I am traveling alone. I need help to find my connecting flight. Please show me the way, or call someone who can help me. Thank you.
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BGW
Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad (about 16 km west of the city centre), Iraq
As of 5 November 2026 no official page shows any flight between Iran and Baghdad: Iraqi Airways flies to Iran only from Najaf, and Iranian airlines resumed Najaf flights under an exemption in early October 2026. Confirm your flight exists before you pay. Iran's foreign ministry says people of advanced age must strictly not travel to Iraq alone.
Airport staff speak English at every airport in these guides. Showing the help card, or the title of the step you are on, is enough; you do not need the local language.
Send this guide to the traveler
Put it on their phone before the trip, so it is there at the airport even without you.
Both flights on ONE ticket
Your bags go through. You only change planes.
Before you pay, confirm the flight and do not travel alone
As of 5 November 2026 we found no official page showing any flight between Iran and Baghdad, so ask your airline or travel agent to confirm your flight exists before you pay. The Iranian foreign ministry says people of advanced age must strictly not travel to Iraq alone, so travel with a relative. Iraqi Airways stopped its own Iran flights in early March 2026, and since 8 October 2026 it flies to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan only from Najaf. It also said Iranian airlines stopped flying to Iraq from 23 September 2026. News reports linked that stop to US sanctions, and say Iranian airlines resumed Najaf flights under an exemption in early October 2026.
Before you pack, check every medicine against Iraq's banned list
The Iranian foreign ministry's Iraq page lists 109 medicines that are banned in Iraq, including morphine, codeine and tramadol, and some medicines for epilepsy and for cancer. Normal medicines are also banned if you carry large or unusual amounts, so take only what you need for the trip. Before you travel, check every medicine you carry against that list, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to help if you are unsure. If one of your medicines is on the list, do not take it to Iraq; ask your doctor what to do. Carrying a banned medicine can mean a fine of 10 to 30 million dinars and prison.
Leave the plane with all your hand luggage and follow the other passengers
Take every bag you carried on board and walk with the other passengers towards passport control. We found no official page that describes the arrivals route or the signs at Baghdad. If you are unsure where to go, show your passport to anyone in uniform and say 'Arrivals'.
Passport control: show your passport and get the entry stamp
Go to the passport counters with the other passengers and hand your passport to the officer. The Iranian foreign ministry's Iraq page, dated August 2022, says that since 25 October 2021 Iranian citizens entering Iraq by air need no Iraqi visa, and that the entry stamp lets you stay 30 days. A longer stay needs permission from the Iraqi residence office inside Iraq. Your passport must be valid for at least six months. Check that the stamp is in your passport before you walk away, and if you are unsure which queue to join, ask a staff member calmly and do what they say.
Collect your bags
After passport control, find your flight number on the screens to see which belt your bags come on; if you are unsure, ask a staff member. Keep your ticket, bag tag receipts and boarding pass, because you need them if a bag does not arrive. If a bag is missing, tell your airline's staff before you leave the hall. For Iraqi Airways, its lost property page says to report it on WhatsApp on 07721111514, through the Iraqi government's Ur platform, or by calling customer service on 5511. Iraqi Airways announced a luggage office in Building G1 near Abbas Ibn Firnas Square in January 2022, and named a lost property office in the Babylon hall in February 2021; we could not confirm which is open now, so phone before you go.
Customs: declare cash over 10,000 dollars
Your bags may be checked before you leave the hall. The Iranian foreign ministry says you must declare cash over 10,000 US dollars, or the same value in other money, and gold, precious stones or financial papers worth more than that, when you enter or leave Iraq. If you carry more than that, tell the customs officer before your bags are checked. If you are unsure, ask the officer calmly.
Have Iraqi dinars with you before you leave the hall
Prices in Iraq are in Iraqi dinars. The Iranian foreign ministry advises changing money in Iran before you travel, carrying enough dinars, or dollars, for fares and daily costs, and not bringing several bank cards. It says to check that your notes are not fake, because carrying fake money can mean 3 months to 3 years in prison. Qatar Airways says the airport has a currency exchange, but we could not confirm where it is or its hours. We could not confirm whether Iranian or foreign bank cards work at the airport, so plan to use cash.
Leave the terminal in a booked car or the airport shuttle
flydubai says the airport is about 16 km west of the city. Qatar Airways says you reach the city by pre-booked taxi, airport shuttle bus or car, and flydubai says armoured vehicles take passengers to and from downtown Baghdad. Neither gives fares, hours or where to board, so ask your travel group, hotel or agent to arrange your car before you land, and ask airline staff if you are unsure. Agree the fare before you get in, and write down the car number and the driver's name. The Iranian foreign ministry advises travelling in a group and in daylight.
Keep the numbers you may need on paper
Write these numbers on paper and keep it in your passport. Iraqi Airways: customer service 5511 inside Iraq, and WhatsApp 07721111514 for lost bags. Iranian embassy in Baghdad: Al-Salhiya, Karradat Maryam, Mahalla 222, Zuqaq 35; phones 009647901246284 and 009647723564216. The foreign ministry page gives different opening hours in its Persian and Arabic parts, so phone before you go. The ministry asks you to tell the nearest Iranian mission quickly after any accident or dispute, and to keep at least three phone numbers of family in Iran in your bag.
Flights on SEPARATE tickets
You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.
Go through arrivals like everyone else
We found no official page about a transit area at Baghdad where you could wait without entering Iraq. So with a second ticket, expect to pass passport control, collect your bags and pass customs, as in the steps above. You enter Iraq, so the 30-day rule for Iranian passports applies. Keep your passport, both tickets and your bag tags together, and if you are unsure where to go, show both tickets to a staff member.
Check which hall your next flight leaves from
Baghdad airport has more than one passenger hall. Check your hall on the ticket or with the airline before you travel. Iraqi Airways said in 2023 that its flights use the Samarra hall; we found no official list for other airlines. We could not confirm how far apart the halls are, so allow extra time, and if you are unsure, show your ticket to a staff member and ask 'Which hall?'.
Be at the airport early and check in again
We found no official page that says how early to arrive at Baghdad airport, so follow your ticket or your airline's message; if nothing is written, be there 3 hours before an international flight. Find your airline's counter in its hall, show your passport and ticket, and hand over your checked bags. Iraqi Airways offers online check-in from 48 hours until 45 minutes before departure, but says bags must still be handed in at the counter, asks you to print your boarding pass, and says you are responsible for having the right travel documents. If you cannot find your counter, show your ticket to a staff member.
Departure passport control and security
We found no official page that describes departure passport control and security at Baghdad, so expect the usual order: passport officers first, then a security check of you and your hand luggage. Keep your passport and boarding pass in your hand. The Iranian foreign ministry says the 10,000-dollar declaration rule applies when you leave Iraq as well as when you enter. If you are unsure where to go next, show your boarding pass to a staff member.
Wait near your gate and watch the screens
Qatar Airways says the airport has departure lounges, cafes, restaurants, shops and wireless internet. Look for your flight number on the screens and listen for calls. If you are not sure where to go, show your boarding pass to a staff member. Go to your gate early and stay near it once boarding is close.
Give yourself plenty of time
No official minimum connection time was found for Baghdad. On separate tickets you pass passport control twice, collect and recheck your bags, may have to change halls, and go through security. As plain advice for an older traveller, plan at least 4 hours between landing and the next flight, or stay a night in Baghdad. Nobody has to hold your second plane for you on separate tickets.
If your flight is cancelled or you miss it
Go to your airline's counter at once and keep your ticket. Iraqi Airways customer service is 5511 inside Iraq. For Iranian airlines, call the number on your ticket; we could not open their websites, so we cannot give their rules here. If your passport is lost or damaged, phone the Iranian embassy in Baghdad on 009647901246284 or 009647723564216. Flights between Iran and Iraq stopped and restarted in 2025 and again in 2026, so confirm every flight before you travel.
Passport control
As far as we can tell, everyone who lands at Baghdad goes through passport control and enters Iraq; we found no official page about a transit area. The Iranian foreign ministry's Iraq page, dated August 2022, says that since 25 October 2021 Iranian citizens entering Iraq by air need no Iraqi visa, that the entry stamp in the passport allows a 30-day stay, and that a longer stay needs permission from the Iraqi residence office. Your passport must be valid for at least six months. We could not find a current Iraqi government page that states the rule for Iranian passports, so check with the Iraqi embassy in Tehran before you travel. At the airport, show your passport at the passport counter, and if you are unsure where to go, ask the staff calmly. Important: the same ministry says an entry stamp from an airport in the Kurdistan Region (Erbil or Sulaymaniyah) is valid only for that region; going on to Baghdad or the shrine cities with it counts as illegal entry and can bring 3 months to 3 years in prison. Citizens of some other countries, including the EU countries, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Japan, need an Iraqi e-visa from evisa.iq, run by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, because the Baghdad airport passport section stopped visa on arrival for them.
Getting around
Iraqi Airways posts name several passenger halls at Baghdad airport: Babylon, Samarra, Nineveh and Karbala. In 2023 Iraqi Airways said its flights use the Samarra hall, and that the Nineveh hall was given to Hajj pilgrims for the 2023 season only; in 2019 a Karbala hall was used for Hajj and Umrah flights. No official page we found says which hall international arrivals use, how far apart the halls are, or how to get between them, so check your hall on the ticket or with the airline. Iraqi Airways said in December 2024 that some free wheelchairs are kept at the airport, but nobody pushes them for you. Outside, Qatar Airways mentions pre-booked taxis, airport shuttle buses from the city centre and parking, and flydubai mentions armoured vehicles to downtown Baghdad. The airport is about 16 km west of the city. In April 2023 the Iraqi prime minister opened the first phase of the airport road to passengers' private cars. In 2018 and 2019 Iraqi Airways and the Baghdad Taxi company ran a free shuttle for its ticket holders from Abbas Ibn Firnas Square to the halls; we could not confirm it still runs. Around Arbaeen, the Iranian foreign ministry says the road into Samarra is closed to cars about 15 km from the shrine, so you must be able to walk that part.
Wheelchair and special help here
Book assistance through your airline when you book your ticket, and ask the airline to note it on every flight, including the return. We found no Baghdad airport page about asking for a wheelchair. Iraqi Airways said in December 2024 that wheelchair service fees are charged by the companies that provide the service, not by the airline, and that you may bring your own wheelchair, which is carried free; ask what you will pay. Iraqi Airways now flies to Iran only from Najaf, so ask your own airline for its rules. We could not open the Iranian airlines' websites (Iran Air, Mahan Air), so phone the airline and ask them to confirm the request on your booking. The same Iraqi Airways post says some free wheelchairs are kept at Baghdad airport, but nobody pushes them, so they do not replace booked help if you travel alone.
We found no official page that names a special assistance desk at Baghdad. On arrival, ask your airline's staff at the aircraft door or the first staff member you see, and show your booking with the assistance request. On departure, ask at your airline's check-in counter in its hall; check the hall on your ticket or with the airline. If you are unsure, show your ticket to anyone in uniform.
The Iranian foreign ministry says people of advanced age or with mental illness must strictly not travel to Iraq alone, and advises elderly people and women to travel with a close relative. It says dialysis patients and others with serious illness should not travel in the crowded Arbaeen weeks, and that everyone should have travel and medical insurance because treatment in Iraq is expensive. Wear a card round your neck with your name, national ID number, address and the phone numbers of relatives in Iran, and keep your passport and money in a pouch under your clothes. Check every medicine against the ministry's banned list before you travel. Summer heat passes 50 degrees, so carry water. Free transport and free lodging in the Arbaeen period are limited and end on the evening of Arbaeen itself.
Where to ask for help
We could not find an official website for Baghdad International Airport; baghdad-airport.com, which airline pages link to, says itself that it is not official. Airport telephone, as listed by flydubai: +964 790 140 3537 (we could not confirm it is answered). Iraqi Airways: customer service 5511 inside Iraq; lost bags on WhatsApp 07721111514; official Telegram channel t.me/iraqiairways2; and a booking office in Kadhimiya at Bab al-Darwaza near Muammal Square, 07729977004, open 8 to 17, if you need to change an Iraqi Airways ticket. Iranian embassy in Baghdad: Al-Salhiya, Karradat Maryam, Mahalla 222, Zuqaq 35; phones 009647901246284 and 009647723564216. The foreign ministry page gives two different sets of hours: its Persian rows say the consular section opens Saturday to Wednesday 8 to 15:30 and Thursday 8 to 12, while its Arabic rows say Saturday to Thursday 8 to 11:30, with documents handed back 13:30 to 14:30. Phone before you go. We could not confirm which languages the airport staff speak.
Rest and comfort
Qatar Airways says the airport has departure lounges, cafes and restaurants with local and international food, shops, currency exchange and wireless internet, and flydubai says there is short-term, long-term and hourly parking. We could not confirm from any official page a prayer room, a rest area, drinking water points, a pharmacy or a medical room, and we found nothing about the arrivals side. Carry your own water and snacks. The Iranian foreign ministry warns that summer temperatures pass 50 degrees, that water-borne illnesses such as diarrhoea, hepatitis and typhoid exist in Iraq, and that you should avoid unfamiliar food and drink.
My help card
Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.
Partly checked against official pages.
What we could not confirm (21)
- We could not confirm that any flight between Iran and Baghdad is running on the day you travel. Iraqi Airways said on 29 September 2026 that Iranian airlines stopped flying to Iraq from 23 September 2026 and that its own Iran flights had stopped in early March 2026; since 8 October 2026 it flies to Iran only from Najaf. News reports say Baghdad stopped receiving Iranian flights from midnight on 22 September 2026. We found no official page showing a current Iran to Baghdad flight.
- We could not find an official website for Baghdad International Airport. baghdad-airport.com says it is not official, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority site (icaa.gov.iq) blocked our connection, the Ministry of Transport site sent us to a verification page, and the airport's Facebook page needed a login. Every airport fact here comes from Iraqi Airways, other airline pages or the Iranian foreign ministry.
- We could not confirm the arrivals route inside the terminal: the sign wording (for example ARRIVALS, BAGGAGE CLAIM or EXIT), where the passport counters, baggage belts and customs point are, and which hall international arrivals use.
- We could not find a current Iraqi government page that states the visa rule for Iranian passports at Baghdad. The visa-free rule and the 30-day stamp come from the Iranian foreign ministry's Iraq page, dated August 2022, which still contains COVID-19 rules. The Iraqi embassy in Tehran's visa page says nothing about Iranian citizens.
- We could not confirm whether there is any transit area at Baghdad for passengers connecting without entering Iraq; nothing official describes one, so we assume everyone enters.
- We could not confirm which hall each airline uses, or whether the 2023 hall uses still hold in 2026. Iraqi Airways posts from 2023 say its flights use the Samarra hall and that the Nineveh hall was given to Hajj pilgrims for 2023; a Karbala hall was used for Hajj in 2019.
- We could not confirm how far apart the halls are, whether they are within walking distance of each other, or whether any bus links them.
- We could not confirm how early to arrive for a departure from Baghdad or any minimum connection time; the 3-hour and 4-hour figures are plain advice.
- We could not confirm the departure order at Baghdad: where passport control and security are, whether Iranians get an exit stamp, and whether customs checks bags on departure.
- We could not confirm fares, hours or boarding points for airport taxis, shuttle buses or the armoured vehicles that flydubai mentions, or whether the Baghdad Taxi company and the free Iraqi Airways shuttle from Abbas Ibn Firnas Square, known only from 2018 and 2019 posts, still run.
- We could not confirm where Abbas Ibn Firnas Square is in relation to the halls and the city, so we do not give its position.
- We could not confirm whether the airport road has security checkpoints now, what documents are checked there, or whether the second phase of the road opening, for people meeting passengers, announced in April 2023, went ahead.
- We could not confirm whether Iranian bank cards (Shetab) or foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work at the airport exchange office, shops or any ATM. The Iranian foreign ministry only advises carrying dinars or dollars changed in Iran.
- We could not confirm the location or hours of the currency exchange, or whether there is an ATM, a pharmacy, a medical room, a prayer room, a rest area or drinking water, especially on the arrivals side.
- We could not confirm how to book a wheelchair at Baghdad from the airport side, which companies provide the service, what it costs, whether a helper meets you at the aircraft door, or where the free wheelchairs are kept. A newer Iraqi Airways wheelchair guidance video from August 2026 was not checked.
- We could not open the Iranian airlines' websites (iranair.com, mahan.aero, mahanair.co.ir), so none of their wheelchair, check-in or refund rules are in this guide.
- We could not confirm which languages the passport officers and airport staff speak; there is no official statement about Persian-speaking staff.
- We could not confirm which Iraqi Airways lost property office is open now or its hours: the luggage office in Building G1 near Abbas Ibn Firnas Square was announced in January 2022, and the office in the Babylon hall was named in February 2021.
- We could not confirm that the airport number +964 790 140 3537, listed by flydubai, is answered.
- We could not confirm the Iranian embassy's opening hours: the Persian and Arabic rows of the foreign ministry page give different hours, so phone first.
- We could not confirm the exact date of the Iraqi Airways post on the Samarra hall; it reads 14 August 2023 but may contain a typo.
Airports change signs, gates and rules. This guide is general help, not an official instruction. Always follow the staff and the screens, and check with your airline.
Last prepared 5 November 2026.
Where this comes from (27)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran - Iraq travel advice, dated 15 August 2022 (official; visa-free air entry since 25 October 2021, 30-day stamp, six months validity, Kurdistan Region stamp, customs, 109 banned medicines, money, travelling alone, embassy address, phones and hours)
- Iraqi Airways - Check-in rules (official airline; online check-in 48 hours to 45 minutes, bags to the counter, print boarding pass, passenger responsible for documents)
- Iraqi Airways - Lost property (official airline; WhatsApp 07721111514, customer service 5511, Ur platform)
- Iraqi Airways - Booking offices in Baghdad (official airline; Kadhimiya office, hours 8 to 17)
- Iraqi Airways - First flights to Iran, 8 October 2026 (official airline; daily Najaf to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 12859, 29 September 2026 (Iraqi Airways Iran flights stopped since early March 2026; Iranian airlines stopped flights to Iraq from 23 September; restart planned from Najaf)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 12866, 5 October 2026 (daily Najaf to Mashhad, Tehran and Isfahan from 8 October 2026)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 12077, 14 July 2025 (Iran flights resumed after a temporary halt)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 11779, 25 December 2024 (wheelchair service fees charged by the service companies, own wheelchair carried free, free wheelchairs at Baghdad airport)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 9956, 15 May 2023 (passenger processing moved from the Nineveh hall to the new Samarra hall)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 10311, 14 August 2023 (Samarra hall dedicated to Iraqi Airways flights)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 9988, 27 May 2023 (Nineveh hall given to Hajj pilgrims for the 2023 season)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 2243, July 2019 (Karbala hall used for Hajj and Umrah flights)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 2391, July 2019 (Karbala hall used for Hajj and Umrah flights)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 9889, 29 April 2023 (prime minister opens the first phase of the airport road to passengers' private cars)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 7288, 23 January 2022 (luggage services office in Building G1 near Abbas Ibn Firnas Square)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 5719, 13 February 2021 (lost property office in the Babylon hall)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 1054, 26 December 2018 (free shuttle for ticket holders run with Baghdad Taxi; old)
- Iraqi Airways - official Telegram channel, post 2184, 24 June 2019 (free shuttle for ticket holders from Abbas Ibn Firnas Square to the halls, run with Baghdad Taxi; old)
- flydubai - Baghdad International Airport page (official airline; 16 km west of Baghdad, telephone, armoured vehicles, parking)
- Qatar Airways - Flights from Baghdad to Doha (official airline; pre-booked taxi, airport shuttle buses, parking, lounges, exchange, wifi, cafes)
- Embassy of Iraq in Tehran - Visa page (official; general visa types and fees, nothing specific to Iranian passports)
- Consulate General of Iraq in Texas - Visa notice (official; Baghdad airport passport section stopped visa on arrival for listed nationalities, e-visa link)
- Iraqi Ministry of Interior - Electronic visa portal (official)
- News: Euronews Arabic, 22 September 2026 (Baghdad airport stops receiving Iranian flights from midnight; used only for the flight-status caveat)
- News: Euronews Arabic, 25 September 2026 (US sanctions threat behind the stop of Iranian flights; used only for the flight-status caveat)
- News: Dawn / AFP, 4 October 2026 (Iranian airlines resumed Najaf flights under a US exemption; used only for the flight-status caveat)