By John Lee. Imported food and medicine are to be exempt from customs duties in Iraq, with effect from 7 October 2026. The measure was approved at the 23rd regular session of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the exemption was introduced to […]
By John Lee. Iraq's General Customs Authority recorded customs revenues of IQD 442.3 billion (USD 293 million) in September 2026, up from IQD 334.2 billion (USD 221 million) in the same month of 2025, an increase of IQD 108.1 billion (USD 72 million), or approximately 32%. The authority attributed the rise to improvements in customs […]
By John Lee. Iraq has raised its official exchange rate from 1,310 to 1,500 Iraqi dinars per US dollar. Iraq's Ministry of Finance confirmed the change today (Wednesday, 7th October), saying it follows a cabinet resolution (No. 544) issued on 6th October. The ministry also announced the suspension of Cabinet Resolution No. 413 of 2026, […]
By John Lee. Iraq and Syria have agreed a package of measures to streamline truck transit and border crossing procedures, including an expansion of the Rabia crossing and the introduction of dedicated lanes for commercial traffic. The agreements were reached at a joint videoconference meeting attended by the Director General of the General Company for […]
By John Lee. An implementation mechanism for the pre-collection of customs duties has been finalised under Cabinet Decision No. 413 of 2026. Minister of Finance Faleh Sari chaired a meeting on Thursday to complete the mechanism, attended by Central Bank of Iraq Governor Nizar Nasser Hussein, Director General of the General Customs Authority Dr Thamer […]
By John Lee. Iraqi customs revenues are expected to reach 4 trillion dinars ($3.05 billion) by the end of 2025, up from around 800 billion dinars ($610 million) before the introduction of the ASYCUDA (Automated System for Customs Data) system in 2022. The director-general of the General Customs Authority, Thamer Qasim (pictured), attributed the rise […]
By John Lee. Plans to expand Iraq's customs automation system and introduce pre-payment of customs duties are under active review. Finance Minister Faleh Sari chaired a meeting on Wednesday with officials from the General Customs Authority and experts from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to discuss next steps. According to the […]
By John Lee. A new framework requiring importers to pay customs duties and estimated tax deposits in advance is to take effect in Iraq from 1 October 2026, according to a decision by the Council of Ministers. Under the new rules, importers will be required to deposit foreign transfer amounts for import purposes with authorised […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Trade has begun updating its Initial Goods Offer file as part of the technical requirements for the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The work is being carried out by the Goods Trade Committee, a technical sub-committee of the national committee overseeing WTO accession, in coordination with […]
By John Lee. The Ministry of Industry and Minerals has held a meeting to discuss the regulation of motorcycle and spare parts imports, chaired by the ministry's Undersecretary for Planning Affairs and head of the technical team studying the import ban policy, Ahmed Abdul Jabbar Al-Karim. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries […]
From Rudaw. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Kurdistan trade topped $173 billion in seven years, customs revenue reached $6.8 billion The Kurdistan Region's border crossings handled more than 227 trillion Iraqi dinars (over $173 billion) in trade over the past seven […]
By John Lee. Iraq's General Customs Authority has reportedly completed the automation of 25 customs centres and is preparing to launch a single-window electronic system linking it with 15 government ministries and departments. Its Director-General, Thamer Qasim Daoud Al-Shiryan, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the Minister of Finance had formally instructed the […]
