International convention and customs procedures of Iraq

International Economic Cooperation: Given its oil potential, Iraq seeks a larger role in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and to strengthen its ties with its Arab neighbours.
Iraq is a member of the League of Arab States and the Great Arab Free Trade Agreement. In 20013, Iraq ratified a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union in 2012.
Non Tariff Barriers: Non-tariff barriers include inadequate infrastructure and trade capacity, significant customs processing delays, security considerations and some specific import and export bans.
Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports: According to the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Iraq, the customs average rate was around 10% in 2016. As of December of 2016, Iraq amended customs duty rate on certain imported goods such as cigarettes (75% duty rate), juices (25%), televisions (35%), alcoholic beverages (100%), air conditioners (25%) and sedan cars (25%).
As of the 1st of January of 2018, customs duty rates on other imported goods were amended to reach 30% for some of them.

Customs Classification: Iraq is a member of the World Customs organisation and does comply with the harmonised customs system.
Import Procedures: Private sector imports generally require licenses, although there are limited exceptions. In order to import goods, the following documents must be submitted to the customs authorities: a commercial invoice (including a description of the product, indication of the country of origin and the details of the manufacturer); a certificate of origin (although generally not required, the statement of origin should appear on the invoice); two copies of the packing list; three copies of the bill of lading.
For shipments to Erbil, an authorization letter from the origin agent is required. For more information, click here.
Importing Samples: There are no specific procedures for samples shipments. Sample shipments require the same set of documents as a normal shipment. The value of goods should still appear on the commercial invoice indicating "for customs clearance purpose only'' on the invoice. Zero value invoices are not acceptable.