Syrian passport

Syrian Passport
The front cover of a contemporary Syrian biometric passport
Type	Passport
Issued by	Syria Ministry of Interior, Directorate of Immigration and Passports
First issued	1929 (first version) 21 August 2023 (biometric) [1]
Purpose	Identification, proof of citizenship
Eligibility	Syrian citizenship
Expiration	6 years [2]

The Syrian passport ^[a] is a travel document issued by Syria's Directorate of Immigration and Passports to Syrian citizens for international travel. ^[1] It can also be issued on behalf of the directorate at various Syrian diplomatic missions outside of Syria.

History

Biometric passport

In late 2016, Syria's Department of Immigration and Passports announced that it is planning to change to biometric passports. ^[3] In early 2019, Syria's Interior Minister announced that the country is getting ready to release its new passport. ^[4] In August 2023, Syria officially introduced the biometric passport, which notably dropped the usage of the French Language and kept Arabic and English. ^[1]

Issuance procedure

Facilitations during the civil war

In April 2015, Syria changed its passport requirements so that Syrians outside Syria, including refugees who have fled the Syrian Civil War, are eligible for passports without having to go through a review by the intelligence services. Passports will be issued to Syrians "even if they left in an illegal manner or they hold non-official passports or travel documents", likely referring to passports issued by Syrian opposition representatives in Qatar. ^[5]

However, the government was also criticized for increasing fees and limiting the ease of obtaining passports for Syrians abroad throughout the war, with costs going from less than US$20 in Syria to hundreds or even a thousand dollars needed to renew a passport in Turkey between official fees and corruption. This was seen as a way to obtain foreign currency reserves and fund al-Assad's administration. ^{[6] [7]} Consular revenues increased from 0.4% of government income in 2010 to 5.4% in 2023. Some countries supplied Syrian refugees with a certificate of identity or a refugee travel document due to the issues with getting a new passport. ^[8]

Types

Common feature

Syrian passports include the following data on the information page:

• Photo of the passport holder
• Type (“PN” for ordinary passports, “PD” for diplomatic passports, “PL” for special passports, “PS” for service passport)
• Country Code (SYR)
• Passport number
• Name and surname of the passport holder
• Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY)
• Sex
• Place of birth (For people born in Syria only the name of the governorate of birth is written, for people born outside Syria only the country of birth is written)
• Father name and mother name
• Holder's national ID number (written under the photo of the holder)
• Date of expiry (DD/MM/YYYY)
• Place of Issue (For passports issued in Syria the name of the governorate of issue is written followed by a number specifying the centre within the governorate, for passports issued outside Syria only the country of issue is written)
• Date of issue (DD/MM/YYYY)

The information page ends with the machine readable zone.

The items are identified by text in Arabic and English (e.g., "تاريخ الولادة / Date of birth")

Passport note

The passports contain inside the front cover a note that is addressed to the authorities of all countries and territories, identifying the bearer as a citizen of Syria and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms:

In Arabic:

يُطلب من موظفي حكومة الجمهورية العربية السورية ومن ممثليها في الخارج ويرجى من كل سلطة أخرى تعمل باسم الحكومة العربية السورية ومن السلطات المختصة أن تسمح لحامل هذا الجواز بحرية المرور وأن يقدم له كل ما يحتاج إليه من مساعدة ورعاية.

In English:

Officials of the Syrian Arab Republic and the diplomatic and consular authorities and any other authority acting on behalf of the Syrian Arab Government together with the relevant foreign authorities are kindly requested to let this passport holder pass freely and to give him the assistance and protection he may need.

Ordinary passport

Ordinary passports are issued to Syrian citizens. They are navy blue, with the Syrian Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover.
The words "الجمهورية العربية السورية" and "SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC" are centred on the top, and the words "جواز سفر" and "PASSPORT" are centred on the bottom, with the biometric passport symbol positioned below them.

Diplomatic passport

Diplomatic passports are burgundy, with the Syrian Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover.
The words "الجمهورية العربية السورية" and "SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC" are centred on the top, and the words "جواز سفر دبلوماسي" and "DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT" are centred on the bottom, with the biometric passport symbol positioned below them.

They are issued to the following categories and granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (Protocols Department):
A - Prime Minister and other ministers
B - Speaker of the People's Assembly and his deputy
C - Members of the diplomatic and consular corps and members of missions of Syria to international organizations.
D -Technical attaches of various ranks to diplomatic missions abroad
E - Diplomatic baggage holders
F - Members delegated from the Syrian Arab Republic to the main organs of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice during the performance of their mission
G- Former foreign ministers
H- Wives, minor children, and unmarried daughters of members of the categories mentioned.

Diplomatic lose their value when the holder arrives in Syrian territory, since the diplomatic passport loses its immunity when its holder arrives in the country that granted him the diplomatic passport.

Special passport

Special passports are brown, with the Syrian Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover.
The words "الجمهورية العربية السورية" and "SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC" are centred on the top, and the words "جواز سفر خاص" and "SPECIAL PASSPORT" are centred on the bottom, with the biometric passport symbol positioned below them.

They are issued to the following categories and granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (Protocols Department):
A - Governors of the Syrian governorates.
B - Employees working at the level of Undersecretary and above and their equivalents.
C - Members of the People's Assembly.
D - Former ambassadors and ministers.
E - Syrian employees in the League of Arab States who are considered members of diplomatic missions during their official movements.
F - Administrative and clerical employees attached to diplomatic missions and missions of Syrian to international organizations
G- Wives of Category (A) individuals and their minor children
H- Wives of members of other categories and their minor children traveling with them.

Special passports lose their value when the holder arrives in Syrian territory, since the special passport loses its immunity when its holder arrives in the country that granted him the special passport.

Service passport

Service passports, also called Mission passports, are green, with the Syrian Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover.
The words "الجمهورية العربية السورية" and "SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC" are centred on the top, and the words "جواز سفر مهمة" and "SERVICE PASSPORT" are centred on the bottom, with the biometric passport symbol positioned below them.

They are issued to the following categories and granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (Protocols Department):
State employees dispatched on an official mission abroad, such as conferences, meetings, exhibitions, and international bodies other than those mentioned above, based on a request from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The passport for a mission ends as soon as the mission is completed, and its holder arrives in Syrian territory.

Hajj passport

A Hajj passport is issued to citizens wishing to perform Hajj. It is valid for travel once and expires after arriving back in Syrian territory. It is granted by the Ministry of Interior (Immigration and Passports Directorate) in coordination with the Ministry of Endowments (Directorate of Hajj and Umrah).

Maritime passport

Maritime passports are issued to ship sailors by the Ministry of Transport (Maritime Inspection Department).

Air passport

Air passports are issued to the aircraft command authority by the Ministry of Transport (General Corporation of Civil Aviation).

Other passports

The Syrian government also issues two types of travel documents:

1. A special travel document for Palestinian refugees: issued to Palestinians who were displaced to Syria during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and is granted by the Ministry of Interior (Immigration and Passports Directorate) and Syrian diplomatic missions abroad.
2. Transit Document: is issued to citizens and holders of a Palestinian refugee document and is granted by Syrian diplomatic missions abroad in order to facilitate their arrival from their place of residence to Syrian territory when the passport or travel document of Palestinian refugees outside Syrian territory is lost.

Physical appearance

Ordinary biometric passport

An ordinary Syrian passport contains 48 pages, each two of them (excluding the first three and the last one, which include governmental notations and the holder's information) have a Syrian landmark.

• Front Cover exterior

Coat of arms of the Syrian Arab Republic

Front cover under UV light

• Front Cover interior and page 1

• Pages 2 and 3

Holder's Information

• Pages 4 and 5

Citadel of Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate

• Pages 6 and 7

Umayyad Mosque, Damascus Governorate

• Pages 8 and 9

Jabar Citadel, Raqqa Governorate

• Pages 10 and 11

Busra Amphitheatre, Daraa Governorate

• Pages 12 and 13

Deir ez-Zor Suspension Bridge, Deir ez-Zor Governorate

• Pages 14 and 15

Citadel of Salah ed-Din, Latakia Governorate

• Pages 16 and 17

Hama Waterwheels, Hama Governorate

• Pages 18 and 19

Palmyra Theatre, Homs Governorate

• Pages 20 and 21

Al-Marqab Citadel, Tartus Governorate

• Pages 22 and 23

Convent of Saint Thecla, Rif Dimashq Governorate

• Pages 24 and 25

Ain Diwar Bridge, Al-Hasakah Governorate

• Pages 26 and 27

Gothic Church of Qalb Lozeh, Idlib Governorate

• Pages 28 and 29

Nimrod Fortress, Quneitra Governorate ^[b]

• Pages 30 and 31

Qanawat, As-Suwayda Governorate

• Pages 32 and 33

October War Panorama, Rif Dimashq Governorate

• Pages 34 and 35

Souq Al-Hamidiyah, Damascus Governorate

• Pages 36 and 37

Euphrates Dam, Raqqa Governorate

Pages 36 and 37, the Euphrates Dam

• Pages 38 and 39

Krak des Chevaliers, Homs Governorate

• Pages 40 and 41

Afamia, Hama Governorate

• Pages 42 and 43

Saint Simon Citadel, Aleppo Governorate

• Pages 44 and 45

Martyrs' Monument, Rif Dimashq Governorate

• Pages 46 and 47

Citadel of Damascus, Damascus Governorate

• Page 48 and Back Cover interior

Visa requirements

Main article: Visa requirements for Syrian citizens

Countries and territories with visa-free or visa on arrival entry for holders of ordinary Syrian passports

As of 2024, Syrian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 29 countries and territories, ranking the Syrian passport 105th in the world which is the second least powerful passport in the world, only behind Afghanistan, according to the Henley Passport Index. ^[9]

Gallery of historic images

• 
  Front Cover of an ordinary non-biometric Syrian passport issued until 2023.

• 
  Front Cover interior and page 1 of an ordinary non-biometric Syrian passport issued until 2023.

See also

• Visa requirements for Syrian citizens
• Visa policy of Syria
• Syrian nationality law

References

1. "Unveiling the New Syrian Passport". Syria TV (in Arabic). 20 August 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
2. "جواز السفر السوري بصلاحية 6 سنوات وتصميم جديد مرتقب قريباً". Syria TV. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
3. "Syrian Department of Immigration and Passports: New Passport with Electronic Chip". Palestinian Refugees Portal (in Arabic). 22 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
4. "Minister of Interior in addressing the People's Assembly: Working on the Electronic Passport Project and Developing Traffic Management". SANA (in Arabic). 17 February 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
5. "Syrian Government Eases Procedures for Issuing Passports to Syrians who Left Through Irregular Means". Swissinfo (in Arabic). 26 April 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
6. "Syria government profits from hike in passport demand". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
7. Council, Atlantic (7 July 2017). "The Passport Racket of the Syrian Government" . Retrieved 9 January 2025.
8. "Syrian passports: How German money funds war crimes in Syria – DW – 03/28/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
9. "Passport Index". Henley & Partners. Retrieved 2 July 2023.

Notes

1. Arabic: جواز سفر الجمهورية العربية السورية, romanized: Jawāz Safar Al-Jumhūriyyah Al-ʿArabiyyah Al-Sūriyya
2. The Fortress is de facto in Israel's Northern District as it is located in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which the international community, with the exception of Israel and the United States, regards as Syrian territory held under Israeli occupation