Legal services for clients in Sulaymaniyah

• The Kurdistan Region has its own Labour Law No. 71 of 1987, published on the KRG services portal.
• Sulaymaniyah has a Labour Directorate of the KRG Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Mawlawi Street, Social Security Directorate building).
• Companies and foreign branches register with the General Directorate of Companies Registration at the KRG Ministry of Trade and Industry, which has a Companies Directorate in Sulaymaniyah (Hama Jaza Street).

The points below are procedures and documents as the KRG publishes them on its official portal.

1) Labour law and foreign work permits in Sulaymaniyah

• Applicable law: Labour Law No. 71 of 1987, published on the KRG services portal. We do not summarise its substantive rules here; we check each file against the text in force when we work on it.
• Foreign worker permit: filed with the governorate Labour Directorate. The Sulaymaniyah directorate is on Mawlawi Street (Social Security Directorate building); hours 8:00 AM–2:30 PM. Per the official service page:
  • Recruitment goes through a recruitment company licensed by the Ministries of Labour and Interior.
  • Documents include the work contract, a social-security clearance, the company's foreign-recruitment licence and the job advertisement.
  • Time: 10 days. Fees: free, per the service page.
  • The full list of conditions, documents and steps is on our Erbil page, per the same service page.
• For work permits in federal Iraq (Baghdad, Basra and the other governorates) see Work permits; for federal labour law see Labour law.

2) Company and foreign-branch registration in Sulaymaniyah

Authority: General Directorate of Companies Registration, KRG Ministry of Trade and Industry. Sulaymaniyah Companies Directorate: Hama Jaza Street. Hours 08:00–15:00.

Foreign company branch (official service page):

• The company must have been registered in its home country for over a year and be in good financial standing.
• The branch manager must reside in the Region, and the branch needs an official mailing address in the Region.
• Foreign documents are translated into Arabic or Kurdish, certified by the Iraqi Embassy or KRG representation, then by the KRG Department of Foreign Relations and Ministry of Justice.
• The service may be done through a legal representative under a power of attorney.
• Time: 3–6 days, per the service page.

National company (official service page):

• Online registration through the business-entity portal, then the authorised bank, then checking of original documents at the directorate.
• A lawyer holding a power of attorney may handle it.
• Time: 3–10 days.
• Fixed government fees under KRG Decision No. 119 of 2017 are listed on our Erbil page.

For registration in Baghdad (federal Companies Registration Department) see Company registration.

3) Social security and tax compliance

• The KRG foreign work-permit service page lists a social-security clearance among the file documents.
• We do not state Region-specific social-security or tax rules here, because we have not verified them from an official KRG text. For federal rules see Social security registration and Tax registration and clearance.

4) Real estate in Sulaymaniyah

For clients in Sulaymaniyah, we review title documents, leases and property-management arrangements before signature. We do not state Region-specific property rules here, because we have no official KRG source for them. We match each file to the text in force and the competent authority. For federal rules, see Real estate & property.

How we work with Sulaymaniyah clients

We serve clients in Sulaymaniyah from our Baghdad office: review of contracts and documents before filing, preparation of company, branch and work-permit files, and follow-up with the competent authorities. The firm has a team of 15 lawyers.

Links: Kurdistan Region · Erbil · Duhok · Labour law · Company registration · Work permits (federal) · Social security · Tax · Real estate & property

FAQ

How do you serve clients in Sulaymaniyah?

We serve Sulaymaniyah clients from our Baghdad office (Al-Yarmouk): document review, file preparation and follow-up with the competent authorities.

Which labour law applies in Sulaymaniyah?

Labour Law No. 71 of 1987, as published on the KRG services portal.

Where does a company or foreign branch register in Sulaymaniyah?

At the Sulaymaniyah Companies Directorate (Hama Jaza Street), part of the General Directorate of Companies Registration at the KRG Ministry of Trade and Industry.

How long does foreign-branch registration take in the Region?

3–6 days per the official service page, once the certified documents are complete.

About the author

Othman Al-Juboori: Iraqi lawyer, expert in Iraqi labour law, Member of the Iraqi Bar Association, and founder and Managing Director of Al-Taswia Legal Services Company. The firm has a team of 15 lawyers working from its Baghdad office. Author page

Sources last checked: 16 October 2026.