Iraq removes visa requirements for Iranian Arbaeen pilgrims

Iranian pilgrims wishing to travel to Iraq for Arbaeen pilgrimage will no longer need to obtain a visa, an official said.

Iranian pilgrims wishing to travel to Iraq for Arbaeen pilgrimage will no longer need to obtain a visa, an official said.

Hossein Zolfaqari, the Iranian Interior Ministry’s Security and Law Enforcement Deputy and head of the Arbaeen Central Headquarters, said pilgrims who go to Iraq during Arbaeen will only need to carry their passport and insurance copies with them to cross the border.

He said the decision was made during his recent meeting with an Iraqi interior ministry official.

In the meeting, Zolfaqari noted, the draft of a memorandum of understanding on Iranians’ participation in Arbaeen pilgrimage was signed by the two sides.

He added that based on the agreement, Iranian pilgrims can cross the border without a visa and will just need their passport stamped by Iraqi border police.  

Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, is located, to perform mourning rites.