Iraq permits dual citizenship. What the statute actually says, the notification duties that go with it, and what it means if you are considering a second passport.
Whether you can keep your Iraqi passport while holding another one is decided by Iraq, not by the country issuing the second document. This page sets out the current position, the statute behind it, and what it means in practice for someone considering a second citizenship.
Short answer: Iraq permits dual citizenship. The detail below matters more than the headline, because the consequences of getting it wrong fall on the individual — usually years later, at a passport renewal or a border.
Yes. Iraq permits dual nationality. The single significant exception is that holders of senior sovereign or security positions must give up any other nationality.
The rule to establish first is always the one that applies to you at home. A second country can only grant its own status; it cannot preserve a nationality that your own law terminates. The wider picture is in how holding two passports works in practice, with the country-by-country table.
| Question | Position in Iraq |
|---|---|
| Dual citizenship | Permitted |
| Governing law | Constitution art. 18(4); Nationality Law No. 26 of 2006, art. 10 |
| Must the authorities be notified? | No |
| Renunciation of the other nationality | Only for senior sovereign or security posts |
| Basis of taxation | Residence |
| Military service obligation | No — conscription was suspended in 2003 and has not been reinstated |
Article 18(4) of the 2005 Constitution provides that an Iraqi may hold more than one citizenship, while requiring anyone holding a high position in the field of security or sovereignty to renounce any other acquired nationality. Article 10(1) of Nationality Law No. 26 of 2006 confirms that an Iraqi who voluntarily acquires another citizenship retains Iraqi citizenship unless renunciation is formally declared.
The authoritative source is the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rules in this area change by amendment and by notification, so the position should be confirmed at the time you act, not from any article.
The mistakes below account for most of the cases where people discover a problem years after the event, typically when renewing a passport or crossing a border. The first one is the common one: this page describes the rule at one end of the arrangement only.
Before any of that matters, eligibility does. The Vanuatu Citizenship Commission does not accept applications from current nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria and Yemen. Iraqi law itself is permissive — the obstacle is on the Vanuatu side. Applicants who have lived outside the country of that nationality for many years are sometimes looked at individually. That is a discretionary exception and not an entitlement: nobody can promise it in advance, and we will not take a fee on the strength of it. So the first thing to establish is not the price or the timeline but whether an application can be filed at all, and we would rather lose the enquiry than answer that question after a payment.
Since the application cannot be accepted, there is no process or price list worth reading. What is worth reading is how the rule works where a second nationality is possible: the position country by country.
The same question, answered for comparable jurisdictions:
Before applying anywhere, get the rule for your own citizenship confirmed in writing. We do that check first and tell you if the answer is no.