Overland from Kuwait to Iraq: guide and honest experience

Crossing from Kuwait into Iraq is not the most straightforward border crossing and definitely not one you just “figure out on the spot”. We actually tried.

At the very beginning of our world trip, slightly overwhelmed and with very little preparation, we landed in Kuwait and decided to continue overland into Iraq. What followed was a few hours of confusion, asking around, and slowly understanding how things work.

Exit permit in Kuwait (not required as of 2025)

Procedures in this region can change quickly. What I describe here is based on our experience in 2024 and should be double-checked before travelling. Other travellers reported that no exit permit was reqired anymore at the end of 2025.

In 2024, to leave Kuwait for Iraq via land, we needed an exit permit. That’s where we got it:

• Ministry of Interior (near Kuwait Airport)
• Coordinates: 29°14’37.5″N 47°58’26.1″E
• Around 10 minutes walking from arrivals

Cost: free

We arrived without having a clear plan. With only bits of information from blogs, we asked around at the airport, spoke to different people, and slowly pieced things together. What sounded simple at first turned into four hours of walking, waiting, and figuring things out.

Eventually, we found the Ministry of Interior. It’s close to the airport, but not somewhere you would automatically think of going. Looking back, the process itself wasn’t complicated. It was just very unclear if you don’t know where to go.

It’s very good news that apparently this piece of paper is not required anymore.

Getting to the Kuwait-Iraq border

There are two main options to reach the border that brings you from Abdali, Kuwait to Safwan, Iraq: shared taxis and private drivers. We chose the easiest option and asked our hotel to organise a taxi. It takes a little more than one hour from Kuwait City to reach the border.

Taxi cost: 20 KWD (private taxi)

At the border parking area, you need to switch to a shuttle bus that brings you to the actual border crossing.

Shuttle cost: 1 KWD

All in all, it took us nearly three hours from leaving the hotel to receiving the final exit approval. As part of the process, Kuwait also registered fingerprints and iris scans. It felt surprisingly extensive. I’m not even sure my home country has that level of biometric data on me, but now it’s probably stored in a Middle Eastern databank – things you don’t think about before starting a trip like this.

Entering Iraq: power cuts and unexpected solutions

If you think the Kuwaiti side is the complicated part — it’s not. At the Iraqi border, things became even more unpredictable.

To pay for the visa on arrival, you’re required to use a credit card. Cash is not accepted, officially as an anti-corruption measure. However, due to frequent power cuts and unstable internet connection, payments at the counter didn’t work. The solution offered by the officers was unexpected: Hand over your credit card and PIN, so they can process the payment somewhere with better connection.

My recommendations for crossing the border from Kuwait to Iraq

• Bring at least two creditcards.
• Carry USD in cash as a backup.
• Plan at least half a day for the crossing.
• Don’t expect clear instructions. Be ready to ask around.

This border crossing wasn’t smooth, efficient, or particularly transparent. But in a way, it was a very honest start to the trip. It reminded us that not everything can be planned, and that sometimes, uncertainty is part of the experience. Luckily, our driver and guide Ali from the Iraqi Travellers Cafe waited for us on the other side in Iraq…

Posted By: Isi · In: Iraq, Kuwait, Middle East