Iraq

Iraq operates no residency or citizenship by investment program, and holds little to offer foreign investors seeking status in return for capital.

Oil dominates the economy, accounting for the majority of government revenue and export earnings, which leaves public finances exposed to price movements outside the country’s control.

Successive governments have pushed diversification into agriculture, industry and tourism, though infrastructure gaps and political volatility have slowed progress.

For Iraqi nationals, the practical question is which programs abroad accept their applications.

Iraq Citizenship by Investment

Iraq does not offer citizenship by investment. Iraqi nationals qualify for several programs abroad, but eligibility depends heavily on where in Iraq the applicant comes from.

Dominica bans applications from Northern Iraq outright, including the Kurdistan Region and named cities such as Erbil, Dahuk, Sulaymaniyah, Kirkuk and Zakho.

The ban applies by origin rather than to Iraqi nationality as a whole, so applicants from elsewhere in Iraq remain eligible.

Dominica sets its qualifying investment from $200,000 and ranks 68th on the La Vida Passport Value Index, reaching 183 of 227 destinations, 55.5% of world GDP and 72.3% of global travel.

St Lucia applies the fewest nationality restrictions of the five Caribbean programs and assesses Iraqi applications individually. The St Lucia passport ranks 99th, opening 179 destinations, 39.3% of world GDP and 73.9% of global travel.

Turkey applies no restriction on Iraqi nationals and grants citizenship on real estate investment from $400,000 held for three years, with a spouse and children under 18 included on a single application.

Iraq Residency by Investment

Iraq does not offer residency by investment, and many Iraqi nationals look to European programs instead. Spain closed its Golden Visa to new applicants on 3 April 2025 and no longer forms part of the market.

Portugal withdrew its real estate route in 2023, leaving a qualifying fund investment from €500,000 as the main option.

The Greek Golden Visa remains the most accessible of the three. Greece prices its property route by location: €800,000 in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and larger islands, €400,000 across most other regions, and €250,000 for commercial-to-residential conversions and listed buildings requiring full restoration.

The permit runs five years, renews while the investment is held, carries no minimum stay requirement, and grants Schengen travel rights alongside access to Greek healthcare and education.

Seven years of legal residence opens a route to Greek citizenship, and the Greek passport ranks 6th on the Index with 215 destinations, 99.4% of world GDP and 99.6% of global travel.

Iraq Passport Strength and Ranking

Iraq ranks 194th of 199 on the La Vida Passport Value Index.

The Iraqi passport reaches 74 of the world’s 227 destinations without a prior visa, representing 5.1% of world GDP and 14.2% of global travel measured by international visitor arrivals.

The economic figure is the constraint that matters most. At 5.1% of world GDP, the Iraqi passport opens almost none of the markets where international business, banking and investment take place, and Iraqi passport holders require advance visas for the United States, the United Kingdom, the Schengen Area, China and Japan.

Only Syria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Bangladesh and Afghanistan sit below Iraq on the table.

A second citizenship changes both measures substantially. Dominica takes GDP reach from 5.1% to 55.5% and destination count from 74 to 183.

St Lucia reaches 179 destinations and 73.9% of global travel. Turkish citizenship, the fastest of the three to complete, raises GDP reach to 26.0% and destination count to 140.

Citizenship and Residency by Investment Programs

See below a selection of countries offering residency and citizenship investment programs.

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