Getting in
Entry, visas and the fee nobody warns you about
Since Decision No. 128 came into force on 6 July 2025, a visa fee is collected at every entry point — the old land-border exemption is gone.
What applies to your passport
One choice gives you both: whether you can enter, and what the visa costs.
A visa on arrival is available at Damascus and Aleppo airports and at the Masnaa and Nassib land crossings. The fee runs roughly $25–$400 depending on nationality, duration and entries, paid in cash US dollars — clean, undamaged notes. The catch is the airline, not the border: many carriers have not updated their systems and will refuse boarding without a prior approval letter, so arrange one through a licensed operator even though you technically qualify for VOA. Several licensed operators now say every arrival by air needs a prior approval, which takes three days to a week, or up to a month for restricted nationalities.
Payable in cash US dollars at the airport or land crossing. Bring the exact amount in clean, undamaged notes — change is not guaranteed at the counter and pre-2013 series bills are often refused.
Even where a visa on arrival applies, many airlines have not updated their systems and will refuse boarding without a prior approval letter. Arrange one through a licensed operator before you fly.
The transit visa only works if you leave from a different border or airport than the one you entered by. Entering and exiting at the same point needs a normal entry visa.
Schedule compiled by licensed Syrian operators from the government fee tariff under Decision No. 128 (in force 6 July 2025). It is not an official government publication, no official table is currently reachable online, and news summaries have reported different figures. Fees are set by decree and can change without notice — budget from this, then confirm with a Syrian mission or a licensed operator before you travel.
Ways in
Since the May 2026 Customs Law, alcohol is reportedly listed as a prohibited import, and travellers report confiscation at both airports and the Lebanese and Jordanian crossings, even of a single sealed duty-free bottle. Taking Syrian wine or arak out is refused too. No official announcement has been made. The practical advice is simply not to carry any, in either direction.
A departure tax applies when leaving by land or sea. Keep a reserve of small dollar notes for it — arriving at the border with nothing but large bills is a common and avoidable delay.