Syria

SYR

Syria endured one of the world's most destructive civil wars from 2011, displacing over half its pre-war population of 22 million. The Assad government, backed by Russia and Iran, retained control of major cities after years of fighting, but fell abruptly in December 2024 when rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured Damascus and ended five decades of Assad family rule. A transitional government is now attempting to establish authority across a fragmented country where Kurdish-led forces control the northeast, residual armed groups operate in the south, and Turkish-backed factions hold parts of the north. Reconstruction needs are estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Infrastructure, healthcare, and the Syrian pound remain in severe deterioration. Major Western governments maintain travel advisories warning against all or all but essential travel. Formal immigration pathways are not practically accessible under current conditions.

Passport Rank

#101

Visa-Free

destinations

Country Details

Capital: Damascus
Currency: Syrian Pound (SYP)
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic
Population: 21,324,000
Tax System: Residence Based
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed
Naturalisation: 10 years
Schengen / EU: No
Climate: Mediterranean along the coast; semi-arid and arid continental in the interior and east

Indices

Cost of Living

Safety

Healthcare

Quality of Life

Tax Summary

Tax System: Residence Based
Territorial Taxation: No — worldwide income taxed for residents
Naturalisation: 10 years of legal residency
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed

Cost of Living by City

← scroll the table →

Monthly cost of living per major city in USD: rent, groceries, utilities, transit pass
City	Rent 1BR centre	Rent outside	Groceries	Utilities	Transit pass
Damascus	—	—	—	—	—
Aleppo	—	—	—	—	—
Latakia	—	—	—	—	—

Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.

Climate

Damascus

6.5°J

8.2°F

12.1°M

16.6°A

21.7°M

25.6°J

27.8°J

27.6°A

24.7°S

19.8°O

12.5°N

7.8°D

Rainfall range: 0–26 mm/month · Daylight 10h (winter) to 14h (summer)

Aleppo

5.6°J

7.4°F

11°M

15.8°A

21.1°M

25.8°J

28.3°J

28.1°A

25.2°S

19.4°O

12.3°N

7.3°D

Rainfall range: 0–60 mm/month · Daylight 10h (winter) to 14h (summer)

Latakia

11.6°J

12.6°F

14.8°M

17.8°A

20.7°M

23.8°J

26.3°J

27°A

25.6°S

22.3°O

17.5°N

13.3°D

Rainfall range: 1–185 mm/month · Daylight 10h (winter) to 14h (summer)

Visa Categories & Immigration Authority

Major Visa Categories

Tourist
Business
Work
Family
Student
Diplomatic

Authority: Immigration & Passports Department
Official Portal: moi.gov.sy

Naturalisation Details

Residence Years: 10
Language Test: Yes (Arabic — fluent spoken and written (Modern Standard Arabic assessed informally by officials; no standardised external test required))
Civic Test: No
Oath Required: Yes
Dual Allowed: Yes
Fee: $100
Processing: ~24 months

Safety

GPI Rank

#158

Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)

Common Risks

⚠Currency exchange fraud: unlicensed money changers offer advantageous SYP/USD rates but shortchange or provide counterfeit notes; always use established exchange offices and count carefully
⚠Fake NGO/humanitarian employment: fraudulent job offers claiming to be from UN or INGO affiliates, targeting returnees and diaspora via social media; request upfront 'registration' or 'processing' fees
⚠Checkpoint extortion by armed factions in areas of contested or fragmented control, particularly on routes between major cities; armed men demand cash payments or confiscate goods
⚠Property and rental fraud: landlords or agents collecting months of advance rent for properties they do not own or that are uninhabitable due to war damage; verify ownership via Tapu (land registry) before paying
⚠Phone and online scams exploiting diaspora seeking to send remittances; fake hawala brokers disappear with funds

Examples of areas to avoid: Eastern Ghouta (Rural Damascus) — heavily damaged from 2013–2018 sieges; unexploded ordnance (UXO) risk; patchy governance, Daraa governorate — residual Islamic State (IS) sleeper cell activity and inter-factional tensions post-reconciliation deals, Deir ez-Zor and eastern Syria — contested between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF/Kurds), Turkish-backed factions, and IS remnants; kidnapping risk for foreigners is high, Idlib–Aleppo road corridor — historically controlled by HTS; now in transition but security checkpoints and armed group presence remain unpredictable, Al-Raqqah — former IS capital; significant UXO and ongoing low-level IS insurgency; SDF control but volatile, Note: The December 2024 HTS-led offensive toppled the Assad government (Assad fled to Russia 8 Dec 2024). Transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Muhammad al-Julani) is restructuring security forces, but warlordism, factional rivalry, and criminal networks persist. The FCDO, US State Department, and most Western governments still advise against all but essential travel to Syria.

Related Guides

Exit tax: countries that charge you to leave

Country-by-country reference of departure taxes, deemed-disposition rules, and wealth-locking regimes that trigger when tax residency ends.

Sources & last verified

Last verified 2026-06-15