If you are looking for a shipping company from UAE to Iraq, the usual route for furniture, cars and commercial goods is by sea: your shipment is loaded into a container at Jebel Ali or Khalifa Port, sails for a few days to Umm Qasr port near Basra, is cleared there and then trucked to Baghdad or any other governorate. Door to door this takes roughly two to three weeks. There is also a road option by closed truck through Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, at around 7–12 days, and air freight for urgent parcels, usually 2–4 days. At Al Basmah International Shipping we collect from every emirate, pack, prepare the paperwork and send you a WhatsApp update at every stage until delivery.
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This guide answers the questions people actually ask before shipping to Iraq: which route suits your shipment, how long each governorate takes, which documents are needed for household goods, commercial cargo and cars, what the Certificate of Conformity is and when you need one, how the Kurdistan Region differs, and how to pack so your things survive the summer heat and dust. Booking steps and straight answers to common questions are at the end.
Before shipping to Iraq
- Sea is the main route for furniture, cars and containers: Jebel Ali or Khalifa Port to Umm Qasr, roughly 2–3 weeks door to door.
- Road by closed transit truck through Saudi Arabia (Arar crossing) or Kuwait (Safwan crossing) takes roughly 7–12 days and needs complete papers for every border.
- Air to Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf or Sulaymaniyah airports is for urgent, light items, usually 2–4 days.
- Many commercial products need a Certificate of Conformity (COC) before loading, and the Kurdistan Region has its own procedures.
- Cars are checked against Iraq’s current import conditions before booking, not after arrival.
- Price depends on route, volume, governorate, packing and paperwork: send the details on WhatsApp and you will receive the price.
What we ship from the UAE to Iraq
We ship full or partial home furniture, personal effects in cartons, cars, wholesale commercial goods, appliances and electronics, equipment and spare parts from the UAE to Iraq. What changes from one type to another is the loading method and the paperwork, so every booking starts with three simple questions: what are you shipping, who is it for, and which governorate is it going to?
Home and villa furniture
Bedrooms, kitchens and majlis sets dismantled and wrapped piece by piece, loaded into a dedicated or shared container, and reassembled at the new home on request.
Personal effects and cartons
Clothes, books, kitchenware and family gifts. Cartons are numbered and listed in a detailed contents list used for Iraqi customs.
Cars
Saloons and SUVs, by RoRo (driven aboard the ship) or inside a container, once we confirm the car meets the current import conditions.
Commercial goods
Appliances, electronics, clothing, building materials, spare parts and mixed goods, as a full or shared container, with a COC where required.
Equipment and machinery
Generators, workshop equipment and small to mid-size machines, fixed to pallets and lashed inside the container so nothing shifts at sea.
Urgent parcels
Documents, samples and small parts that must arrive within days go by air to the nearest Iraqi airport.
Where we collect in the UAE
We collect from any emirate, from your home, warehouse or shop. Our branches are in Dubai (Deira, Port Saeed Street) and Sharjah (Industrial Area 18), and the collection team moves from there to the other emirates on the agreed date. These are the areas we collect Iraq shipments from most often:
- Dubai: Deira, Port Saeed, Al Muraqqabat, Al Qusais, Al Nahda, Al Barsha, Al Quoz, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai Investment Park. Wholesale traders in Dubai will find more detail in our guide for a shipping company from Dubai to Iraq.
- Sharjah: Al Nahda, Al Taawun, Al Majaz, Al Khan, the industrial areas, Sharjah Airport Free Zone, Hamriyah.
- Abu Dhabi and Al Ain: Mussafah, Khalifa City, Al Shamkha, the industrial city, KIZAD, and all Al Ain districts.
- Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah: collection from home or warehouse by appointment, sometimes consolidated with other Iraq-bound shipments to share container costs.
Ways to ship from the UAE to Iraq
There are three ways to ship from the UAE to Iraq: by sea through Umm Qasr, by closed truck through Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, and by air for urgent parcels. None of them is always best. A full container of furniture usually goes by sea, a medium load that is needed sooner may suit a truck, and documents fly. When you book, we recommend the right option once we know the volume, the governorate and when you need it to arrive.
Sea freight from Jebel Ali or Khalifa Port to Umm Qasr
Sea freight is the usual choice for household furniture, cars and commercial goods because it carries large volumes at a lower cost per cubic metre. The container is loaded and sealed in the UAE, then sails from Jebel Ali in Dubai or Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi to Umm Qasr in Basra governorate. The sailing itself is short, only a few days, but the total time also includes waiting for the vessel, unloading and port handling, customs clearance and trucking to the governorate. That is why door to door is roughly two to three weeks.
- 20 ft container: usually enough for a two- or three-bedroom flat, or a medium commercial load.
- 40 ft container: for a villa or large house, or a trader shipping a full load.
- Shared container (LCL): for a few cubic metres only; you pay for your volume and share the box with other shipments.
Road freight through Saudi Arabia or Kuwait
By road, your goods are loaded into a closed truck that leaves the UAE and crosses Saudi Arabia in transit. From there it either enters Iraq at the Arar crossing on the Saudi–Iraqi border, or passes through Kuwait and enters at Safwan near Basra. Door to door takes roughly 7–12 days, depending on how busy the crossings are and how quickly papers are processed at each border. This route suits goods that need to arrive faster than by sea but do not fill a container. It does require papers that are complete and consistent for every country on the way, because a single missing document stops the truck at the border. For transit details see our guides on shipping from the UAE to Saudi Arabia and shipping from the UAE to Kuwait.
Sea vs road vs air to Iraq
Air is fastest, sea is the most economical for large volumes, and road sits in between on both speed and cost. This table sums up the difference approximately:
| Mode | Approx. door to door | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea: Jebel Ali or Khalifa → Umm Qasr | 2–3 weeks | Household furniture, cars, commercial containers | Lowest cost per cubic metre; clearance and inland trucking in Iraq are added |
| Road: transit via Saudi Arabia to Arar, or via Kuwait to Safwan | 7–12 days | Medium loads that need to arrive sooner | Complete papers needed for every border; timing depends on crossing traffic |
| Air: Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah → Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf, Sulaymaniyah | 2–4 days | Documents, samples, small urgent parcels | Not for furniture; charged on actual or volumetric weight, whichever is higher |
Air freight from the UAE to Iraq
Air freight from the UAE to Iraq usually arrives within two to four days door to door, and it is meant for urgent, light items: official papers, trade samples, a spare part a business is waiting on, small gifts. Shipments leave from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah airport for one of Iraq’s main airports, Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf or Sulaymaniyah, and are then delivered to the address.
Air freight is charged on actual weight or volumetric weight, whichever is higher. Volumetric weight = length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000. For example, a 60 × 50 × 40 cm carton has a volumetric weight of 20 kg, so if it actually weighs 8 kg you are charged for 20. That is why we suggest using a box that fits the contents before you send anything by air.
- Air does not suit furniture or bulky items; the cost by volume becomes very high.
- Loose lithium batteries, liquids and perfumes are restricted by air, so ask the team before packing them.
- Devices with built-in batteries are accepted under conditions that the team confirms based on the device type and quantity.
Transit times to Baghdad, Basra, Erbil and the other governorates
Basra is the closest because containers arrive at Umm Qasr inside the governorate. Baghdad and the central governorates come next, while the Kurdistan Region, Mosul and Kirkuk need extra days for inland transport and procedures. This table shows the usual route for each area:
| Area | Cities | Usual route | Approx. door to door by sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baghdad | Karrada, Mansour, Jadriya, Zayouna, Al Yarmouk, Adhamiya, Al Saydiya, Al Ghazaliya | Sea to Umm Qasr then truck to Baghdad, or road via Arar | 2.5–3 weeks |
| Basra | Basra, Umm Qasr and surroundings | Sea direct to Umm Qasr, or road via Kuwait and Safwan | 2–2.5 weeks |
| Kurdistan Region | Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok | Sea to Umm Qasr then truck north with the Region’s procedures; air to Erbil or Sulaymaniyah for urgent items | About 3 weeks, sometimes more |
| Najaf and Karbala | Najaf, Karbala, Hillah | Sea to Umm Qasr then truck, or road via Arar | 2.5–3 weeks |
| Mosul and Kirkuk | Mosul, Kirkuk | Sea to Umm Qasr then a longer inland haul | About 3 weeks, sometimes more |
| South and centre | Nasiriyah, Kut, Ramadi | Sea to Umm Qasr then truck to the governorate | 2.5–3 weeks |
These times are approximate and include sailing, clearance and inland transport. What usually stretches them is one of three things: a missing paper in the file, waiting for a vessel in busy seasons, or an extra customs inspection.
Moving furniture from the UAE to Iraq
A home move from the UAE to Iraq starts with a visit or video call to estimate the volume. On the agreed day the packing team dismantles beds, wardrobes and kitchens, wraps each piece the way it needs, numbers the cartons and marks the room on each one. A detailed contents list is prepared, and it is the same list presented to Iraqi customs, so we ask that it be accurate and that appliances be listed by type.
Iraq runs on 220–230 V at 50 Hz, the same as the UAE, so fridges, washing machines and air conditioners work there without converters. What needs care is the packing: the fridge is emptied and dried two days ahead, the washing machine drum is locked with its transit bolts if you still have them, and screens are framed with heavy cardboard.
Packing that survives Iraqi heat and dust
Iraqi summers are extremely hot, dust is around for much of the year, and a closed container in the sun turns into an oven. So we pack with both heat and dust in mind:
- Double-wall cartons for heavy items and kitchenware, with every seam closed with wide tape so dust cannot get in.
- Sofas and mattresses tightly stretch-wrapped, then covered with fabric or cardboard so the film does not stick to the upholstery in the heat.
- Polished wood and glass protected with corner guards and cardboard sheets, since heat makes surfaces more prone to scratching and cracking.
- Electronics sealed in bags with silica gel packs, then in their original box if you still have it.
- No candles, wax items or pressurised aerosols in the cartons; heat melts the first and makes the second a hazard.
- In the summer months we try to schedule delivery early in the morning so your things are not left in the sun during unloading.
Car shipping from the UAE to Iraq
Cars are shipped from the UAE to Iraq by sea to Umm Qasr, either on a RoRo vessel, where the car is driven aboard, or inside a closed container where it is strapped down. RoRo is simpler and usually cheaper; a container suits owners who want to send belongings with the car or prefer it sealed the whole way.
Before any booking we check that the car is eligible for import. Iraq sets conditions on imported used cars, including model-year limits and technical specifications, and these conditions change from time to time. So we ask for the registration card, chassis number and model year and check them against the rules in force at the time of shipping, before you pay anything. This step saves you from a car that reaches the port and cannot be cleared.
- Hand the car over clean inside, with only a little fuel in the tank.
- For RoRo, leave no personal items inside the car.
- The car is photographed from every side at collection, and the photos are sent to you on WhatsApp.
- On the UAE side the car needs export formalities with the emirate’s traffic authority, and we walk you through what is required.
Commercial cargo and the Certificate of Conformity (COC)
If you are a trader shipping goods from the UAE to Iraq, the first question is not the price but this: do your goods need a Certificate of Conformity before loading? Iraq runs a pre-shipment inspection and conformity programme for a list of regulated products. Under it, a Certificate of Conformity is issued by approved inspection bodies and requested at clearance at the port or border. The list is broad and includes, for example, electrical appliances, toys, vehicle parts and tyres, cosmetics, building materials, kitchenware, textiles and food products.
Timing is what matters: the certificate is obtained before shipping, because the inspection happens on the goods in the exporting country, and the details on the certificate must match the invoice and packing list. Goods that need a certificate and arrive without one can be held at the port or face extra procedures. Our team reviews your goods, tells you whether they need the certificate and what is required to issue it, before the container is booked.
A tip from the field: describe every line on the commercial invoice clearly with quantity and value, not a vague phrase like “mixed goods”. Vague descriptions are one of the most common reasons clearance in Iraq is delayed.
Documents needed to ship to Iraq
The documents depend on the type of shipment. These are the basic lists, and the team reviews your file and asks for whatever your case specifically needs:
Personal effects and household furniture
- Passport copy.
- Iraqi national ID copy if the owner is an Iraqi citizen.
- A detailed contents list with carton numbers and what is in each.
- Delivery address and an Iraqi phone number for the receiver.
- An authorisation from the owner if someone else will receive on their behalf; this may be requested in Erbil in particular.
Customs treatment of personal effects varies with the owner, the type of items and the quantity, and we do not promise an exemption before the team has reviewed your case.
Commercial goods
- Detailed commercial invoice.
- Packing list with weights and volumes.
- Certificate of origin.
- COC for products on the regulated list.
- The Iraqi importer’s details.
Cars
- Registration in the shipper’s name, or an authorisation from the owner.
- UAE export certificate for the car.
- Passport copy, plus the owner’s Iraqi national ID if available.
- Purchase invoice if the car was bought recently.
Delivery in Iraq: from Umm Qasr to your door
When the container arrives at Umm Qasr it is unloaded and goes into clearance: documents are submitted, the goods are inspected if required, and any charges due are paid. Once released, the shipment is loaded on a truck to the governorate, and the team calls you to fix a delivery time and check that the street can take a truck. In some older Baghdad neighbourhoods and narrow lanes we transfer the goods to a smaller vehicle for the last stretch. You get a WhatsApp message at each of these stages.
The Kurdistan Region: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok
The Kurdistan Region has its own customs procedures, and some regulated goods fall under a conformity programme specific to the Region. So if your shipment is going to Erbil, Sulaymaniyah or Duhok, tell us from the start, because the paperwork and the truck route are arranged on that basis. Personal effects going to Erbil may need the owner’s authorisation for whoever receives them, and commercial goods need the Region’s requirements checked before loading.
Prohibited and restricted items for Iraq
Some things cannot be shipped to Iraq at all, and some need a permit in advance. Prohibited: narcotics, weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods and gambling equipment. Restricted and needing a permit: drones, satellite and wireless communication devices, and some medicines.
Warning: Do not put any restricted item in your furniture cartons without telling the team. If an undeclared item is found during inspection, it can hold up the whole container, not just that carton.
Shipping prices from the UAE to Iraq
There is no single price for shipping from the UAE to Iraq, because a few cartons to Basra are a completely different job from a container of furniture to Erbil. Send the details on WhatsApp and you will receive the price: what you are shipping, the volume or number of rooms, the emirate we collect from, the Iraqi governorate, and whether you need packing and reassembly. The same applies to every service, furniture moving, car shipping, commercial cargo and air parcels: send the details on WhatsApp and you will receive the price. You can also use our quote request page.
What decides the price
| Factor | How it affects the price |
|---|---|
| Shipping mode | Sea is cheapest for large volumes, road costs more, air is highest and is charged on actual or volumetric weight |
| Container size or cubic metres | 20 ft or 40 ft containers at a near-fixed rate; shared space by cubic metre |
| Iraqi governorate | Basra is closest to the port, Baghdad and the centre further, Kurdistan, Mosul and Kirkuk furthest |
| Packing, dismantling and reassembly | Full packing and wooden crates for valuable pieces add cost but protect your furniture |
| COC and documents | Goods needing a COC carry the inspection and issuing cost |
| Car | RoRo is usually cheaper than a container, and the price varies with car size |
| Insurance | Optional; ask the team about it if you want it |
How to ship from the UAE to Iraq, step by step
- Send us on WhatsApp the type of shipment, its volume or photos, the emirate and the Iraqi governorate.
- We recommend the right mode (sea, road or air) and send you the price and approximate timing.
- We review the papers: contents list for personal effects, invoice and COC for goods, eligibility for a car.
- The packing team arrives on time, dismantles, wraps and numbers cartons, and loads the container or truck.
- The shipment moves, and you get a WhatsApp message at departure and on arrival at the port or crossing.
- Clearance is completed in Iraq, then we agree a delivery time with you.
- The shipment is delivered to your door and furniture is reassembled if that is part of the agreement.
Tips before shipping to Iraq
- Start arranging at least two weeks before you travel, especially if a car or COC-regulated goods are involved.
- Keep the invoices for new appliances; customs may ask for them.
- Carry gold, important documents and personal medicines in your hand luggage, not in the container.
- Give a working Iraqi number for the receiver, because the driver calls before arriving.
- If the shipment is for Kurdistan, say so in your first message.
- Photograph valuable furniture before packing; it makes any later check easier.
What delays Iraq shipments most is not the road but the paperwork: an incomplete contents list, an invoice with vague descriptions, or goods that needed a COC that was never issued. Get these ready early and you save days.
Frequently asked questions about shipping from the UAE to Iraq
How long does shipping from the UAE to Iraq take?
By sea to Umm Qasr and on to the governorate, roughly 2–3 weeks door to door; by road through Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, roughly 7–12 days; by air, about 2–4 days. Actual timing depends on the governorate and on complete paperwork.
What is the best way to ship household furniture to Iraq?
Sea freight in a container to Umm Qasr suits furniture in most cases, because it carries a large volume at a lower cost and the container stays sealed from loading to the port.
Do you ship to Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok?
Yes. We ship to every governorate in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region. The Region has its own customs procedures, so we arrange the papers accordingly from the start.
Do my commercial goods need a COC?
Many products do, such as electrical appliances, toys, vehicle parts, cosmetics and building materials. The certificate is obtained before loading, and the team checks whether your goods are on the list.
Can I ship my used car to Iraq?
Yes, if it meets Iraq’s current import conditions, which include model-year limits and technical specifications that change from time to time. We check your car’s details against them before booking.
Will UAE appliances work in Iraq?
Yes. Iraq uses 220–230 V at 50 Hz like the UAE, so appliances do not need converters.
How will I know where my shipment is?
The team sends you a WhatsApp update at every stage: collection, loading, departure, arrival at the port or crossing, clearance and the delivery appointment.
What can’t be shipped to Iraq?
Narcotics, weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods and gambling equipment are prohibited; drones, satellite and wireless devices and some medicines need a permit in advance.
Ready to ship from the UAE to Iraq?
Send us the shipment type and the governorate on WhatsApp and we will reply with the right mode, the price and the approximate timing.
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