Within days, the official exchange rate for US dollars will begin for travelers at Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports.
Within days, the official exchange rate for US dollars will begin for travelers at Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports.
2026-10-06
Shafaq News – Sulaymaniyah
On Tuesday, Ribwar Karim, a member of the Iraqi parliament representing Sulaymaniyah Governorate, announced that he had obtained approval from the Central Bank of Iraq to begin disbursing dollars to travelers at the official exchange rate at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports in the coming days.
Karim told Shafaq News Agency that the approval came after an official letter was sent to the Central Bank of Iraq, requesting that branches of the bank be opened at Erbil and Sulaimaniyah International Airports, for the purpose of selling dollars to travelers departing abroad at the official rate.
He explained that the procedures for selling dollars at the official rate will begin in the coming days at both airports, indicating that the official rate is $100 in exchange for 132,000 Iraqi dinars.
Karim added that each traveler can obtain $2,000, which is equivalent to 20 $100 bills, at the official rate.
He noted that on August 11, 2026, he had sent an official letter to the Central Bank of Iraq, requesting that the dollar be sold to travelers at the official rate through the bank’s branches at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah International Airports.
According to Karim, this step aims to enable travelers through the Kurdistan Region’s airports to obtain dollars at the official rate before leaving the country.
It is worth noting that the Central Bank of Iraq imposes strict controls on the sale of foreign currency to travelers at the official rate of 1,320 dinars, reducing the limit available to adult travelers to a maximum of $2,000, and allowing them to withdraw only twice a year. The bank also mandates a pre-deposit mechanism in dinars at approved bank branches within cities, and the cash allocation can only be collected at all international airports in the country—excluding those in the Kurdistan Region—after completing departure procedures and having passports stamped.
shafaq.com
