Is Alcohol legal in Iraq?
- Legal status
- Prohibited (import/sale/production) — a 2016 Municipal Revenues Law (Article 14), gazetted and enforced from March 2023, bans the import, manufacture and sale of alcohol (ethanol) nationwide.
- Consequences if caught
- Import, sale or production carries fines of 10-25 million dinars; enforcement tightened from 2023, though private possession is less consistently prosecuted.
- If prescribed or medical
- n/a — a beverage, not a medicine.
- Documentation
- Legal retail eliminated across federal Iraq under the ban; the Kurdistan Region declines to enforce it and Baghdad airport duty-free continues, so availability is uneven and shrinking.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Iraq’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →