Shalamcheh Borderpost | Customs and Immigration

Note: this border close for iranian holiday and Friday.

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Iran > Iraq on a Saturday at 8.30 AM. Not busy at all.

Pretty chaotic but also quite straight forward if you have the right description so I'll try to provide it (knowing that it might change in a week).

Iran side: see my maps screenshot. Peak car at green pinpoint. Walk to blue pinpoint to get visa exit stamp (you can also change money there). Walk back to your car and do cdp in the building there, you get some copies that you have to give away at different points. Once done, drive to red pinpoint (gate) and give one of the copies. Then zigzag your way through the trucks to the Iraq side. There you will have to give another copy to the last Iranian officers before entering the Iraqi border area.

Iraq side: see my screenshot. Park your car where they tell you to. Then walk to green pinpoint to get your visa (only single entry visa possible even though the sign in the room states different options, $75 for visa + $3 or 3000 dinar fees). Then walk to blue pinpoint for cdp and lots of paperwork and copies ($50). Then walk back to green pinpoint to get a car stamp in the driver passport (you can also try this when they give you the visa in step 1 but he wanted us to do carnet first). Then walk to red pinpoint to get entry stamp in driver and passenger passport. Then walk back to your car and give of your first copy. Then drive into the border area where you have been walking around the whole time. They do a superficial car check, check carnet and you get a small paper slip. Then drive towards the border area exit gate where they check all your documents, give another set of copies to the officer here. Now you should be go to enter Iraq and you will have 1 set of copies left for exiting Iraq to Kuwait and you will have the small paper slip left.

All in all took us 6-7 hours for 3 cars (6 people). Visa and carnet were most time consuming but you definitely don't need the fixer. All officials at the border were super kind and helpful. Got offered tea and water and they showed us where to go. Just bring money and patience.

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As described. The complete customs process (Carnet) is done for you - you just have to wait. 50$ for handling and insurance.

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Do NOT try to cross with a vehicle on a Friday: customs is closed. We had to wait until Saturday to do all the paperwork. They let us stay after the first gate, directly in front of the customs building for 24 hours. Everyone nice and friendly, no one bothered us.

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iran - iraq direction
The detailed list of things to do a few comments back was really helpful. The Iraqi side is a mess but you just ask someone to direct you (visa office, visa entry stamp, customs etc) and they'll walk you there! The only change was that. for us, they sent someone to get all the different stamps once we got to the Carnet office. overall, everyone very friendly.
75$ visa pp
$50 van.
that's it. not exit/ fuel charge from iran

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From Iran to Irak
We had to pay for Visa 75 $ p. P.
customs service 24 $,
insurance for the car 24 $ ( for 7 days)
nothing else.

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Iran -> Iraq by motorcycle.

Easier than I expected, took about 3 hrs.
Iran side fast and smooth.
Iraq side the guard at the entry gate showed me the customs container, impossible to find without help, no sign or anything. Immigration officer took me to the visa office.

VOA 80 USD, customs + insurance 30 USD. No other fees paid.

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Things change 😀 crossed Iran-Iraq-Kuweit for a third time this year (April, June and 3 days ago) and Iraqis border are really easy now (September), no fixer needed. Each time made Iran  9 am - 4 pm Kuwait

1. Salamcheh

A. Iran

- customs building CdP, 

- next building guard signature (no idea what for) on copies, 

- visa exit stamp in terminal - all together 15 mins

B. Iraq 

- voa in a small building (ask the guard) behind visa exit, ask for car stamp in driver's passport

- visa entry stamp (building opposite voa)

- cdp - exit visa stamp at the left, turn to second right, pass weight station and small building at it, go 30m , left through blue gate into line of barracks (ask people showing cdp) it will be like 4th barrack) - there you make cdp (stamp + papers), insurance. You go again to place of visa stamp - in the room there is police - for signature on papers. Come back yo cdp barrack - they make 3 sets of copies - 1 back to police in visa stamp room (you leave it there), 1 for guards at the gate you left the car, 1 for you. You go with a car straight to the mosque and park it (you are now at the opposite side of cdp barrack), you show the car to cdp officer and you are given insurance paper. Now you just leave through the exit gate leaving last set of copies - only insurance stays for you.

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Iran to Iraq
Gate at the general left side looking at passport terminal. Small building at the left - customs, room at the left. You will get 2 copies of your papers. Go to small building opposite to the customs, ask for signature on the back of 1 copy. Go to passport terminal, get your visa stamped. Go back to your car pass the gate at the left after both buildings. 1 copy will be taken. Drive passing terminal to the exit pf Iran gate. Leave second copy. Drive 100m to enter Iraq. Leave the car and go by foot to fix visa and car papers.

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Crossed from Iraq to Iran with a car. We went the opposite direction last november, and this time it went a little bit quicker. But it is still a time consuming and chaotic border.

First Iraq checkpoint at the armored vehicles we showed our passports. Then drove until a small barrier (30.5052476, 48.0195954) and parked at the flat area on the right.

Got out, got exit stamps in the passport at departures terminal. Were send to some little offices to get the stamps (same place as where you get visa on arrival when entering Iraq). Also got a stamp mentioning we exit with a car.

Then went to the customs office (blue cubicle (30.5054848, 48.0215433)). Had to pay $25 for customs check, just like on arrival. Last time we negotiated for a long time without succes, so we paid this time.

They make copies of your Iraqi car paper (the one with yellow box with car details on it), passport, carnet, etc.) Had to leave passport and carnet at this office during further steps. Had a big discussion over it as they temporarily lost them last time, but that didn’t help anything.

Take the copies/papers and the car to customs check: (30.5057794, 48.0222883) They check the car, and give a stamp. Then we had to go to some security personnel to get another stamp: (30.5059305, 48.0230725)

Returned to the blue cubicle, picked up passport and carnet and convinced the guy to actually stamp out the carnet itself (they won’t otherwise). Now drive to the fence right at the border: (30.5056202, 48.0242591)

Last check of the car, last stamp on the papers and you can leave Iraq. Make sure you drive your car over the border and into the Iran side ASAP, the gates close for lunch sometimes and can stay closed very long (with us they closed around lunchtime, maybe 13.00-14.00) so we were just in time.

Say hi to the first Iranian border guys (Salaam, goebi?) and they will instruct you to leave the car there at the gate and get the entry stamps in the passenger terminal on foot here: (30.5051890, 48.0278244) Everything easy and straightforward.

Now they will say you need a permit from these guys here (30.5044295, 48.0281664) to drive your car to customs, but they just let us wait outside for 1,5 hours and didn’t do anything. So instead walk straight to customs (30.5028637, 48.0307225) and give your passport and carnet. The lady will make 2 carnet copies and will write a permission on the copy to bring your car to customs. Walk back to the car and give one copy to the soldiers, now drive to the red route (see photo) between all the big trucks. This can be a bit of a Tetris game.

At the end of the red route there is a gate (30.5028586, 48.0297358), give the second copy to the guard and he will let you pass. Now go back to customs and the lady will check your chassisnumber and license plate number. You get an entry stamp in the carnet and a letter for leaving the last exit gate. Nobody checked inside the car in Iran and on both sides they didn’t say anything about our dog.

At this border they will ask you to get Iranian plates if you stay longer then 10 days. At other borders they don’t always ask this. They also write a max stay date on the back of the carnet, so if you extend your visa, you will have to extend your carnet as well.

Total crossing time: 5:45 hours. (3 hours Iraq, 2:45 hours Iran) Good luck!

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From Iran to Iraq.
Iran side was surprisingly well organized and straightforward. First go to the customs building and stamp out your Carnet, then go to the passenger hall to stamp out your visa and do some copies.
Then you can drive to the iran-iraqi border gate. (The staff will tell you where to go.)
Before you‘re allowed to drive on the iraqi side of the gate, you have to do some papers at the many container offices at the iraqi side. By foot you have to go to several offices - there is no system, everything is very chaotic. But just ask around - they will exactly tell you where to go next or show you the way. We were very lucky, the border was not busy at all and it wasn‘t that hot this day.
In one office they will do your visa on the arrival (sticker and stamp in the passport). It‘s 75$ pP + 2$ fee (better have the exact amount with you!). In another office they will do your Carnet and the temporary car importation (it‘s 100$).
Then we were allowed to drive to the iraqi side of the gate. Short custom check.
Again we had to go to several offices: they did some pictures and we had to pay a car insurance (24$) and the custom check (24$). They also do about 4 copies of everything which you have to hand out at the first exit gate, the second exit gate ect… at the end you will not have copies anymore.
The whole border crossing took us 5 hours in total. Everybody was very friendly.

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Iran->Iraq (Shalamcheh) border update - October 2022

Hi there!

I would like to give some detailed information regarding this border to help other travelers.

1. In general this border takes hours to cross, mainly due to the Iraqui side as they have offices for every step completely scattered around the border, so patience and good shoes!
2. Don't try to cross on Friday, the visa process works but the customs employees have the day off. I didn't know this and I convinced the Iranian side to have someone do my paperwork, but Iraqui side was a clear NO, so I ended up sleeping in no-man's-land.
3. No need for hotel reservation in Iraq nor Iraqui contact anymore.

Steps:
Iranian side, cross the first security gate and drive all the way until the big building (30,5047845, 48,0287367).On foot get your stamp out on your Iranian Visa or passport (if you don't mind) and return to your car. Then drive to the customs police station and do all the paperwork to exit your car(including the stamp out of the carnet). They will take care there of doing photocopies, etc. They will create a two page copies of the papers of the car, the carnet and your passport/visa. Show this at the next police gate. Drive through the big parking (several soldiers checking)and park the car in front of the fence to Iraq (30,5056202, 48,0242591)

You will have to then enter Iraq on foot and do all the paper work before Iran opens the gate for your car.
I would recommend doing the Visa on Arrival first. On the left side of the walking path there is a small office building (30,5050428, 48,0231382). Inside an employee will prepare your visa (additional sticker in your passport) and you will pay the fees (75$ visa+2$service fee). They will give you two blue receipts.

Once you have this, you can go to customs to do your vehicle paperwork (30,5054573, 48,0215420). The employees are scattered in these cubicles, and normally don't work before 9-9:30 am. First do the carnet paperwork. It takes times as they need to translate your information into Arabic and make copies of car papers and passport and carnet. (Google translate recommended). Don't worry about where they stamp the carnet, they do it different and makes sense in the end when leaving Iraq.

Once done take these papers to the office south east side(30,5059305, 48,0230725) they will take pictures of you and register information of the vehicle. Go back to the cubicles where you did the carnet and ask for where to pay the temporary import(100$ cash), sometimes they as for 25$ additional fee (I didn't pay it in the end).

You now can take all your papers and get back to Iran and drive the car out. Iran will ask a couple of details(when did you enter, car model and so).
Park the car at the other side of the fence. Now they will check your car inside, opening compartments, asking few questions, no big deal. They will as well do a double check of the number plate and chassis number to be sure it matches the customs papers etc.
Once done you need to go back to the cubicles again, get an small grey paper and do 4 copies of all the papers. you will get back and give a copy to the guys that checked your car. You will drive to the next point(30,5057794, 48,0222883) where they check you have this small paper. Drive to next gate(30,5052476, 48,0195954), he will double check you have everything as well , careful with this guy, he tried to get money by saying that the information is incorrect. Continue to last gate (30,5047955, 48,0164649) wait for officer, and at this point you will not have papers anymore. You are in Iraq now .

Additional note: I crossed the border with a car I don't own. I had a paper stating I am allowed to drive and cross border, but I didn't need to show it. They don't care at all that all papers are not in my name.
Even if the border crossing is tough( long and hot) the people are very friendly and it is safe , I got invited for tea and food. 😄

Any question, I am happy to help. Or stay in contact through Instagram @thebluelandy.

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Iran to Iraq by car
Crossing this border can be a nightmare.
Iran side 20 minute. The costumes is open from 9 o clock.
The Iraq side took 6h in all. Visa on arrival 75$ p.p. , Car 100$. No other fee.
After then 1,5h to the next border Iraq/ Kuwait.
Some police control on the road.

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Bordercrossing Iran to Iraq.
You need a visa for Iraq. I got it at the border. It cost me 75.- USD. But I sugesst to get the visa in advance, because it was not sure for about two hours if I get a visa from the Iraqy side. Then I had to get a insurance paper, even for going Transit for 100.- USD. Go to custom, stamp out, stamp in, carnet de Passage also everything takes time. I needed 9 hours to cross.
But everyone hat been friendly and tryed to help.

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From Iraq to Iran, by foot:

Very easy crossing.

Iraqside: Phonecall was made, I was stamped out. Done.

Iranside: I waited 15 min until the guard let me enter into the immigrationhall. Vaccinations were quickly checked, the immigrationofficers were very friendly and as well stamped me in quickly, just had to show my e-visaprintout

BE CAREFUL: After the bordercontrolls I got harrassed by hundreds of taxidrivers. I changed my money on the spot, and lost count of the confusing iranian currency. All those guys saw, that I got heavily scammed and nobody cared. (I got 10$ equivalent instead of 100$) I noticed it afterwards and went back. The police was really helpfull and reorganized the missing money in "their way"

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