I live in Iraq and I want to register

[mohammedbaqir]

I live in Iraq and I want to register but I didn't find Iraq in countries and I can't verify my number also.

Please help.

Best Regards.

[mwiggenhorn]

Upwork is a US based company.  As such, residents of certain countries are prohibited from working here.

[mtngigi]

---

Mary W wrote:

Upwork is a US based company.  As such, residents of certain countries are prohibited from working here.

---

I wonder why profiles from country on "the list" are able to set up accounts? Maybe that happens when they're not honest about where they live?

@ Mohammed: Putting Bagdad in Washington state is not going to help.

[martina_plaschka]

---

Virginia F wrote:

---

Mary W wrote:

Upwork is a US based company.  As such, residents of certain countries are prohibited from working here.

---

I wonder why profiles from country on "the list" are able to set up accounts? Maybe that happens when they're not honest about where they live?

@ Mohammed: Putting Bagdad in Washington state is not going to help.

---

I'm sure there must be a number of legit Bagdads in the US, but this is probably not one of them. OP, lying about your location will get you nowhere. You would  not be able to withdraw earnings, but that would be the least of your worries because they zap you as soon as they catch you. 

[mohammedbaqir]

I don't lie or want to lie, just I want to ask these question because I want to be honest. Sorry if anything was not correct from my side.

Thanks for help.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

Mohammed:

I know that you were just trying to do things the right way, and the user interface did not provide your country as an option.

Sorry that you can't use Upwork right now.

But I'm confident that as soon as Iraq is no longer on the list of countries that U.S. companies aren't allowed to work with, Upwork will let people from Iraq sign up as freelancers.

[petra_r]

---

Preston H wrote:

But I'm confident that as soon as Iraq is no longer on the list of countries that U.S. companies aren't allowed to work with, Upwork will let people from Iraq sign up as freelancers.

---

Where do you see Iraq on that list, Preston?

Maybe you are confusing Iran (which is on the list) and Iraq (which is not.)

If I recall correctly The issue with Iraq based freelancers is with payment processing, there is currently no way for them to receive their earnings so Iraq is not supported.

It has nothing to do with sanctions, at all.

[prestonhunter]

Yes, that is the list I was thinking of.

I was thinking of Iran 

[0a6ecc6b]

Exactly, UpWork is blocking access to the entire Iraqi talent pool without doing proper due diligence.

[02ef057d]

So as an Iraqi person, I can't work on upwork ?

[zozk]

I am also developer from Iraq. I register my account but Iraq not available to register location, phone number and bank account!

[m_terrazas]

---

Zozk A wrote:

I am also developer from Iraq. I register my account but Iraq not available to register location, phone number and bank account!

---

I refer you to @Petra's answer on the previous page:

"The issue with Iraq based freelancers is with payment processing, there is currently no way for them to receive their earnings so Iraq is not supported."
I do not know if it will continue to be the reason.

[6549237b]

maybe when you wrote this comment Payoneer wasn't a thing, but as an Iraqi developer from Iraqy Kurdistan i've been working most of my Career in international companies, this is just laziness and utter disrespect toward the Iraqi people, we're not animals, many of us are hard working professionals, the comment you're referring to suggests that there are no banks and no ways of money transaction in Iraq, it sounds like that it's trying to label us as an uncivilised community.

sorry if my comments are a bit harsh, I'm very frustrated with this

[prestonhunter]

re: "I am also developer from Iraq. I register my account but Iraq not available to register location, phone number and bank account!"

I believe that Upwork subscribes to a third-party location/address service and also a payment gateway service, and it does not create these systems from scratch. It does not have control over what countries these third-party service providers offer as options.

You would need to contact those companies and work with them to add Iraq as an option.

[mohammedbaqir]

The dropdown menu not include my country so when I leave it , it take random.

[prestonhunter]

The good news for you is that this isn't an Upwork decision, or even a U.S. decision.

It is purely an Iraqi decision.

So Iraq can decide at any time to make any changes required to get off the list.

[0a6ecc6b]

What needs to happen exactly in terms of payment processing for Iraq? I know Freelancer.com accepts Iraqi talent just fine.

[jamesseligman]

---

Virginia F wrote:

@ Mohammed: Putting Bagdad in Washington state is not going to help.

I've lived in Washington State for over 30 years and never heard of Bagdad, WA. Maybe I need to get out more...

[jared_k]

I've been to Lebanon, Missouri, Antioch, Tennessee, and Tripoli, Iowa, but never Baghdad, Washington. 

[6a73f18b]

is it just me or do people just sound so defensive and aggressive about your simple question 💀

[m_terrazas]

Yes, it's you.

[yofazza]

is it just me

trying to label us as an uncivilised community

Not uncivilized but 'sensitive' and 'hot headed' 😁

But if I think about it, it's probably normal. Around two decades ago we also don't have any means to (easily) get money from abroad and most of us are 'mad' at the world instead. Quite illogical from my point of view.

Some people already freelance at that time and some of them got paid by egold where there's someone here - not even a legal entity -  who will exchange the egold to our currency.

It's a different cause, but being mad at Upwork because they can't send you your payment, or even IF they're banned by their country to work with yours, is illogical.