Sardar Hassan is among hundreds of drivers in Kirkuk who must purchase gasoline at higher market prices due to delays in receiving fuel vouchers for government-run gas stations.
According to KirkukNow, issuing a fuel card can sometimes take more than four months due to several reasons cited by officials. Drivers, however, continue to criticize the slow pace of the process.
“I bought a new car about three months ago and applied for a fuel card, but I still haven’t received it to buy gasoline from government stations,” said Sardar Hassan, 54. He added that such long delays were unusual, noting that fuel coupons were previously distributed through food supply agents who delivered them directly to residents.
The Kirkuk province provides gasoline vouchers to vehicle owners so they can refuel at government stations at subsidized prices. To obtain a voucher, applicants must complete several requirements: the vehicle registration must be in the driver’s name, the applicant must live in Kirkuk, a photo of the vehicle clearly showing the license plate must be submitted, and copies of the residency card, national ID, and ration card are required.
Officials say the delay in issuing the gasoline coupons is largely due to technical problems at the main printing press in Baghdad.
Karwan Aziz, 46, a government employee in Kirkuk, applied for a fuel coupon at the start of this year but has yet to receive it. “This delay only creates difficulties and inconvenience for citizens,” he said. In an interview with Kirkuk Now, he explained that these coupons can only be used in Kirkuk and Mosul, while drivers in other provinces are able to refuel freely at government stations without such restrictions.
Under the current system, each private car in Kirkuk is allotted 50 liters of gasoline every five days at a subsidized price of 450 Iraqi dinars IQD (USD0,30) per liter using the coupon. Taxis receive 70 liters. At commercial stations, the same gasoline costs more than 850 IQD/liter.
The Kirkuk Oil Products Distribution (State) Company attributes the delay to authorities in Baghdad. A company official told KirkukNow that the distribution of the first batch of electronic coupons has been postponed due to technical issues at the central printing press in the capital.
Besides the printing problems, the transition to a new electronic fuel distribution system has also taken considerable time, further slowing the process.
The source added that all applications submitted between October 15 and the end of December 2025 are expected to be processed and distributed soon. Regarding kerosene for heating, the source said that each family in Kirkuk will receive 100 liters at a subsidized price within days as part of the third round of distribution.
Kirkuk has 27 government-operated gas stations that provide subsidized gasoline at 450 dinars per liter through a coupon system. However, three of these stations sell government gasoline at the commercial rate of 1,000 dinars per liter without requiring coupons, similar to the 68 privately owned gas stations across the city.
Fuel stations located in the city center operate until midnight, while three stations remain open around the clock. In the surrounding districts, gasoline distribution continues until 8 p.m.
Kirkuk Governorate, with a population estimated at more than 1.7 million people, receives about 1.5 million liters of gasoline each day.
