Crossing from Iraq into Türkiye by bus in 2024
beware of the long long long wait at the border
I had a lot of questions about the land border crossing between Iraq and Türkiye when I did it. I’m writing this for all the other people like me who may be full of questions and wondering what to expect.
I set out to cross the border on Thursday, May 30, 2024. I was traveling with my partner, Samnang (pictured above). We left Erbil at 3pm on a big bus from the company Lux Diyarbakir - the tickets were $20 USD each from Erbil to Diyarbakir. We bought our ticket at the bus station when we arrived. It seemed there were many companies going that route and the buses weren’t very full. The company kept our passports with them until the bus left the station & then they passed them back to us.
We reached the border crossing’s first checkpoint at 7pm. We were in a line of buses in a big parking lot, with 5 buses in front of us when we arrived at 7pm. At first it seemed like the buses were going through to the next checkpoint about once every 40 minutes or so, which seemed fine enough. But after 2 buses went through, it slowed waaaay down and didn’t move for hours.
We tried to sleep in the bus, but it was turned off (so no AC) and it was about 38°C (100°F), so it was like a sauna in the bus. It was cooler to stand outside, so that’s what everyone did. We didn’t get much sleep. There were bathrooms in the parking lot, but it cost 10 lira ($0.30) to use and was very not clean.
After 12 hours in the parking lot, at 7am, we finally moved to the next checkpoint, where we got the stamp in our passports to leave Iraq. This was very simple and easy. There was a little convenience store after the passport stamping, so we got to eat something for the first time since 9am the day before. We went back to the bus and waited for a couple hours.
At 9am we went through the Iraqi security, also very simple and easy. We got back on the bus and drove about a hundred meters to our next waiting location. It was about 39°C (102°F). We all stood and sat on cardboard in the shade of the bus for about 4 more hours.
At around 1pm we moved across the bridge from Iraq to Türkiye. We waited 8 more hours there. We were trapped in a fenced area with one line of cars and one line of buses. Someone had packed a bunch of sandwiches in a cooler to sell, so we ate again. I brought out a deck of cards and taught a game to some folks on our bus. Then more people joined and watched, so it became a crowd of about 15 people watching a card game in the middle of the road. That made the time pass quicker.
Finally, at about 9:30pm, the Turkish authorities let our bus in. We got our passports stamped (no questions were asked) and we went through security, which was quite chaotic. Most people on our bus were smuggling cigarettes and tea into Türkiye, so it was a big mess getting through security and we were definitely used to help some smugglers get more cigarettes across. But it was quick, not a long wait there. After security, there was a little cafe and convenience store to buy durums, water, tea, snacks. There we waited for our bus to finish being checked.
At 12:30am, we finally got back on our bus and began the journey to Diyarbakir. Then we could sleep on the bus with the AC on, which was much better than the night before.
We arrived in Diyarbakir at 5:30am on Saturday, June 1st, 2024. A total of 39 hours from the time we left Erbil. 2 full nights sleeping on the bus.
We asked others on the bus who have done this route many times and they said it always takes this long or longer. They said sometimes it takes 4 days! So, you might be wondering, what can I do about this? How can I avoid this extremely long border crossing? Well, a friend of ours tried hitchhiking across and it was much much quicker. He hitchhiked to the border and simply walked through all the Iraqi Security, so no wait time on that side. Then to cross the bridge into Türkiye, he was told he could not go by foot, so he found a car to jump into for the 200 meters across the bridge. Then got out and crossed by foot through the Turkish side and hitchhiked the rest of the way to Diyarbakir. He said altogether it only took 2 hours to cross the border that way.
So, if you’re crossing the land border from Iraq into Türkiye, hitchhike. At least for the actual crossing. We met some really cool people during our 39 hours together and it was definitely a bonding experience. And it was really sweet to see how we could connect with people, eat together, and play games together when we didn’t speak the same language. So I’m grateful for the experience, but I don’t think I'd do it again. Or at least I'd pack better for it, maybe bring a mat to sleep on outside, a handheld fan, and some food to eat and share.
Quick Questions Answered:
How long does it take to cross from Iraq to Türkiye by bus?
For us it took 39 hours. 2 nights in the bus. Hitchhike across the border instead, it will only be a few hours.
How much does it cost to take a bus from Iraq to Türkiye?
It costs $20 USD for a bus from Erbil to Diyarbakir. From Zakho to Silopi (the border towns) would probably be cheaper, but I recommend Hitchhiking instead.
What’s the best time to cross the border from Iraq to Türkiye?
We traveled on a Thursday, which it seems is better than starting on a Friday or Saturday, but still took 2 days. Perhaps during the week it may go slightly quicker, but probably not by much.
What’s the name of the border crossing from Iraq to Türkiye?
We crossed the Ibrahim Khalil Border Crossing.
Why does it take so long to cross from Iraq to Türkiye by land?
We asked many people why it takes so long. They all told us it was because the Turkish officials purposefully take extra long breaks and don’t let many cars through each day. One 74 year old man told us they do it “to torture us.” Türkiye does not have very good relations with Iraqi Kurdistan and the Turkish government especially dislikes Kurdish people, so we assume the officials take a long time and make people wait because of this - in order to torment Kurdish people. This is only one way this oppression and dislike of Kurdish people materializes in Türkiye. More on this later perhaps.
Can I hitchhike from Iraq to Türkiye?
Yes! You can and should! It is much much much quicker than going by bus or by car. There are a lot of kind people who pick up hitchhikers in northern Iraq and southern Türkiye. It’s the best way to get across by land.