UNHCR's ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING THE ...

Governorate of Erbil
In the Governorate of Erbil, non-Kurds need to have a sponsor, 833 which may prove
difficult for persons not originating from the Governorate. Those Christian and Arab IDPs
that manage to have a sponsor usually have previous links to the Governorate, e.g. family
or business relations, or manage to find a sponsor based on their economic or professional
profile (they may find a company to sponsor them, due to their profession, otherwise be
encouraged to work in the Governorate, e.g. doctors or engineers). The sponsor has to
present him/herself at the entry checkpoint and provide his or her ID card, phone number
and address. The IDP has to fill out a card at the entry checkpoint and will be allowed to
enter the Region. Persons that do not have a sponsor will be denied entry into the
Governorate.
Governorate of Dahuk
In the Governorate of Dahuk, families are allowed to enter without a sponsor, while single
men not originating from the Kurdistan Region continue to need a sponsor for security
reasons. 834 The sponsor has to present him/herself at the entry checkpoint and provide his
or her ID card, phone number and address. The IDP has to fill out a card at the entry
checkpoint and will be allowed to enter the Region. Single males without a sponsor will
generally be denied entry to the Governorate, though it appears that the authorities
exceptionally grant entry to IDPs without a sponsor, provided that 1) the person’s
background can be thoroughly checked by the KDP, if the party has an office in the
person’s place of origin (e.g. in Kirkuk, Ninewa), and it is determined that he does not pose
a security risk and 2) the person can establish that he fled violence or persecution. 835
Otherwise, the person will not be admitted to the Governorate of Dahuk.
iii. Residency
Every person who does not originate from the Region of Kurdistan and is allowed to enter
will have to apply for a quasi residence permit in order to legalize his/her stay. The
provision of a quasi residency permit depends mainly on security concerns. Generally,
persons suspected of links to the insurgency, or the former regime, or who have a criminal
record, will not be able to obtain residency. Again, the procedures vary from Governorate
to Governorate.
833
The sponsor could either be an individual person or a company. The responsibility of the sponsor is to
inform authorities that he/she knows the IDP and, in case of security-related incidents, the sponsor will be
questioned. The sponsor should have his/her food ration card issued in the Governorate of Erbil and have a
good reputation.
834
The sponsor could either be an individual person or a company. The responsibility of the sponsor is to
inform authorities that he/she knows the IDP and, in case of security-related incidents, the sponsor will be
questioned. The sponsor should have his/her food ration card issued in the Governorate of Dahuk and have a
good reputation.
835
It is the discretion of the authorities to decide whether this threshold is reached, and this may vary in the
various Governorates.
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