Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Iraq: 8 legal requirements + 7 other things worth knowing.
Required
Recommended
Good to know
Tick before you go
8 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 IDP plus full UK/EU licence
Iraq recognises the 1949 Geneva International Driving Permit, which must be carried with your original national licence: a UK or EU photocard alone is not accepted.
Source: AA IDP guide →Passport with valid visa
All UK and most EU nationals need a visa; e-visas or visas on arrival are available for some federal Iraq entries and the Kurdistan Region issues its own separate visa at Erbil/Sulaymaniyah.
Local third-party insurance at the border
UK and EU motor insurance and Green Cards are not valid in Iraq; compulsory third-party cover must be bought at the border post in Iraqi dinar, typically USD 50-100 for a short stay.
V5C and customs carnet for own vehicle
Bringing a foreign-plated car requires the V5C logbook, a Carnet de Passage en Douane and temporary import paperwork stamped at the border; without a carnet the car will not be admitted.
Warning triangle and first-aid kit
Vehicles must carry a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a spare wheel; a fire extinguisher and hi-vis vest are strongly expected at checkpoints.
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left, the same as continental Europe.
Speed limits 100 / 80 / 40 km/h
Default limits are roughly 100 km/h on highways, 80 km/h on rural roads and 40 km/h in urban areas, though signage is inconsistent and checkpoints set the real pace.
Zero-tolerance alcohol limit
Drink-driving is treated as zero-tolerance (0.0 g/L in practice); penalties are severe and alcohol is banned outright in several governorates.
The UK FCDO advises against all travel to most governorates and against all but essential travel to the rest; self-driving as a tourist is not realistic and most insurance and rental policies are void.
FCDO Iraq adviceIraq recognises the 1949 Geneva International Driving Permit, which must be carried with your original national licence: a UK or EU photocard alone is not accepted.
AA IDP guideAll UK and most EU nationals need a visa; e-visas or visas on arrival are available for some federal Iraq entries and the Kurdistan Region issues its own separate visa at Erbil/Sulaymaniyah.
UK and EU motor insurance and Green Cards are not valid in Iraq; compulsory third-party cover must be bought at the border post in Iraqi dinar, typically USD 50-100 for a short stay.
Bringing a foreign-plated car requires the V5C logbook, a Carnet de Passage en Douane and temporary import paperwork stamped at the border; without a carnet the car will not be admitted.
Vehicles must carry a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a spare wheel; a fire extinguisher and hi-vis vest are strongly expected at checkpoints.
Iraq has no e-vignette and effectively no operating motorway toll system; the highway network is free to use but heavily punctuated by army and police checkpoints.
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left, the same as continental Europe.
Default limits are roughly 100 km/h on highways, 80 km/h on rural roads and 40 km/h in urban areas, though signage is inconsistent and checkpoints set the real pace.
Drink-driving is treated as zero-tolerance (0.0 g/L in practice); penalties are severe and alcohol is banned outright in several governorates.
Expect frequent military and police checkpoints requiring passport, IDP and vehicle papers; avoid driving after dark and never photograph checkpoints or government buildings.
Dial 104 for police and 122 for ambulance in federal Iraq; in the Kurdistan Region use 100 for police and 122 for ambulance.
Summer temperatures exceed 50 C with frequent dust storms across the south, while Kurdish mountain passes (Hamilton Road, Choman) can close with snow from December to March.
The currency is the Iraqi dinar (IQD); cards are rarely accepted outside top hotels in Baghdad and Erbil, so carry US dollars and dinar in cash and expect to tip fuel attendants a few hundred dinar.
Petrol and diesel are state-subsidised at roughly 650-1,000 IQD per litre (about EUR 0.45-0.70); queues at stations can be long and fuel quality varies.
We'll build the itinerary, estimate fuel + tolls, and show EV chargers along the route, and this checklist appears automatically on every trip that crosses into Iraq.
Start planning →Places to add to your Iraq road trip.
Don't get caught out
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left, the same as continental Europe.
Default limits are roughly 100 km/h on highways, 80 km/h on rural roads and 40 km/h in urban areas, though signage is inconsistent and checkpoints set the real pace.
Drink-driving is treated as zero-tolerance (0.0 g/L in practice); penalties are severe and alcohol is banned outright in several governorates.