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Syria considering extending passport validity for citizens abroad

January 2, 2025 at 11:03 am

Syrian refugees residing in Turkey return to their homeland through the Cilvegözü Border Gate on December 12, 2024 in Hatay, Turkiye. [Berkman Ulutin/ dia images via Getty Images]

Syria’s new government is considering extending the validity of passports for citizens living abroad, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said yesterday.

The Syrian official’s statement came in a post on X, in which he said that he instructed the consular and Expatriate Affairs Department to provide the best possible consular services to expatriates, address their complaints, and authenticate all their documents free of charge until new regulations are issued.

He further noted that the government was currently examining the possibility of extending passport validity, reducing fees and implementing other measures aimed at easing the burdens on Syrians living abroad.

The minister’s announcement is part of a series of measures implemented by the new government to facilitate the return of Syrians who left the country in recent years to escape the oppressive rule of the ousted regime.

READ: Over 25,000 refugees return to Syria from Turkiye, following fall of Assad regime