Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Muhammad Yaqub al-Omar told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that U.S. and U.K. citizens can use earlier entry procedures after a temporary prior-approval rule ended Friday, Nov. 13.
Al-Omar said the reversal left other nationalities’ entry arrangements as they stood, SANA reported. Anadolu Agency reported that videos of Americans claiming they had been denied entry circulated Thursday, Nov. 12, a day before the announcement.
U.S. citizens had recently been added to the Interior Ministry’s list requiring prior approval, Mazen Alloush, director of international relations and cooperation at Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs, told Anadolu on Thursday. Alloush said the authority followed ministry instructions and did not choose which nationalities needed clearance.
Anadolu also reported that on April 29, the Foreign Ministry denied reports of changes to entry procedures and said Decision No. 128, issued in July 2025, remained in effect. The outlet said al-Omar gave no account of what prompted the rule or its removal.
