Iraq: Information on departure procedures and security measures at airports in Iraq, and issuance of passports
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ25075.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Information on departure procedures and security measures at airports in Iraq, and issuance of passports, 1 September 1996, IRQ25075.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab0020.html [accessed 14 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For information on the issuance of Iraqi passports, please consult Response to Information Request IRQ23355.E of 27 May 1996. For information on the ability of Bahais to obtain passports, please consult Response to Information Request IRQ23026.E of 8 February 1996. For information on the issuance of Iraqi passports to foreigners, please consult Response to Information Request IRQ20908.E of 30 May 1995.
For information on departure procedures at Iraqi airports, please consult the attached excerpt on Iraq contained in the August 1996 issue of Travel Information Manual.
With regard to departure procedures from and security measures in Iraq in general, internal and border travel controls reportedly were tightened following the August 1995 defection of Hussein Kamel and his companions (Country Reports for 1995 1996, 1167). Hussein Kamel, who was killed shortly after his return to Iraq in February 1996, was the husband of one of President Saddam Hussein's daughters (ibid., 1161). Among other regulations, citizens are required to obtain expensive visas for travel abroad, may not make more than two foreign trips per year, and must give collateral to the Iraqi government refundable only upon their return to the country (ibid., 1167). In addition, many Iraqi nationals who hold citizenship of another country are prevented from visiting the country of their other nationality (ibid.).
For further information on departure procedures from Iraq, please consult the section on freedom of movement within the country, foreign travel, emigration and repatriation, contained in the United States Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995 report on Iraq, as well as the attachment from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
No specific information on security measures at Iraqi airports was found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995. 1996. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Attachments
Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. August 1993. Country Profile: Iraq. Canberra, Australia: Department of Foregn Affairs and Trade, pp. 7-8.
Travel Information Manual [Hoofddorp, The Netherlands]. August 1996. International Aviation and Transportation Association (IATA), pp. 184-86.
Additional Sources Consulted
Europa World Yearbook 1995.
Country-specific books on Iraq.
DIRB and UNHCR databases.
Political Handbook of the World: 1994-95.
Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 1994. 1995.
