Visitors to Iraq will require visas

In a bid to bolster security, all foreigners visiting Iraq after the interim government assumes power July 1 will require visas, an Interior Ministry official said today.

Foreign visitors “without exception” must apply for visas at Iraqi embassies abroad, Hadi al-Muhanna, director of the Interior Ministry’s travel department, told The Associated Press.

Temporary visas will not be given at Baghdad’s international airport or at any of the country’s land border posts, al-Muhanna said.

“These are the same rules that are followed in other countries,” he said.

The 150,000 American and other foreign soldiers deployed in Iraq will be exempt, al-Muhanna said.

Since a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein last year, visitors have been able to enter Iraq at border posts and airports without visas by presenting a passport upon entry.

Iraqis complain the relative ease of entry has led to an influx of foreign fighters, criminals and intelligence agents whose presence threatens internal security. Iraq maintained a strict visa policy during the rule of Saddam Hussein.

Al-Muhanna said the visa requirements were necessary to combat ongoing instability. Iraqi authorities have long blamed attacks, including sabotage of oil pipelines and a spate of car bombings, on foreigners.

Interior Minister Falah Hassan al-Naqib said previously that foreigners will be admitted on 15-day tourist visas that could be extended to one month. Long-term foreign residents would be able to obtain permits to stay for up to five years, and there would be special visas for diplomats and official delegations, he said.

Al-Muhanna said there would be no exceptions for foreign journalists, experts engaged in reconstruction projects, Americans or residents of neighbouring Arab states.

Once inside Iraq, visitors will have to report their presence to an office at the Interior Ministry within one week, al-Muhanna said.

Foreigners who are already in Iraq when the new regulations take effect will not be required to apply for visas before leaving, he said.