Syria rolls back new visa restrictions for US citizens after backlash: What to know

Detailed summary

A number of Syrians on social media criticized the change, saying it would harm efforts to draw tourists to the post-war country.

Syria has reversed a new requirement that US citizens obtain prior approval before entering the country, restoring previous entry procedures after the restriction sparked backlash.

What happened: Mazen Alloush, director of international relations at Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs, told the Syrian fact-checking platform Taakkad on Friday that entry procedures for US citizens have returned to normal. He said the requirement to obtain approval before entering Syria has been canceled after being imposed “temporarily” by the Interior Ministry.

On Thursday, Alloush told Taakkad that US citizens had been added to a list requiring preapproval before traveling to Syria alongside Egyptian, Tunisian and some East Asian nationals. Gulf and European citizens, however, could continue to obtain tourist visas on arrival, he said.

Al-Monitor contacted Syria’s Foreign Ministry and the US State Department for comment on the introduction and subsequent reversal of the entry restrictions but did not immediately receive a response from either.

Separately, Syrian Guides, a website providing travel information for visitors to Syria, posted a notice Thursday stating that tourists of all nationalities must “arrange travel through a travel agency or tour operator.” The requirement would effectively limit independent travel to the country. That measure also appears to have been reversed, with the website posting another notice on Friday that the US restrictions had been canceled and other rules remained “unchanged.”

The restrictions prompted a broad backlash from observers on social media, many of whom warned that they could undermine efforts to revive Syria’s tourism sector.

Why it matters: The Syrian government aims to boost tourism after receiving more than 3.5 million visitors in the first half of 2026, up from 1.6 million during the same period in 2025, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

However, tighter visa restrictions and ongoing security threats could deter…

Touris…

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