As Iraq looks to increase economic growth and development, the need to attract local and foreign investment is ever more clear and present. From investing in infrastructure to the housing sector, energy to public services, one thing is clear: the opportunities in Iraq are abundant and the country is ready to welcome and engage investors from all over the world.

To this end, Legal Guide to Investment in Iraq, a bilingual Arabic-English publication, aims to increase investment in Iraq by providing a common-reference tool for use by public- and private-sector parties. Ultimately, the objective is to provide legal certainty to these parties by outlining relevant Iraqi legislation, underscored by the recently enacted Second Amended National Investment Law No. 13 of 2006, delineating critical investment procedures for key economic growth sectors, and providing a model investment contract to ensure equitable investment agreements and robust negotiation processes.

The Legal Guide is a collaboration between the U.S. Government, led by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), and the Government of Iraq, led by the National Investment Commission (NIC). It was conceived as a means of memorializing a multiphase, capacity-building program, led by CLDP in 2013-2014 to train lawyers within the NIC and the Provincial Investment Commissions of Iraq in contract drafting and negotiations. The Legal Guide was officially launched in November 2015 by the Chairman of the NIC, Dr. Sami Al-Araji, and was immediately recognized for the important role it will play in helping mitigate risk, facilitate foreign investment, and support private sector growth in Iraq.

SECTION I. INVESTING IN IRAQ

SECTION II.  INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT CONTRACTS

SECTION III. INVESTING, LICENSING AND THE KEY LAWS IN IRAQ

SECTION IV. MODEL INVESTMENT CONTRACT

SECTION V.  MODEL INVESTMENT CONTRACT COMMENTARY

SECTION VI.  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

DOWNLOAD the Arabic-English Legal Guide here in PDF format