Sulaymaniyah MP Says Central Bank Approved Dollar Sales at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah Airports

Ribwar Karim, a member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives for Sulaymaniyah governorate, announced on Tuesday that he had obtained the Iraqi Central Bank's approval to begin selling dollars to travelers at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports at the official exchange rate in the coming days.

Karim said he submitted an official letter to the Central Bank requesting that branches be opened at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah international airports to sell dollars to passengers departing the country at the official rate.

He said that procedures to sell dollars at the official rate will begin in the coming days at both airports, noting that the official rate is 100 dollars for 132,000 Iraqi dinars.

He added that each traveler can obtain up to $2,000 — equivalent to 20 banknotes of $100 — at the official rate.

Karim pointed out that on 11 August 2026 he sent an official letter to the Central Bank requesting the sale of dollars to travelers at the official rate through the bank's branches at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah international airports.

He said the aim of the move is to enable travelers using the Kurdistan Region's airports to obtain dollars at the official rate before leaving the country.

It is worth noting that the Iraqi Central Bank imposes strict controls on the sale of foreign currency to travelers at the official rate of 1,320 dinars per dollar, having reduced the allowance available to a traveler to a maximum of $2,000 only twice a year.

The bank also required a mechanism of prior deposit in dinars at branches of accredited banks inside cities, with the cash allowance to be received exclusively inside all of the country's international airports — except for the Kurdistan Region airports — after departure procedures are completed and passports are stamped.