Frequently asked questions

Investment Law No. 13 of 2006 and its amendments gives Iraqi, Arab, and foreign investors equal treatment. The National Investment Commission oversees it federally, while provincial commissions, including Karbala’s, manage projects inside their governorate.

Licensed projects are exempt from taxes and fees for ten years from actual operation. The National Investment Commission may extend that to fifteen years if the Iraqi investor’s share exceeds 50%. Imported assets needed to establish the project are exempt from customs duty if imported before operation, as are expansion assets that raise capacity by 15% within three years.

Foreigners may buy private housing land without restriction. Units in housing projects on state land are transferred for a nominal 2% fee inside the approved master plan. State land for investment and industrial projects is usually leased for up to fifty years, renewable.

Yes. The law allows a foreign investor to transfer invested capital, returns, and profits abroad in a convertible currency, under Central Bank of Iraq instructions, after meeting obligations inside Iraq.

A licensed project may not be nationalized or confiscated except by a judicial decision or judgment.

The investor files an application with a feasibility study and the project details: location, capital, and sector. Technical and legal departments review it under the one-window principle before the license is granted and delivery is followed up.

Yes, when the needed skills are not available locally, with residence and visa facilities. Priority still goes to Iraqi workers, as in most projects delivered in Karbala.

Holy Karbala combines a religious and tourism standing that draws millions of visitors a year with a central location, growing infrastructure, and rising demand for housing, trade, hotels, and services.