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#1
6 January 2012, 11:55
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Iraq Visa's?
Not sure if it shou ld be here?
Does anyone have any insight on why Iraq stopped isueing visa's and when they may start back again? Thank you 
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#2
6 January 2012, 12:24
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Money and no. Sorry
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#3
6 January 2012, 13:07
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Pretty much as SB stated, it's all about money, and control.
I endured the whole process 10 days ago, when I arrived back off leave with a single entry visa, as my MEV expired, from getting off the plane in Basrah, to getting out the airport was a swift 5 hours, from start to finish, you have 3 guys handwriting visas from start to finish, then hand writing receipts for $82 , this visa is only valid for 30 days, with the maximum of 2 x 10 extensions, after that, you need to be out the country again, even if it's the redeye overnight and back in the next day, yep that's what some of our clients have to do. Once you come in on the single entry as they stopped issuing MEV's last year, so they could scam more cash out of the hundreds of pax through Basrah, daily 5-6 days a week!! Then you have to go down into Basrah itself prior to exiting the place and give a blood sample, which then gets you your exit visa, although if you're lucky, you can get away with not giving blood if you get a 3 month stamp from the Ministry of Health. It's a nightmare, there's no methodical system in place, it's still in the stoneage, and as to where the tens of thousands of dollars go is anyones guess, but apparently there's no such dramas up in Baghdada, and nothing close to mayhem in Erbil. What we have been told, is that the MOI are only issuing a limited amount of visas per day, as in exits, and in some cases entry, the whole situation is an total admin nightmare, then there's the scam of not letting PSC vehicles into the BIAP , apart from one vehicle, not so great moving dozens of clients at a time, but there's always the local taxi (another name for the off duty General's bods) who charge $15 to ferry you to the "dustbowl" the area where a billion PSD team congregate..but hey, it's $15 a head, and he crams as many in to make a nice wee earner for the General. If anyone thought for one minute Iraq would be a better democratic place post 2006 after they got their Soveriegnity back, and an elected Government, then they're so wrong, it's every bit as corrupt as it always has been. If you have a simple type wrong on your entry visa, you'll not get to fly in if it's through Dubai/Emirates, they check you have the neccesary entry documentation before you board, it's a complete nightmare, hardly a great advertisement when you have CEO's of huge Oil companys sat in Immigration for 5 hours without basics, there's a typical local toilet but after half an hour stinks like a camels arse!! My only advice is make sure your phone/kindle/ipod are fully charged as you may also end up being stuck there over night, and a mate of mine was arrested and detained overnight in Az Zubair as they accused him of tampering on the dates of his paperwork!!! He wasn't alone, as some of our clients were there alongside him, he went in front of a judge the next morning who seemed a tad pissed off they were detained, and let them all go without charge, but he said it was a pretty scarry moment not knowing where he would end up!!.. So avoid Basrah unless you have the t's crossed and i's dotted :D
__________________
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#5
6 January 2012, 14:36
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Thank you, Ill just cross my fingers and hope for the best. It sucks for some of us who have been sitting on the bench and just want to go to work.
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#6
6 January 2012, 17:53
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WELCOME to the PSC World in Iraq 2012!!! There currently are no visas being issued to PSCs. I'm stuck out as well; hopefully in a week or so the GOI will get everything straight. Those working in the KRG I am sure things are much better for you up there.
Stay safe....
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#8
27 January 2012, 15:26
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#9
28 January 2012, 07:48
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In reference to the Embassy badge, we have to turn ours in prior to going out.
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#10
7 January 2012, 09:53
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They kinda hassled me in Turkey over the Visa, but Erbil didn't even ask for one. They just scanned my passport.
__________________
"It's not a man purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one."
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#11
7 January 2012, 09:55
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The word we are getting is that they are in the process of changing ministries as far as who will issue the visa's. Country wide they are only allowing a small amount a day of visa's while this is being handled, that is exit and entry visa's both. We had 12 guys come in this past week and 18 leave. All 18 were granted exit visa's (all MEV's expired on Dec. 31) and 2 were granted entry. I know we were paying $202 a MEV and $2 every time we entered even with the visa before Dec. 31 as of now i dont know how much we had to pay. Good luck hope this helps
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#13
12 January 2012, 08:17
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Any update on this? Are the visas still shut down?
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#15
12 January 2012, 09:48
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I heard from a couple of guys who are there. They are not getting much info either. dont know if it is the company's keeping them in the dark or if noone really knows?
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#19
12 January 2012, 12:41
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Quote:
__________________
"The real problem was being able to stick it out, to sit in an office under the orders of a wee man in a dark gray suit and look out of the window and recall the bush country, the waving palms, the smell of sweat and cordite, the grunts of the men hauling jeeps over the river crossings, the copper-tasting fears just before the attack, and the wild, cruel joy of being alive afterward. To remember, and then go back to the ledgers and the commuter train, that was impossible. He knew he would eat his heart out if it ever came to that." - "The Dogs of War" by Frederick Forsyth
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#20
12 January 2012, 13:09
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There is some good news out there. Visa applications HAVE been accepted by the MOI through the new process, whatever exactly that is. What is the UNK is how long the new process will take. I would expect one week.
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