Baghdad's Green Zone entry permit still entangled in bureaucracy years after reform pledge

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The special pass known as "baj" required to enter Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone remains a bureaucratic burden for ordinary Iraqis, despite promises of streamlining made during former Prime Minister Ali Zaidan's tenure. While basic documents such as national identity cards and passports can be obtained at the Interior Ministry within hours, the Green Zone entry card requires procedures that stretch on for weeks, residents say. The current system traces back to the security zone established in 2003 on part of the Karada Mariya district under U.S. Civil Administrator Paul Bremer. Applicants begin the process by obtaining forms from a small shop near a cafeteria and supermarket close to the prime minister's office, then are asked to prepay the application fee at a separate location accessible only after the card is collected. Different colored cards — blue, green, yellow, gray and purple — correspond to different access privileges within the zone. Applicants must also name a "kafil," or guarantor, often someone about whom the applicant knows little beyond the name. The office near the prime minister's office administers the entire fragmented process through a series of exceptions and approvals, the source added. Residents living inside the zone face similar difficulties: those not carrying their designated colored card on exit must be escorted back in by a higher-ranking official. No further details on planned reforms to the entry system were immediately available.