Syria to hike visa fees with Brits to pay $250 to enter

Syria’s transitional government has announced a significant hike in visa fees for several countries, with British nationals set to pay $250 to visit for just 15 days, according to a document circulated on social media and verified by The New Arab.

Other notable changes include $75 for US entrants to the country for a 15-day visit, with Russians paying $25 for three days.

Countries exempt from visa requirements include its neighbours Lebanon and Jordan, with Malaysia and Mauritania are also included. 

Iraq, with which Syria shares a 372-mile border, has controversially been placed in group seven, meaning Iraqi visitors are now required to pay $250 for a single-entry visa, up from the previous $50. Additionally, Iraqi nationals will only be granted a three-month stay per one single visit.

This could cause difficulties for Iraqi Kurds who have family in Syria, though, given the use of Iraq by Iran and the Assad regime to bring in foreign fighters, the interim government’s measures are seen by many as understandable. 

According to the official document, the updated fees also include $150 for citizens of Oman, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, with a validity of three months. However, unlike Iraqis, these visas will allow multiple entries.

Speaking on the increased fees for visas, Yazan al-Saadi, The New Arab’s Syrian-Canadian international editor based in Beirut, sees both economic and political reasons for the hike:

“One can speculate on various reasons why there are new visa requirements set by the interim Syrian government,” he said.

“I think the change relates to economic reasons, i.e. trying to gain revenue, political reciprocity with certain states, and security reasons to limit foreign fighters – especially those who held Western passports.”

Though the document has been verified as belonging to the Syrian Ministry of the Interior, The New Arab has emailed the ministry for clarification.