What you need to enter Syria with an American passport

Authorisation system

Electronic visa (evisa.sy)

Entry requires a passport and a Syrian visa, which can be requested as an electronic visa on evisa.sy; according to the UK Government, processing takes around five to seven days. Journalists need the visa for their activity and must notify the Ministry of Information in advance of the equipment they bring. Anyone staying more than 15 days must report to the police before that period ends.

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Required documents

• A valid passport with no Israeli visas or stamps, nor stamps from Jordan's or Egypt's border crossings with Israel.
• A Syrian visa, electronic or from the Embassy.
• Reporting to the police before day 15 if the stay is longer.

Transit rules

Spain's Foreign Ministry only recommends entering from Lebanon via Masnaa (Jdeidet Yabous) and, with extreme caution, from Jordan via Nassib; it advises against the other crossings with Lebanon and, under no circumstances, the crossings with Iraq. At the Turkish crossing of Bab al-Hawa, Turkey usually asks the traveller's embassy to confirm their nationality. According to the UK Government, Israeli or Iranian nationals cannot enter, and illegal entry is punished with fines or prison.