Do Iraqi passport holders need a visa for the United States?
By Simran Raheja · Product Manager · SEO and Content, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes. Iraq is not a designated Visa Waiver Programme country, so Iraqi citizens cannot use an ESTA and need a B1/B2 visitor visa before travelling to the United States. It costs 185 US dollars, is applied for online with the DS-160, and requires an in-person interview. No visa bond applies to Iraqi nationals on the current published list.
Quick facts
Visa required- Visa required
- Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa
- ESTA eligible
- No, Iraq is not in the Visa Waiver Programme
- Cost
- USD 185, unchanged since May 2023
- Visa bond
- Not on the published bond list
- Interview
- Required, in person
- Passport validity
- At least 6 months beyond your intended stay
Entry requirements
- An Iraqi passport valid for at least six months beyond the period you intend to stay.
- An approved B1/B2 visa. There is no visa on arrival in the United States and no ESTA route for Iraqi passport holders.
- A completed DS-160 confirmation and the 185 dollar fee receipt, both checked at the interview.
- Evidence of ties to Iraq that will bring you home, since the officer begins from the presumption that you intend to immigrate.
- A return or onward ticket and evidence you can fund the visit.
How to apply for a B1/B2 visa
Complete the DS-160 online and pay the 185 dollar fee before making any other arrangement. The fee is charged up front and is not refunded if the visa is refused.
Book the interview at a US embassy or consulate. Where consular services for a given country are limited, applicants are sometimes directed to a post in another country, so confirm where your interview will actually take place before you book travel around it.
Bring the DS-160 confirmation, your passport, the fee receipt, a compliant photograph and your evidence of ties. Expect additional administrative processing to be possible, which is not a refusal but does add time that no fee will shorten.
Good to know
- You will see Iraq named in the Visa Waiver Programme restrictions, and it is worth understanding what that rule actually does, because it is not about you. It says that a national of a VWP country who has visited Iraq on or after 1 March 2011 loses their own ESTA eligibility and must get a visa. It is a rule about other people’s travel to Iraq, not about Iraqi passports, which were never in the programme in the first place. Nothing about it changes what an Iraqi applicant does.
- Iraq is not on the published visa bond list, which matters because that list is revised on a rolling basis with fifteen days notice and agents have been known to quote bond requirements that do not apply. Check the position close to your interview rather than accepting a figure from an intermediary.
- Administrative processing is the thing most likely to derail a fixed travel date on this route. It is a review rather than a decision against you, it has no published timetable, and it cannot be paid to go faster, so the sensible planning assumption is that the interview date is not the date you have a visa.
Frequently asked questions
Do Iraqis need a visa for the USA?
Yes. Iraq is not in the Visa Waiver Programme, so a B1/B2 visitor visa is required. An ESTA is not available on an Iraqi passport.
Can Iraqis apply for an ESTA?
No. The ESTA is only open to nationals of designated Visa Waiver Programme countries, and Iraq is not one of them.
How much does a US visa cost for Iraqi citizens?
185 US dollars for the B1/B2 application, paid before the interview and not refunded if the visa is refused.
Why is Iraq mentioned in the ESTA rules?
Because travel to Iraq on or after 1 March 2011 disqualifies nationals of Visa Waiver Programme countries from using an ESTA. That restriction applies to their passports, not to Iraqi ones.
Do Iraqis have to post a US visa bond?
Not on the current published list, which does not include Iraq. The list is revised on a rolling basis, so check it close to your interview.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- US Department of Homeland Security — Visa Waiver Program designated countries. Iraq is absent from the designation list. Read 2026-08-17.
- Federal Register, 9 June 2026, Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (2026-11513) — USD 185 MRV fee
- US Customs and Border Protection — Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act FAQ: nationals of VWP countries who have been present in Iraq on or after 1 March 2011 are ineligible to travel under the VWP. Read 2026-08-17.
- Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, 6 January 2026 revision: Iraq not listed. travel.state.gov refuses automated clients, so this is taken from two independent immigration-law trackers of that revision, cross-checked on 2026-08-17. NOT a browser read of the Department list.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
