Iraq Travel Warning
Issued by US Department of State
Apr 28, 2003
This Travel Warning is being issued to remind American citizens that Iraq remains dangerous and the security conditions remain unstable, and that there is a new category of exemptions to restrictions on use of U.S. passports for travel to Iraq. The U.S. Government continues to urge all U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Iraq. This replaces the Travel Warning of February 19, 2003.
At present, Coalition Forces are working with the Iraqi people to provide security and restore basic services in Iraq. While conditions throughout Iraq are stabilizing, some areas remain unsettled.
The U.S. Interests Section at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Baghdad remains closed. No consular services are available for U.S. citizens in Iraq at this time. Because police and civil structures are in the process of being rebuilt, U.S. citizens may have little recourse to these entities in emergency situations.
U.S. passports are not valid for travel to, in or through Iraq, unless they are validated by the Department of State, with the limited exceptions for 1) American professional reporters and journalists on assignment in Iraq, 2) certain persons providing humanitarian services in support of the Iraqi people, or U.S. Government personnel and contractors on official assignment in Iraq, and 3) U.S. citizens residing in Iraq since February 1, 1991. For further information, please contact the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services, U.S. Department of State, 2401 E St., NW, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20522-0907, Attn: Office of Passport Policy and Advisory Services, telephone 202-663-2662, fax 202-663-2654.
Updated information on travel and security in Iraq may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, and, from overseas, 1-317-472-2328. U.S. citizens who plan to travel to or remain in Iraq despite this Travel Warning should consult the Department of State's latest consular information sheet for Iraq and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, which are available on the Department's Internet site at http://travel.state.gov.
