Market entry into Iraq and the Kurdistan Region
We deliver the registered entity for international companies opening in Iraq, from the structure to the tax number, the bank account and the registered address.
Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region · Office in Erbil
Four numbers describe the market.
Projects planned or underway across oil, gas, construction, transport, power and water
Foreign companies registered in the Kurdistan Region, of 38,273 total
To complete the Baghdad registration step, on the last figure the World Bank published before it retired the index
What you get
Ten items are needed before a company can trade in Iraq. We deliver all of them under one point of contact, and you deal with one person the whole way.
Entity form and registrar. An Iraqi LLC or a branch of the foreign parent, filed through the federal Ministry of Trade or the KRG registrar in Erbil. You keep 100 percent ownership in the Kurdistan Region, with no local partner.
Name reservation. Checked and reserved before drafting.
Founding contract. Drafted in Arabic, activity written for the registry and future tenders.
Manager appointment. Signature authority the bank asks to see.
Capital deposit. Bank certificate filed with the registry.
Tax registration. The number quoted on every invoice.
Social security registration. Required before staff join the payroll.
Chamber of Commerce membership. It goes on the renewal calendar the day it is issued, alongside every registration Bond holds for you.
Bank account. Corporate account with the signature card.
Registered address. Survives a registry or buyer check.
Counsel handles the legal filings, working from the same file.
Four stages
| Stage | What happens | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Analyse | We read the activity, the ownership and the buyers | Entity form and registry decided |
| Propose | Written proposal with the document list and dates | Price set on the call, before anything starts |
| Register | Registry file, then tax, social security, Chamber, bank, address | Every registration filed |
| Hand over | One file with every certificate, number and login | The renewal calendar starts |
Sector desks
Facility services
An operating licence takes 20.3 days on average.
One entry we ran end to end
What the other four services do next
A registered entity does not by itself put a company on a vendor list. Most entrants run two or three of these at the same time in the first year.
Other services
Market entry questions we are asked
No. There is no nationality requirement for the manager. A federal branch must appoint a manager who actually resides in Iraq, and since the 2023 amendment that manager may travel between Iraq and other countries as business requires. A foreign national managing an LLC needs Ministry of Interior approval. (Al Tamimi & Company, 2023)
In the Kurdistan Region, yes. An LLC registered in Erbil can be fully foreign-owned. In federal Iraq, companies registered under the Companies Law have needed at least 51 percent Iraqi ownership since 2019, and the National Investment Commission licence is the federal route to full foreign ownership. This is why many entrants register in Erbil first. (Legal500; Al Tamimi)
A branch is an extension of your parent company and can contract, invoice and hire within the parent's licensed activities. An LLC is a separate Iraqi legal person without that scope limit. In the Kurdistan Region an LLC can be 100 percent foreign owned; in federal Iraq new LLCs need at least 51 percent Iraqi ownership unless the project holds an investment licence. (Legal500)
Both a registered branch and an LLC can sign contracts, issue invoices and hire in Iraq. Representative offices could only market and liaise, and federal Iraq stopped registering new ones under Regulation 2 of 2017, so do not plan around one. (Salt & Associates)
The slowest single step is document legalization in your home country, so Bond starts it on day one. In the Kurdistan Region an LLC or branch registers in two to four weeks. Federal ministry approvals for foreign participation run on the ministries' own calendars, commonly three to six months. (Iraq Britain Business Council)
Bond scopes your entity type, ownership route and timeline on a short call, then sends a written proposal with the document list and dates. You see the whole scope before you commit to anything.
Your parent company incorporation documents and board resolution, legalized through the Iraqi embassy or KRG representation in your home country and translated into Arabic or Kurdish, plus a power of attorney and the details of your proposed manager. Bond sends the exact checklist for your route on the first call. (KRG service portal)