It is not possible to register licences in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq due to the absence of a regulatory authority to oversee such licences, as is the case in Baghdad. The registration of franchising agreements is not applicable in Kurdistan.
Companies and registrars
- In Kurdistan there is stricter insistence on providing a power of attorney when attempting to obtain information about a company registered in the commercial register. In some cases, specifically in Baghdad, we are able to obtain the required information; in Kurdistan it is not possible (November 2025).
- In a Kurdistan court matter in October 2025 we advised that the Companies Registrar would be contacted to check whether the plaintiff has a registered branch in Kurdistan, and that the case might be rejected if it does not. The plaintiff’s officially appointed exclusive agent in Kurdistan, legalised up to the Iraqi embassy, allows us to bypass the issue of the non-existent branch in the region.
- In July 2025, in a Kurdistan opposition matter, we reported that our attorney in Kurdistan submitted the power of attorney to the Regional Income Tax Department, which referred us to the Companies Registrar Department to confirm that the company issuing the power of attorney has no outstanding debts or restrictions in Kurdistan. A letter then allows the Foreign Relations Office in the region to stamp the power of attorney, after which it will be legalised by the Ministry of Justice and then submitted to the Trademarks Office.
Complaints and inspection
- In Kurdistan, a complaint must first be filed with the Directorate of Internal Trade, which then refers the matter to the Directorate of Commercial Control in Erbil. This authority will initiate inspection procedures, and if no goods are found, the investigation will be closed immediately (September 2025).
- The Kurdistan Commercial Control Directorate only takes action when the trademark is fully registered and the official certificate has been issued (October 2023).
Licensing
- In Baghdad, a registered licence is monitored by four governmental entities: the Trademark Registrar, the Central Bank of Iraq, the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control, and the Ministry of Trade. These entities form the committee responsible for granting licences. Such a committee does not exist in the Kurdistan Region (November 2024).
Restricted products
- In November 2024 we referred to the Iraqi Council of Ministers’ decision prohibiting the production and sale of alcoholic beverages throughout Iraq except in the Kurdistan Region.
Frequently asked questions
Can licence agreements be registered in the Kurdistan Region?
It is not possible to register licences in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq due to the absence of a regulatory authority to oversee such licences, as is the case in Baghdad. The registration of franchising agreements is not applicable in Kurdistan.
How does a complaint proceed in Kurdistan?
In Kurdistan, a complaint must first be filed with the Directorate of Internal Trade, which then refers the matter to the Directorate of Commercial Control in Erbil. This authority will initiate inspection procedures, and if no goods are found, the investigation will be closed immediately (September 2025).