Getting into Iraq may soon be much easier
Visa-free travel is supposed to woo expats and tourists
GETTING INTO Iraq has never been easy. Saddam Hussein was loth to grant visas to curious Westerners, lest they see evidence of his regime’s brutality. After his overthrow in 2003, the borders opened up, but war kept civilians away. Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms. Local middlemen offered to help—for a price, of course. Oil firms coughed up thousands of dollars to get their workers in.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The doors are opening”
From the April 10th 2021 edition
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