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Clarification provided to allegations that Iraqi citizens who want to come to Azerbaijan face difficulties

28 October 2025 12:57 (UTC +04:00)

In recent days, some mass media outlets have circulated claims that citizens of the Republic of Iraq wishing to travel to the Republic of Azerbaijan for tourism purposes are facing difficulties, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iraq told APA.

These claims have no basis.

It was reported that in order to accelerate the acceptance and processing of visa applications in the Republic of Iraq, to provide higher-quality services to citizens of the Republic of Iraq wishing to visit the country for tourism purposes, and to strengthen the fight against individuals applying with forged documents for visa issuance, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and “VFS Global,” the largest international company in the relevant field.

In accordance with this memorandum, the acceptance of tourist visa applications from citizens of the Republic of Iraq, as well as other foreigners and stateless persons in that country, has been organized since July 10, 2024, by the “Azerbaijan Visa Application Center” at the Baghdad office of “VFS Global.” Any citizen of the Republic of Iraq wishing to visit our country can contact the aforementioned “Visa Center,” operating for the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Iraq, to obtain the necessary information regarding visa issuance.

The acceptance, processing, and delivery of documents related to visa applications of citizens of the Republic of Iraq by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Iraq and the “Azerbaijan Visa Application Center” at the Baghdad office of “VFS Global” are carried out in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Within the framework of the Center, all services are organized based on the unified service fees specified in the Memorandum of Understanding.

The activities of the Center are strictly supervised by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Iraq and the head office of “VFS Global,” and the operations of the Center are regularly monitored.

In addition, to ensure transparency in the relevant field, the acceptance of documents from tourism companies with a negative reputation in the Republic of Iraq has been prohibited.

As a result of the aforementioned measures, a significant increase has been observed in the number of citizens of the Republic of Iraq visiting our country for tourism purposes. Despite the fact that there were no direct flights between Azerbaijan and Iraq in the first three months of 2025 and that the airspace of the Republic of Iraq was closed in June of this year, by October 27, 2025, the Embassy had received 5,904 applications. Of these, 5,650 visas were issued (4,800 visa applications were received in 2024).

No applications have been submitted to either our Embassy in Iraq or the “Visa Center” by the companies that filed complaints through the media. The company “Alkaither,” mentioned in the complaint, stated that the application published in its name in the Azerbaijani mass media was fraudulent and provided information that no difficulties have been observed regarding visa applications of citizens of the Republic of Iraq wishing to visit the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“All applications received in the relevant field, including complaints, are thoroughly checked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy, and if any deficiencies are identified as a result of the inspection, necessary measures are taken to eliminate them,” the information stated.