Iraq Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in iraq, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Market Entry Strategy
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If you are a new-to-exporting company, first contact your local Export Assistance Center (USEAC) for free export counseling at:  https://www.trade.gov/export-solutions

The Department of Commerce can give you a balanced assessment of your company’s chances for success in Iraq. For more information, please visit https://www.trade.gov/let-our-experts-help-0.

Consult an attorney:  Many U.S. companies advise that acquiring good domestic legal representation is an important first step to entering the market.  This helps you to establish and maintain good business relationships with Iraqi partners. Hiring a lawyer is especially important before concluding commercial agreements.  The U.S. Embassy can provide you with a list of lawyers currently operating in Iraq.

Confirm the background and experience of partners:  U.S. Embassy Baghdad’s Economic Section partners with the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) in Jordan to provide some FCS commercial services to U.S. businesses in Iraq.  The Embassy and the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil offer several services to help you vet prospective Iraqi business partners and determine which Iraqi companies would be best to work with.  These services include International Company  Profiles and International Partner Searches.  The availability of Gold Key Service is subject to local security and COVID-19 pandemic conditions.  Please check with your local USEAC or the Embassy for the latest information.

While it is not a requirement of Iraqi law that an overseas entity appoint a commercial agent for the import of goods in Iraq, new-to-market U.S. companies may consider partnering with a local company.

The rules for investment and trade within the IKR, defined in the 2006 Law on Investment in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq, are more liberal and easier to navigate than elsewhere in Iraq. 
 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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