The Kurdistan Region has granted visa-free travel to citizens of 53 countries worldwide, the Kurdish authorities have revealed.
The majority of countries that were granted visa-free entry are countries of Europe, followed by Asia, North America and Oceania, VisaGuide.World reports.
Under this new policy, eligible travelers simply need to present their passports at any border entry point, where they will be issued an electronic visa, allowing them immediate access to the region.
More specifically, the countries that are now exempt from visa requirements are as follows:
Europe
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City, the Netherlands, and, the United Kingdom.
Asia
Bahrain, China, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
North America
Canada and the United States.
Oceania
Australia and New Zealand.
As noted by authorities, travelers intending to visit this country must ensure their passport is valid for at least six months.
While citizens of these 53 countries can travel to the Kurdistan Region without a visa, the same policy does not apply to citizens of Kurdistan traveling to several of these countries.
Nationals of the Kurdistan Region are holders of Iraqi passports, which is ranked 193rd according to VisaGuide.World Passport Index. This implies that citizens holding an Iraqi passport can only travel without a traditional visa in 11 countries. Among other things, they are required to obtain a visa in 166 other countries.
The decision to allow visa-free travel may help the country boost its tourism, as the KRG aims to reach 20 million tourists by 2030.
According to government data, the number of tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region has increased in recent years. By the end of May last year, nearly five million tourists had visited Kurdistan’s tourist attractions. Of those, 25 per cent were international tourists.
The revival and development of the tourism sector is one of the goals of the ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Meanwhile, in 2022, the Kurdistan Region welcomed over six million visitors, with Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok being the most popular provinces. This figure represented an increase of nearly two million tourists compared to 2021 when the country welcomed around 4.2 million visitors.