The Erbil Food Card Directorate reports that many services remain unavailable due to technical problems. Residents cannot add children, register marriages, or transfer beneficiaries yet. The authorities recently updated the electronic food card system, but key functions still fail to work.
Two months ago, Iraq’s Ministry of Trade announced the gradual rollout of food card services in eight governorates, including Duhok and Halabja in the Kurdistan Region. Residents can activate cards, unblock accounts, and remove deceased names, but other services remain offline. The update aimed to improve efficiency and allow families to manage food assistance electronically.
Siamand Qader, head of Erbil’s Food Card Directorate, told local media that the new system still does not operate fully. He did not provide a timeline for restoring all services. Authorities initially planned to enable functions like child registration, marriage updates, and beneficiary transfers across all six Kurdistan Region governorates. Currently, only Duhok and Halabja provide the full range of services.
Technical problems prevent the system from working correctly in other governorates. Residents often encounter delays or errors when completing transactions. Technical teams are repairing the system actively. Officials say that after they fix issues in Duhok and Halabja, they will expand the full suite of services to other governorates.
The child registration service covers children under 12 years old. In Duhok and Halabja, the system works, but it sometimes freezes, delaying residents who try to update records. Officials urge residents to remain patient while technicians continue their work. They emphasize that once fully operational, families across Erbil and the Kurdistan Region will manage food assistance smoothly and without disruption.
