Syria to lift entry bans for millions of citizens

Since February of this year, Syria’s transitional government Ministry of Interior has reviewed 8 million cases of entry bans into the country.

According to Syrian media, the Ministry’s official representative, Nureddin al-Baba, said the ministry will complete the process in the coming months to remove millions of Syrians from the list of individuals prohibited from entering the Arab Republic. He noted that these bans “have been in place since the Ba’athist coup (the 1963 state coup in Syria).”

“Since February of this year, the Ministry of Interior has reviewed 8 million travel-ban cases. Over the next few months, we will complete the task of removing millions of Syrians, who are currently banned from entry, from the list,” al-Baba said.

He explained that the ministry is working to identify those who were blacklisted for political reasons but are not criminals. At the same time, he stressed that around one million Syrians connected to the country’s former authorities remain banned from entering.

Syria has experienced major political changes since late 2024. In November of that year, opposition forces launched a large-scale offensive against government positions, culminating on December 8 when rebels entered Damascus. This led President Bashar al-Assad to resign and flee the country, allowing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to assume leadership.

On January 29, 2025, al-Sharaa formally declared himself acting president of Syria, marking the start of a transitional period expected to last four to five years.

By Tamilla Hasanova