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Al Najaf International Airport

Najaf (Al-Najaf al-Ashraf), Iraq

Najaf is a small airport with an arrivals hall and a departures hall. This guide assumes you enter Iraq here, as pilgrims do: passport control, bags, then the road to Najaf or Karbala. It is very crowded in the Arbaeen weeks. In autumn 2026 flights to and from Iran ran only under temporary, pilgrims-only permissions, so confirm with your airline that your flight is running before you pay.

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.

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Both flights on ONE ticket

Your bags go through. You only change planes.

  1. Leave the plane with your hand luggage and walk to the arrivals hall

    Take every bag you carried on board. Walk with the other passengers from the plane to the arrivals hall. The airport trained some of its passenger services staff in basic Persian in 2025, but do not count on finding a Persian speaker. If you are unsure where to go, show your passport to anyone in uniform and say 'Arrivals'.

  2. Passport control: go to the passport counters, not the visa office

    The arrivals hall has a visa office for travellers who need a visa, and the passport counters. In September 2023 the airport's own channel said that travellers arriving from Iran were received at the passport counters without an entry visa, under an agreement between the two foreign ministries. Have your passport ready. Your passport or pilgrimage pass must be valid for at least six months. The Iranian consulate in Najaf says you must make sure the Iraqi entry stamp is put in your passport. Without that stamp you face a fine and a two to five year ban from Iraq. Your allowed stay is one month from the date of the stamp and it cannot be extended.

  3. Collect your bags in the arrivals hall

    The baggage belts are in the arrivals hall. Keep your ticket, bag tag receipts and boarding pass, because you need them if a bag does not arrive. If your bag is missing, go to the lost baggage desk in the arrivals hall. The airport says its phone line is open 24 hours, by phone or WhatsApp on 009647821685974, or by email at Njfllxh@njfairport.iq.

  4. Customs check before you leave the hall

    There is a customs point in the arrivals hall and your bags may be checked. The airport says each traveller may bring in up to 1,000,000 Iraqi dinars plus 10,000 US dollars, and up to 250 grams of gold (figures from 2023). More than that must be declared, or it is held and goes to court. The Iranian consulate gives the same advice: more than 10,000 dollars or valuables such as gold must be declared at customs.

  5. Have Iraqi dinars with you

    Prices and fares in Iraq are in Iraqi dinars and nothing is free, so carry enough dinars. The Iranian consulate says to change your rials to dinars at a licensed exchange office before you enter Iraq, because fake dinar notes are handed to pilgrims near the borders and carrying fake notes is punished. If you still need to change money, airline pages say there is a foreign exchange office in the terminal, but we could not confirm its opening hours. We could not confirm whether Iranian bank cards or any foreign card work at the airport, so plan to use cash.

  6. Leave the terminal and take a taxi or minibus

    The airport is about 4 miles (6 km) east of central Najaf. The airlines flydubai and Qatar Airways say taxis, minibuses and coaches to the city are available. We could not find an official page about buses or fixed fares to Karbala or to the shrine, so ask airline or airport staff what a normal fare is and agree the price before you get in. The consulate advises writing down the car number and the driver's name, or taking a photo, in case you leave something behind. In the Arbaeen weeks the airport says it tries to ease pilgrims from the plane to the road for Karbala, but there is no timetable, so do not count on anyone meeting you at the airport.

  7. If you need help, or something goes wrong

    For lost items, go to the lost property office in the arrivals hall or call or WhatsApp 009647821685974. For complaints or suggestions the airport lists 07887362010 from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, and Complaints@njfairport.iq. The Iranian consulate in Najaf is in the Welaya area, next to the courtyard of Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra; phone and WhatsApp 009647826593060. The Iraqi emergency number is 122. Write these numbers on paper and keep it in your passport.

Flights on SEPARATE tickets

You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.

  1. Go through arrivals like everyone else

    As far as we can tell there is no transit area at Najaf; the airport only ever describes an arrivals hall and a departures hall. So with a second ticket, expect to go through passport control, collect your bags and pass customs, as in the steps above. You enter Iraq, so the entry rules for your passport apply. Keep your passport, tickets and bag tags together.

  2. Walk to the departures hall and be there 3 hours before your flight

    The departures hall is in the same building. The airport asks all passengers to be at the airport three hours before the flight time, for international and domestic flights. Confirm the latest departure time on your ticket or with your airline, as the airport advises. If you cannot find the departures hall, show your ticket to anyone in uniform and say 'Departures'.

  3. Check in again at your airline's counter

    Find your airline's name above the counters, or ask a staff member. 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, and recommends printing your boarding pass. After check-in, keep your passport and boarding pass in your hand for passport control.

  4. Departure passport control and security

    Passport staff give an exit stamp. Then your bags and you are screened. Have your passport and boarding pass in your hand. The airport says customs may also check bags on departure.

  5. Wait in the departure hall and listen for your flight

    The airport says the departure hall has restaurants, rest lounges, shops and a prayer room. Boarding calls are made 24 hours a day in Arabic, English and the language of the destination country, so for a flight to Iran you should hear Persian. Each call gives the gate number, flight number, destination and airline. Also watch the information screens. If you are not sure, show your boarding pass to a staff member.

  6. Give yourself plenty of time

    No official minimum connection time was found for Najaf. On separate tickets you pass passport control twice, collect and recheck bags and go through security, and the airport is very crowded in the Arbaeen weeks. As plain advice for an older traveller, plan at least 4 hours between landing and the next flight, or stay a night in Najaf. Nobody has to hold your second plane for you on separate tickets.

  7. If your flight is cancelled or you miss it

    Go to your airline's counter in the departures hall at once and keep your ticket. Iraqi Airways customer service is on 5511 inside Iraq. For Iranian airlines, call the number on your ticket; we could not open the Iranian airlines' own websites, so we cannot give their refund rules here. If your passport is lost or damaged, contact the Iranian consulate in Najaf on 009647826593060. Flights between Najaf and Iran stopped in September 2026 and came back in October 2026 only under temporary permissions, and the Iraqi Airways flights were for pilgrims only. We could not confirm whether those permissions were still in force in November 2026, so ask your airline before you pay for a ticket.

Passport control

As far as we can tell, everyone who lands at Najaf goes through passport control and enters Iraq; the airport only describes an arrivals hall and a departures hall, and we found no airside transit area. For Iranian passports, the airport's own channel said in September 2023 that travellers from Iran were received without an entry visa under an agreement between the Iraqi and Iranian foreign ministries. We could not find a current official Iraqi page that states the rule for Iranian passports in writing, or whether it applies all year or only in the Arbaeen period, so check with the Iraqi embassy in Tehran before you travel. Whatever the rule, the Iranian consulate in Najaf says: your passport or pilgrimage pass must be valid for at least six months, you must get the Iraqi entry stamp in your passport, your stay is one month from the stamp and cannot be extended, and entering without the stamp means a fine and a two to five year ban. Citizens of many 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 visa on arrival was stopped for them from March 2025. The arrivals hall has a visa office, in addition to the passport counters, for travellers who still get a visa at the airport.

Getting around

Najaf has one terminal building with an arrivals hall and a departures hall, plus a VIP hall. There are no buses or trains between terminals. We could not find official figures for walking distances inside. The airport's announcements say the departure hall has restaurants, rest lounges, shops and a prayer room. Qatar Airways describes the airport as having wheelchair facilities throughout. Outside, taxis, minibuses and coaches to the city are available, and the airport is about 4 miles (6 km) east of central Najaf. A Najaf to Karbala train with a station at the airport has been announced as a project, but it does not exist yet.

Wheelchair and special help here

Ask your airline, not the airport. We found no Najaf Airport page about requesting a wheelchair, so request it when you book or through the airline's call centre, and ask for it on every flight, including the return. flydubai's airport page says wheelchair facilities are available at Najaf, and Qatar Airways says wheelchair facilities are available throughout. We could not open the Iranian airlines' own pages (Iran Air, Mahan, Iran Aseman, Qeshm Air) to confirm their wheelchair rules, so phone the airline and ask them to note it on your booking. For help from the airport itself, the published numbers are the complaints line 07887362010 (8 am to 4 pm) and the lost property line 009647821685974 (phone line open 24 hours); flydubai also lists an airport switchboard on +964 033 334935.

On arrival, ask the airline ground staff at the aircraft door or at the passport counters. On departure, ask at your airline's check-in counter. The airport trained some of its passenger services staff in basic Persian in 2025, but there is no statement that a Persian speaker is on duty. There is no official map of a special assistance desk, so if you are unsure, show your boarding pass to anyone in uniform.

The Iranian consulate in Najaf asks the elderly, children, heart patients, pregnant women and especially psychiatric patients to refrain from travelling at Arbaeen and to postpone the trip. If you do travel, the consulate says to carry a card with your name, home city, the phone numbers of your companions and of relatives in Iran, your illness and your medicines, worn round the neck or kept in a pocket; never stop your medicines and keep them with you. The airport says the Arbaeen period brings very heavy crowds in the arrivals hall. There is no official statement that wheelchair help is free at Najaf, and none that help continues from the plane to the taxi, so ask your airline.

Where to ask for help

Najaf Airport had no working website when we checked: najafairport.com and njf.aero forwarded to unrelated sites. The airport's official channels are its Telegram channel (t.me/njfairport2023), which posts the daily flight list, its Instagram (alnajafairport) and its Facebook page; the airport's own list of official pages names facebook.com/NIAP.Media, while facebook.com/alnajafairport also presents itself as the official page, and we could not confirm they are the same page. Airport switchboard, as listed by flydubai: +964 033 334935; we could not confirm it is answered. Complaints and suggestions: 07887362010, 8 am to 4 pm, or Complaints@njfairport.iq. Lost property office in the arrivals hall: 009647821685974 (phone and WhatsApp, line open 24 hours), Njfllxh@njfairport.iq. Iraqi Airways customer service: 5511. Iranian consulate in Najaf: Welaya area, next to the courtyard of Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra, phone and WhatsApp 009647826593060. Iranian embassy in Baghdad consular numbers: 009647814436694 and 009647809133048. Iraqi emergency number: 122. Boarding announcements are made in Arabic, English and the destination's language.

Rest and comfort

The airport says the departure hall has restaurants, rest lounges, shops and a prayer room, and boarding calls are made there 24 hours a day. Airline pages list a café, a foreign exchange office and a gift shop. We could not confirm a prayer room or rest area on the arrivals side, drinking water points, a pharmacy or a medical room from any official page. Do not count on being given food or water at the airport; carry your own water and snacks. The consulate warns that summer heat passes 50 degrees and that you should avoid unpackaged food and water.

My help card

Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.

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.

You can type the details here before printing. They stay on this device only.

Partly checked against official pages.

What we could not confirm (24)
  • We could not find a working official website for Najaf Airport: najafairport.com forwarded to an unrelated advertising page, njf.aero did not open or forwarded elsewhere, and alnajafairport.net is a parked page. Every airport fact here comes from the airport's official Telegram channel or from airline pages.
  • We could not find a current official Iraqi page that states in writing whether Iranian passport holders need a visa at Najaf, whether visa-free entry applies all year or only around Arbaeen, or whether it covers ordinary and pilgrimage passports alike. The airport channel described visa-free entry for travellers from Iran in September 2023, and the Iranian consulate speaks of the entry stamp and a one month stay, but neither is a written rule with dates.
  • We could not confirm from an official page the statement, reported in the news on 16 July 2025, by a spokesman for the Iraqi Arbaeen security committee (not the Interior Ministry itself) that Iranian Arbaeen pilgrims are exempt from the Iraqi e-visa under the agreement with Iran.
  • We could not confirm anything about Iranian passports from the Iraqi embassy in Tehran's visa page: it lists general visa types and fees from older circulars and says nothing about Iranian citizens.
  • We could not confirm whether flights between Najaf and Iran are running on the day you travel. News reports say all Najaf to Iran flights stopped on 25 September 2026; that Iranian airlines other than Mahan Air restarted on 4 October 2026 under a US exemption with no published end date; and that Iraqi Airways began daily Najaf to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan flights on 8 October 2026 under a US licence limited to religious pilgrims that ran until 28 October 2026. We found no report after 10 October 2026.
  • We could not confirm whether Mahan Air flies to Najaf at all now; news reports say it was excluded from the exemption.
  • We could not open the Iranian airlines' own websites (iranair.com, mahan.aero, iaa.ir, qeshm-air.com), so none of their wheelchair, check-in or refund rules are in this guide.
  • We could not confirm the exact sign wording in the terminal (whether signs say ARRIVALS, BAGGAGE CLAIM, EXIT or DEPARTURES in English) or the sign colours.
  • We could not confirm whether there is any airside transit area for passengers connecting without entering Iraq; the airport's posts describe only arrivals and departures halls, so we assume everyone enters.
  • We could not confirm how to request a wheelchair at Najaf, whether it is free, whether a helper meets you at the aircraft door, or where a special assistance desk is. Only flydubai and Qatar Airways pages say wheelchair facilities exist.
  • We could not confirm which languages the passport and visa staff speak. The airport ran a basic Persian course for some staff in March 2025, but there is no statement that Persian speakers are on duty.
  • We could not find an official page about buses, shared taxis or fixed fares from the airport to Karbala or to the Najaf shrine, or about a free Arbaeen shuttle. Travel sites give taxi prices of about 15 to 20 US dollars to the city, but these are not official.
  • We could not confirm that anyone meets arriving pilgrims at the airport or hands out food. One airport post from August 2025 shows the lost property staff handing out food on one day from their own resources, not as a regular service, and it says they could not join the Husseini service groups.
  • 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 consulate advises carrying dinars and mentions entering your own PIN at card terminals, but does not say which cards are accepted.
  • We could not confirm the Central Bank of Iran's Arbaeen currency allowance (reported as 200,000 dinars per pilgrim in 2026) on an official page; it was seen only in news reports.
  • We could not confirm that the customs limits (1,000,000 dinars plus 10,000 US dollars and 250 grams of gold) are still current; the airport post is from September 2023.
  • We could not confirm opening hours of the exchange office, café and shops, whether there is an ATM, or whether there is a pharmacy or a medical room in the terminal.
  • We could not confirm a prayer room, rest area or drinking water on the arrivals side; the airport confirms a prayer room and rest lounges only in the departure hall.
  • We could not confirm the number of check-in desks and gates. A Qatar Airways page once stated seven check-in desks and four gates, but that text is no longer on the live page.
  • We could not find an official minimum connection time; the 4 hour figure for separate tickets is plain advice.
  • We could not confirm what an Iranian airline must do when it cancels a flight from Najaf. The Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation's passenger rights rules were seen only in unofficial copies, so they are not quoted.
  • We could not confirm that the airport switchboard number +964 033 334935 (from flydubai's page) is still answered, or that facebook.com/alnajafairport is the same page as facebook.com/NIAP.Media, which the airport's own December 2023 list of official platforms names.
  • We could not confirm an Iraqi pilgrims' hotline on 128, mentioned in a 2024 news report about the Arbaeen headquarters.
  • We could not confirm whether the Iranian consulate's Arbaeen advisory of August 2024 has been updated for 2026; the consulate site still links to it as its current travel advice.

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 (24)