Do not travel to Syria due to terrorism, civil unrest,
kidnapping, and armed conflict.
Country Summary: No part of Syria is
safe from violence. Kidnappings by armed groups, arbitrary arrests, the use of
chemical warfare, shelling, and aerial bombardment pose significant risk of
death or serious injury. The destruction of infrastructure, housing, medical
facilities, schools, and power and water utilities has also increased hardships
inside the country.
The U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in
February 2012. The Czech Republic serves as the protecting power for the United
States in Syria. The range of consular services that the Czech Republic
provides to U.S. citizens is extremely limited (to include accepting
applications for U.S. passports and U.S. Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, as
well as providing notarial services), and the U.S. government is unable
to provide any emergency services to U.S. citizens in Syria. U.S. citizens in
Syria who seek consular services should try to quickly and safely leave the
country and contact a U.S. embassy or consulate in a neighboring country, if
possible.
Long standing conflict with neighboring states and porous
borders have contributed to a complex and unpredictable security
environment. Syria has experienced active armed conflict since 2011.
The U.S. government particularly warns private U.S. citizens
against traveling to Syria to engage in armed conflict. U.S. citizens who
undertake such activity face extreme personal risks, including kidnapping by
armed groups, arbitrary arrests, injury, or death. The U.S. government does not
support this activity. Our ability to provide consular assistance to
individuals who are injured or kidnapped, or to the families of individuals who
die in the conflict, is extremely limited.
Fighting on behalf of or providing other forms of support to
designated terrorist organizations, including ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates, can
constitute the provision of material support for terrorism, which is a crime
under U.S. law that can result in penalties including prison time and large
fines.
There is an ongoing risk of kidnapping and detentions of U.S.
citizens and Westerners throughout the country. U.S. citizens remain a target,
with many abductions having occurred since mid-2012 and as recently as early
2019. U.S. citizens are also targets of arbitrary abduction and detention
by the Syrian government and while in detention do not have access to due
process or medical attention. Government detention centers are known to be
unsanitary facilities where cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of
detainees has been documented, as well as torture and extrajudicial killings.
Note: Only the Syrian government can issue a valid entry visa to
Syria. Failure to obtain a legitimate entry visa directly from the Syrian
government could result in detention.
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within or in the
vicinity of Syria, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and/or a Special Federal
Aviation Regulation (SFAR), which says that heightened
military activity associated with the Syrian conflict may result in the risk of
GPS interference, communications jamming, and errant long-range surface to air
missiles straying into adjacent airspace within 200 nautical miles of the
Damascus Flight Information Region. These activities may inadvertently pose
hazards to U.S. civil aviation transiting the region. It also has the potential
to spill over into the adjacent airspace managed by neighboring states and
eastern portions of the Mediterranean Sea.
As there is no direct commercial air service to the United
States by carriers registered in Syria, the FAA has not assessed the Government
of Syria’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. Further information may
be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page. For more information
U.S. citizens should consult the FAA’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and
Notices.
Read the Safety and Security section on the country
information page.
If you decide to travel to Syria:
- Visit our website on Travel
to High Risk Areas.
- Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance
beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
- Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody
of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections,
artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
- Share important documents, login information, and
points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs, if
you are unable to return as planned to the United States. Leave DNA
samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family
to access them.
- Establish your own personal security plan in
coordination with your employer or host organization, or consider
consulting with a professional security organization.
- Develop a communication plan with family and/or your
employer or host organization so that they can monitor your safety and
location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify
who you would contact first, and how they should share the information.
- Enroll your trip in the State Department's Smart Traveler
Enrollment Program (STEP) to
receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
- U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a
contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s
Checklist.
Last Update: Reissued with
updates to Detention and Aviation Safety Information.
