NGO Registration

The KRG provides a stable and favorable environment for non-governmental organization (NGO) and international NGOs (INGO) to perform a variety of tasks to safeguard humanity from adversity, either caused by natural disaster or economic catastrophe and by empowering the underprivileged section of the society to overcome the challenges.

As a result of exceptional safe, secure, and stable situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the number of local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that operate in the area continues to increase to cover the needs of hundreds of thousands of refugees coming from all parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria. 

The KRG Representation in the US provides authentication and registration services for NGOs wishing to operate in the Kurdistan Region. 

Include the following in your application package:

• An authorization letter on company letterhead to allow another person to act on the NGO's behalf in the Kurdistan Region. The authorized person can be an American who travels to the Kurdistan Region or it can be an American/Canadian or Kurdistani local already based there. The letter must be notarized before receiving the KRG-US office’s approval.
• Last year’s financial declaration of the NGO, notarized
• Articles of Incorporation, authenticated by the Secretary of State in the state the company is registered in
• Business/NGO registration documents issued by the state, authenticated by the Secretary of State in the state the company is registered in
• Leasing papers for the office based in the Kurdistan Region (if applicable)
• Please include one extra copy of each of the above finished documents to be filed (kept) at the KRG Representation in Washington.
• This service is free of charge.

Mail the hard copies of the documents to:

Kurdistan Regional Government
Directorate of Consular Services
1532 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036 USA

Once approved by the KRG-US office, the authorized person acting on behalf of the NGO in the Kurdistan Region must submit the above paperwork to the KRG Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) for authentication and then taken to the Department of Non-Governmental Organization in Erbil. The contact info for the Department of NGOs in Erbil are as follows:

Phone numbers: +964 (0) 750 811 0808
Email: info@dngo.gov.krd
Office hours: Sunday to Wednesday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Thursday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Address: Erbil-Kirkuk road- opposite to Ministry of Higher Education, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Please allow 15 business days (3 weeks) to process the paperwork.

If mailed to the KRG-US office, the documents will be mailed back via regular mail.

If an expedited return of the documents is needed, please include a pre-paid, self-addressed FedEx or USPS envelope.