Operating in Iraq? Speak with a security consultant.
Ask a security planner what makes Iraq different from most of this network’s coverage, and the answer is not the threat level alone. It is that armed close protection here is the default configuration, not a specialist add-on, and that the country runs two separate, non-transferable licensing systems rather than one.
Two licensing systems under one flag
Baghdad and Basra sit under the federal Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017, and companies are licensed by the Directorate of Private Security Companies Affairs at the Ministry of Interior. The Kurdistan Region, home to Erbil, has its own statute, Law No. 18 of 2021, passed by the Kurdistan Parliament, and companies there are regulated by the KRG’s Ministry of Interior. Confirm which licence a provider holds before it works in each city.
Armed protection as the baseline, not the exception
On most of this network’s coverage, armed close protection is reserved for a minority of higher-risk assignments. Iraq inverts that. Firearms licences are a routine part of an operator’s credential set, and unarmed protection is closer to the exception in Baghdad and Basra than the rule. Erbil is somewhat calmer day to day, but even there, an armed team with an armoured vehicle is standard once travel moves past the city centre.
Basra’s client base is different from Baghdad’s
Basra’s security demand is shaped almost entirely by one industry: oil and gas. Energy executives and technical personnel moving between facilities, ports and hotels form most of the client base, and the federal licensing rules are a genuine scheduling factor for foreign firms mobilising a team on short notice. Baghdad’s client base is broader, spanning government-facing, diplomatic and general commercial visits, which shapes a different day-to-day risk picture even though both cities carry the same headline rating.
Source: FCDO Iraq travel advice (2026). US State Department Iraq advisory (2026). Iraq Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017 and Weapons Law No. 51 of 2017 (Iraq Ministry of Justice texts). Kurdistan Region Law No. 18 of 2021 (Kurdistan Parliament). Checked 6 October 2026. OSAC Iraq Country Security Report 2025.
Vetted operators across Iraq deliver bodyguard hire and security drivers, each held to the correct licensing authority for the city in question. For a city-level threat and regulatory briefing, see our Baghdad close protection guide or the Erbil security briefing.
Cities We Cover
Baghdad
High riskIraq's capital, where militia activity, kidnapping risk and occasional improvised explosive device incidents keep close protection operationally standard rather than optional. Companies licensed by the Ministry of Interior, with firearms licences for armed staff, are the baseline for any serious assignment.
View city guide →Basra
High riskThe centre of Iraq's oil and gas industry in the south. Energy-sector executives make up most of the client base, and the licensing rules of the Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017 are a genuine planning factor for any foreign operator bringing a team into the region.
View city guide →Erbil
High riskThe Kurdistan Region's capital, licensed separately from Baghdad under the KRG Ministry of Interior. Armed close protection with an armoured vehicle is the norm for higher-risk principals, particularly once movement extends beyond the city centre into the wider KRI.
View city guide →Security Regulations
Firearms
Iraq's Weapons Law No. 51 of 2017 bans possessing or carrying firearms without a licence issued by the Minister of Interior or his designee (Article 4). The Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017 lets a licensed company obtain licences to hold and carry firearms in line with its operating licence, and caps calibre at 7.62 mm, with pistols at 9 mm. A foreign visitor must hand in any firearm at the border post and may apply for a licence on a reciprocal basis (Weapons Law, Article 20).
Licensing
Private security companies in federal Iraq are licensed by the Directorate of Private Security Companies Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, under the Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017 (amended in 2023). No company may operate without that licence. The Kurdistan Region has its own statute, Law No. 18 of 2021 on Private Security Companies in the Kurdistan Region, passed by the Kurdistan Parliament, and companies there are regulated by the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Interior. Check which licence covers each city on the itinerary.
Foreign Operators
The 2017 law licenses Iraqi companies and allows branches of foreign security companies only under conditions it sets, including Council of Ministers approval and a minimum share of Iraqi staff. Foreign employees need security approvals before appointment. The law was amended in 2023, so confirm the current terms with local counsel before a foreign team deploys.
Sources, checked : Iraq Ministry of Justice, Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017, as amended (Arabic text); Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017, English text (Proelium Law); Iraq Ministry of Justice, Weapons Law No. 51 of 2017 (text); Kurdistan Parliament, laws passed in 2021 (Law No. 18 of 2021, Private Security Companies in the Kurdistan Region); Journal of Legal and Political Studies (University of Sulaimani), notes on Kurdistan Region Law No. 18 of 2021 (December 2022).