Last updated: July 2026. Entry rules for Syria change quickly and by official decree. Check with the Syrian embassy in your country or a licensed tour operator before buying tickets.
The 30-second summary
Most nationalities need a Syria tourist visa, and the fee is paid in cash in US dollars at the airport or the land border. Citizens of Lebanon, Jordan, Malaysia and Mauritania are exempt from the fee. Fees range roughly from $25 to $400 depending on nationality, visa duration and number of entries, under Decision No. 128, in force since 6 July 2025. The most important practical point: even if you qualify for a visa on arrival, your airline may refuse to board you without one — so it is safer to arrange prior approval through a licensed tour operator.
Do you need a visa to visit Syria?
Yes. As a rule, all foreign and Arab visitors need an entry visa for Syria, whether they arrive by air or overland. The only exception is a very small number of fully exempt nationalities, listed below.
What changed in 2025 and still applies in 2026 is that the fee is now collected at every point of entry. Before July 2025 the previous system in practice collected the visa fee only from arrivals at Damascus International Airport, while travellers crossing overland were usually exempt. That difference is gone: today you pay the fee at any land or air crossing.
Decision 128: the current legal framework
Everything about your entry fee to Syria today comes back to a single document: Decision No. 128, issued by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on 1 July 2025 and applied from Sunday 6 July 2025. It was issued by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and rests on Legislative Decree No. 20 of 2016 and its amendments.
What the decision does in practice:
- Classifies countries into 11 groups, each with its own visa type, duration and fee.
- Sets fees in US dollars or the equivalent, per the exchange-rate bulletin issued by the Central Bank of Syria, rounding up to the nearest currency unit.
- Requires payment at border crossings or airports inside Syrian territory — there is no advance electronic payment system.
- Varies fees by visa duration and number of entries (single or multiple).
At the end of April 2026, the ministry’s media department denied reports that entry conditions or visa categories had been amended — particularly regarding citizens of the Maghreb countries — and confirmed that Decision 128 still applies unchanged. Treat any mention of “new rules” from a non-official source with caution.
An important point for transparency: there is still no single official government page publishing the full fee schedule in a public, updated form. That means every table circulating online — including the one below — is drawn from the annex of the decision or from traveller reports, and details differ between sources. Treat it as indicative, not definitive.
Visa-exempt nationalities
The first group in the decision covers countries whose citizens need no entry visa and may stay for up to six months:
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Mauritania
- Malaysia
Serbian passport holders have also been allowed to enter free of charge as a special exemption, and some sources indicate that Palestinians of Syria fall within the exempt categories.
Warning: exemption lists differ between secondary sources — some place Malaysia in a paying category. If your nationality is on this list, confirm with the embassy before relying on the exemption. Arriving at the border without enough cash is an expensive mistake.
Syria visa fees: how they are actually calculated
Fees generally range from $25 to $400 and are built on three variables: your nationality, the validity of the visa, and the number of entries allowed.
This indicative classification follows the tables circulating from the annex to Decision 128:
| Country group (indicative) | 1 month — single | 3 months — multiple | 1 year — multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Algeria, Yemen, Libya and others | $25 | $40 | $50 |
| Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, most European countries, Russia, China | $75 | $100 | $150 |
| Italy, Japan, Australia, South Korea | $100 | $150 | $200 |
| United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa | $150 | $225 | $300 |
| Nationalities in special categories | $200 – $400 | — | — |
| Nationalities not classified in the above groups | $50 | — | — |
How do you check your fee precisely? Call the Syrian embassy in your country of residence, or ask the travel company you are booking with to confirm the fee in writing. And bring the amount in cash US dollars — do not count on a bank card or an ATM at the crossing.
Visa on arrival or prior approval?
This is the problem travellers hit most often, and the one nobody explains clearly.
On paper: most nationalities receive a visa on arrival at Damascus airport, Aleppo airport and at open land crossings. You pay the fee and receive the stamp.
In practice: the systems used by many airlines and gate staff have not been updated to recognise that your nationality qualifies for a visa on arrival. The result is that they may refuse to board you at the departure airport if you are not carrying a visa or a prior-approval document. This has been reported specifically with certain carriers, including flydubai.
The practical fix is one of two routes:
- Prior approval through a licensed Syrian tour operator: the company submits your passport details and obtains an approval document you show to the airline. This is the fastest and safest route for anyone flying in.
- Through the embassy: sometimes cheaper but slower, and the experience varies enormously from one embassy to another. Some embassies have told applicants they are not currently issuing tourist visas and referred them to the visa on arrival.
If you are flying directly to Damascus or Aleppo, do not buy a non-refundable ticket before your visa status is confirmed with the airline or the tour operator. Arranging the approval document, confirming the fee and meeting you at the airport is exactly what we handle within our tour programmes.
Documents you need
Prepare the following before travelling:
- A passport valid for at least six months beyond your return date, with at least two blank pages.
- The visa fee in cash US dollars — euros or other major currencies are usually accepted, but dollars are the safest. Bring small denominations in clean, untorn notes.
- A confirmed hotel booking or an invitation from a licensed travel company — normally required for a tourist visa.
- A return ticket and your address of stay in Syria.
- A recent passport photo (carry one as a backup).
- For a prior-approval request: a passport scan, a photo, your travel dates and a draft itinerary.
Step by step: getting the visa
Arriving by air (Damascus / Aleppo airport)
- Follow the signs for Passports / Visa on Arrival before the passport queue.
- Present your passport and state your length of stay and the visa type you need.
- Pay the fee in cash and take the receipt.
- Receive the stamp in your passport — in some cases you can ask for a separate sheet instead of a stamp, at the officer’s discretion.
- Clear passport control, then customs.
At a land crossing
- Complete exit formalities on the neighbouring side (the Lebanese or Jordanian stamp).
- Move to the Syrian side and present your passport at the visa window.
- Pay the fee in cash and receive the stamp.
- Pass through customs inspection.
Allow enough time: an overland crossing can take from one hour to several, depending on the crossing and how busy it is.
Who is refused entry to Syria
Israeli passport holders are strictly barred from entering or transiting Syrian territory. The ban also covers anyone whose passport carries an Israeli visa or an Israeli entry or exit stamp, without exception. If your passport contains any trace of this kind, you will not be allowed in.
Length of stay and extensions
The basic tourist visa is usually single-entry for one month, with longer options (three months or a year, multiple entry) at higher fees.
On extensions: travellers who visited Syria in spring 2026 reported extending the tourist visa several times without difficulty, up to three months in total. One was told by officials that 90 days is the maximum allowed and that overstaying becomes a problem, but that leaving Syria and returning is possible. Treat this as traveller experience rather than an official rule, and check with the Immigration and Passports Department in Damascus.
Special cases
Syrian expatriates with dual nationality
If you enter on a foreign passport, you are subject to Decision 128 like any other foreign visitor, and there are reports of smoother processing for foreign passport holders of Syrian origin.
But note a completely separate and more important matter: military service. Dual-national males in the relevant age bracket may be asked for documents relating to military service. This is a personal legal question that should not be settled by an article or a forum — consult the Syrian embassy or consulate in your country of residence, or a lawyer, before travelling.
Travellers from Saudi Arabia
Direct flights between Saudi Arabia and Syria have resumed: flynas operated the first Riyadh–Damascus flight on 5 June 2025 and later added a Jeddah–Damascus route. From the Saudi side, however, it has been indicated that travel to Syria requires prior official permission, as Syria remains on the list of countries with suspended travel. Check the official updates issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking.
Internal permits: the point most people miss
Getting an entry visa does not automatically mean free access to every site. Some locations require a separate security permit, requested from inside Damascus, which takes days to obtain.
The clearest example is Palmyra: visitors report that the security permit takes around five days, and that a visit requires joining an organised tour because of an uncleared minefield in the area. If Palmyra is in your plan, arrange it in advance with a tour operator rather than assuming it is a spontaneous day trip.
Frequently asked questions about the Syria tourist visa
Can I get a Syria visa online (eVisa)?
There is no official approved electronic visa system. Websites offering a “Syria eVisa” are generally commercial intermediaries rather than official bodies. The two real routes are the visa on arrival or prior approval through an embassy or a licensed travel company.
How much does a Syria visa cost?
Roughly $25 to $400 depending on nationality, duration and number of entries. The most common band for Arab visitors starts at $25, while Gulf, Turkish and European travellers usually start at $75.
Can I pay by card?
No. Bring cash in US dollars. For a visitor, Syria is a cash economy, and you should not rely on payment cards at points of entry.
Is the visa on arrival available at land crossings too?
Yes. Visa on arrival is available at open land crossings, and the fees have been collected there since 6 July 2025.
Do I need a hotel booking to get the visa?
A tourist visa is usually requested together with a hotel booking or an invitation from a travel company. Have both ready to avoid complications.
What if my visa expires while I am inside Syria?
Go to the Immigration and Passports Department before it expires to request an extension. Overstaying creates problems on the way out.
Before you book: a quick checklist
- Confirm your fee band and nationality with the embassy or your tour operator
- Confirm your visa status in writing with the airline before buying a non-refundable ticket
- Passport valid six months, with two blank pages
- Cash in US dollars, in small denominations
- A hotel booking or a travel-company invitation
- No Israeli stamp or visa anywhere in the passport
- Special permits (Palmyra, for example) arranged in advance
What to read next
Continue with our guide on how to get to Syria: airports, direct flights and land crossings, then see 14 things to do on a first visit to historic Damascus, and browse our tour programmes, which include arranging the approval document and airport pickup.
Main sources
- Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Decision No. 128 (1 July 2025, in force from 6 July 2025)
- Statement by the ministry’s media department to SANA (April 2026) confirming Decision 128 remains in force
- Media reports on the classification of countries into 11 groups and the exempt nationalities
- Published traveller reports on extensions and internal permits, spring 2026
