Iraqi local authorities processing PC-MOI cards ©UNHCR/Karlo Jeelo
Over a two-week period, around over 600 asylum-seekers received their government ID documents– cards given by the Permanent Committee for Political Refugee Affairs of the Ministry of Interior of Iraq, known as PC-MoI cards – during a mobile registration mission conducted by the Government to Basra.
PC-MoI cards are an essential form of documentation for asylum-seekers, granting them access to public services such as education and healthcare, as well as offering protection from arrest, detention and deportation.
In 2024, in addition to the registration mission in Basra, UNHCR supported the government to conduct registration missions in Ninewa and Kirkuk, with more planned in 2025.
Here are some stories from asylum-seekers about what these documents mean to them.
Abbas, 43, Syrian asylum-seeker from Al-Hassakah: “With my PC-MoI card, the first thing I will do is to register my children in school.”
Abbas fled to Iraq from Al-Hasaka, in northeast Syria, in 2012. There, his family frequently had to wait in line at the bakery for hours on end hoping that all bread will not run out before his turn.
While his family found safety in Iraq, challenges continued because of his family’s lack of documentation.
“My children cannot read or write because they did not go to school in Syria. I was afraid that they would go and never return. But with my PC-MoI card, the first thing I will do is to register my children in school.”
Abbas displays his PC-MoI card, a vital document that allows him to register his children for school. ©UNHCR/Karlo Jeelo
Ali, 30, and his wife Maria, Syrian asylum-seeker from Qamishli: “We can now visit the local hospital for my wife to receive the care she needs for a safe and healthy pregnancy.”
Despite Ali holding a master’s degree in linguistics and Maria being a trained nurse, the dire living conditions in Syria pushed the newly- weds to flee their home two years ago.
“We had nothing. I could not even afford milk or diapers for my newborn son,” admits Ali.
For the past two years, Ali has worked as a daily laborer in Basra, making just enough to afford the basic necessities for his small family. Now, with the PC-MoI card, Ali is hopeful that his family will be able to meet their basic needs more easily – including visiting the public healthcare centres, instead of having to pay high costs at private clinics.
“With documentation, we can now visit the local hospital for my wife to receive the care she needs for a safe and healthy pregnancy”.
Ali and his wife Maria and child at a local hospital to receive essential health support. ©UNHCR/Karlo Jeelo
Salwa, 33, Syrian asylum-seeker from Homs: “Now I can find proper work and have a reliable income to give my son a better future.”
Salwa fled Homs seven years ago with her six-year-old son, after her home and family life was destroyed by conflict. The journey to seek safety in Iraq has been fraught with challenges, particularly in her struggle to find suitable livelihoods opportunities in Basra.
Without documentation, Salwa could only find temporary and unofficial work, which left her vulnerable to harassment. “For the first time in a long while, I feel hope,” says Salwa after receiving her PC-MoI card. “Now I can find proper work and have a reliable income to give my son a better future”.
Salwa at her workplace, posing for the camera. ©UNHCR/Karlo Jeelo
Amer, 23, from Syrian asylum-seeker from Hama: “I can go to sleep with a peace of mind, unafraid of being arrested at security checkpoints and deported.”
Amer fled Syria as an unaccompanied minor ten years ago. Alone in Basra, he now works as a daily worker in construction.
“I have been able to survive. But now I can go to sleep with a peace of mind, unafraid of being arrested at security checkpoints and deported.”
Mohammed, 43, Syrian asylum-seeker from Aleppo: “I am legally protected, and my children can go to school. This is all I want.”
Ongoing conflict made it unsafe for Mohammed’s family to go out of their home in Aleppo, and the economic collapse left him without access to basic necessities.
In Iraq, Mohammed and his family found safety, but their lack of documentation left them in a precarious situation. None of his six children have ever been to school.
“You cannot imagine the relief I felt when I held my PC-MoI card,” says Mohammed. “I am legally protected, and my children can go to school. This is all I want.”
Mohammed receives his PC-MOI card from local authorities. ©UNHCR/Karlo Jeelo
Iraq generously hosts over 320,000 asylum-seekers and refugees of whom over 90 per cent are from Syria. One of UNHCR’s main priorities in Iraq is to ensure that asylum-seekers and refugees are protected, documented, and subsequently included in national systems to benefit from public services on par with nationals.
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