Syed Hasan Jafri, head of the Karachi-based Hussaini Travel Group. Meanwhile, Iraqi travel agencies welcome the streamlining, arguing that digital pre-clearance will shorten airport queues that last year stretched six hours and left hundreds fainting in 45 °C heat.
Security officials privately admit another motive: ISIS remnants have attempted to infiltrate pilgrim columns in the past two seasons. Linking the visa portal to Interpol data and Iraq’s biometric voter roll, they say, has already flagged 1,400 high-risk names during a soft-launch phase. Anyone on a terrorism watch-list or with multiple Iraqi entry stamps from 2014-2017 will face additional interrogation or an outright ban.
The new rules take effect immediately for travel from 1 December 2025. Baghdad promises a multi-lingual helpline and designated refund route if applications are rejected but emphasizes that no on-arrival visas will be issued after 30 November. Pilgrims planning Ashura and Arba’in visits are therefore urged to begin the online process at least six weeks before departure. In short, Iraq’s message is clear: the gates of the shrines remain open, but the era of walk-in devotion is officially over.
