The investor guide to Iraq
A reference documented from official sources: company forms and set-up steps, the investment licence, tax, labour and residency, banking and transfers, import and export, the Kurdistan Region and free zones.
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Answers from the investor guide text, its legal provisions and official sources, instantly — and never from outside it.
Legal text
Investment Law — Article 10
First: The Iraqi or foreign investor shall enjoy all the privileges, facilities and guarantees and shall be subject to the obligations stipulated in this Law. Second: a. 1. Lands assigned for residential projects belonging to the state and the public sector may be put in the possession of the Iraqi or foreign investor, and the Iraqi or foreign investor may purchase land belonging to the private or mixed sector for the establishment of housing projects inclusively, provided that they do not conflict with the basic design uses. 2. The lands assigned to the industrial projects and belonging to the state and the public sector may be put in the possession of the Iraqi or foreign investor… (Official translation, excerpt.)
Sources: ✓ Investment Law No. 13 of 2006 as amended – Iraqi Legislation Database
This roadmap is a documented practical reference, not legal advice. Legal texts are taken from official sources or the official translation of the Iraqi Gazette Office; fees and timelines come from the authorities and the government procedure portal as of the verification date shown on each chapter, and can change by administrative decision. Always confirm with the competent authority before paying or signing, and use a lawyer licensed in Iraq for contracts and incorporation.
Register free to ask more and request the council’s help- Iraqi founding an LLC
- Iraqi trading as a sole trader
- Foreigner as a partner in an Iraqi company (up to 49%)
- Foreign company opening a branch
- Investor seeking an investment licence
- Setting up in the Kurdistan Region
- Investing in a free zone
- Existing company seeking full compliance
- Banking and transfers only
- Hiring Iraqis and foreigners
Chapters
Start here: how to read the roadmap
A detailed roadmap for anyone who wants to invest, incorporate or run a business in Iraq — Iraqi or foreign.
The Constitution and the general legal framework
The 2005 Constitution (Gazette No.
Legal forms: which entity to choose?
Companies Law No.
Incorporating an Iraqi company step by step
This chapter walks through incorporating a limited liability company (with minor differences for a private JSC, sole proprietorship and partnership) at the Companies Registration Department of the Ministry of Trade, thro
A foreigner as a partner in an Iraqi company (up to 49%)
Since Law No.
Branch of a foreign company (Regulation No. 2 of 2017)
A branch is “the legal entity representing the foreign company in Iraq” (Art.
The investment licence: Investment Law No. 13 of 2006 as amended
Investment Law No.
Kurdistan Region: registration, investment, tax, residency
The Kurdistan Region (Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, Halabja) exercises, under Articles 115 and 121 of the Constitution, wide powers over everything that is not an exclusive federal competence.
Free zones (Law No. 3 of 1998)
The General Authority for Free Zones Law No.
Sector, municipal and other licences
The certificate of incorporation gives you legal personality, but practising a regulated activity needs a licence from the sector body, any premises need a municipal licence, and some projects need environmental and civi
Tax: registration, corporate tax, withholding, tax clearance
Iraq’s tax system is simple in its rates and complex in its procedures.
Labour Law No. 37 of 2015: contracts, wages, hours, leave, foreigners, termination
Labour Law No.
Social security: Workers’ Retirement and Social Security Law No. 18 of 2023
Workers’ Retirement and Social Security Law No.
Baghdad Chamber of Commerce and the trade federations
Iraq’s chambers of commerce (18 chambers under the **Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce**) operate under the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce Law No.
Banking for the company: opening the account and everything after
A company in Iraq cannot operate without a bank account: the capital deposit is a condition of incorporation, confirmation of an account is a condition for a foreign branch to trade, tenders require guarantees, imports r
The Central Bank of Iraq: the instructions that affect companies
The Central Bank of Iraq is independent under its Law No.
Transfers: outward, inward, capital and profits
Foreign transfers in Iraq are a full compliance procedure, not just a banking service.
Import and export: import ID, import licence, customs, standards
Commercial importing in Iraq passes through three gates: the **import ID** (importer identity, valid two years), then the **import licence** (per goods and port, valid one year) — both from the **State Company for Iraqi
Entry and residency for the investor and foreign staff (Law No. 76 of 2017)
The Foreigners’ Residency Law No.
Intellectual property: trademarks, patents, copyright, trade names
Iraq has been a member of WIPO and the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property since 1976, but is not party to the Madrid system for international trademark registration nor a WTO member (observer); so
Contracts and disputes: the Civil Code, courts, arbitration, insolvency
Contracts in Iraq are governed by the Civil Code No.
The annual compliance calendar and governance
After incorporation an endless compliance cycle begins: monthly (social security, tax withholding), annual (audited accounts, tax return, chamber, residency and work-permit renewals, contract attestation), every two year
Total time and cost per scenario
Consolidated tables gathering the documented times and fees from the previous chapters.
Questions every investor asks
Short answers pointing to the chapter that holds the text and the source.