Director General of Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants' Affairs, Alireza Gorouei, said on Sunday that some 40,000 pilgrims from different countries have passed through Shalamcheh border crossing to Iraq since September 30th to go to Iraqi holy city of Karbala.
Alireza Gorouei told reporters at Shalmcheh border post that the BAFIA affiliated to Iran's Ministry of the Interior has for the first time set up an office at the Shalamcheh crossing in order to help the foreign pilgrims go to Iraq on the mourning occasion of Arbaeen.
He said that all the foreigners who have an Iranian temporary residence-card can travel to Iraq without a visa while foreigners with a residence permit need to carry their passports in order to be able to travel to Karbala.
The Iranian official added that most of the foreigners who passed through Shalamcheh crossing were from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and that there were people from other countries to use the crossing as well.
Gorouei noted that all the foreign residents need to receive their visas from the Iraqi embassy or consulates.
IRNA reported that some 600,000 Iranian and foreign pilgrims have gone to Iraq through Shalamcheh crossing during the past two weeks.
