Syria Travel Information

The very unstable security situation in Syria means that the threat posed to Norwegian citizens is considered high. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs discourages any travel or stay in Syria. Norwegians located in Syria are encouraged to leave the country. The Norwegian authorities’ ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is extremely limited. According to Abbreviationfinder, SYR stands for Syria in geography.

Safety

The very unstable security situation in Syria means that the threat posed to Norwegian citizens is considered high. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs discourages any travel or stay in Syria. Norwegians located in Syria are encouraged to leave the country. The Norwegian authorities’ ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is extremely limited.

Travel advice – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs discourages all travel to or stay in Syria. Norwegians located in Syria are encouraged to leave the country.

Diplomatic presence – The Norwegian Embassy in Damascus is located in the Danish Embassy and is open from Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 to 14:00.

Visiting address: The Royal Norwegian Embassy of Damascus, West Mezzeh, Ghazzawi Street, Fatima Edriss Lane (next to UNDP), Danish Embassy building, PO Box: 7703, Damascus,

Tel: +963 11 6122941 and +963 11 6670165, Fax.: +963 11 6122942.

The Norwegian authorities’ ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is extremely limited. The embassy has suspended its services to the public for the time being due to the security situation in the country. The Norwegian Embassy in Beirut will handle all inquiries regarding visa matters and services. For sick inquiries and other consular services, contact the Norwegian Embassy in Beirut;

  • Countryaah: Damascus is the capital of Syria. Check to find information of population, geography, history, and economy about the capital city.

Visiting Address: The Royal Norwegian Embassy of Beirut, Embassy Complex, Serail Hill, Zokak el Blatt, Beirut
Postal Address: PO Box 113 7001, Hamra, 1103-2150 Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: +961 (0) 1 960 000 – Press 1 for visa section and 2 for the embassy
Email embassy: emb.beirut@mfa.no
Email for the visa section: visabeirut@mfa.no

For any appointment at the embassies, an appointment or appointment must be made in advance.

Current situation description – The ongoing war means that the security situation in the country is considered very dangerous and travel to or stay in Syria is not advised. Regardless of geographical area and which actors have military control, the risk of being hit by rocket strikes, random shootings, kidnappings and car bombs is considered high.

Terrorism and war actions: The risk of being hit by terrorist incidents and acts of war in Syria is considered high to very high.

Kidnappings and abductions: The risk of being abducted in Syria is considered very high.

Sexual orientation: Homosexuality is prohibited in Syria and sentencing can lead to prison sentences.

Natural disasters: Syria is exposed to several natural disasters, such as earthquakes, droughts and floods.

Travel registration: Norwegian citizens staying for a shorter or longer period in Syria are encouraged to register on www.reiseregistrering.no.

Insurance: Norwegian citizens are encouraged to have valid travel insurance.

Local
Emergency Numbers – Health Care/Ambulance 110
Police 112
Fire Department 113

Emergency: Outside the embassy’s opening hours, the public can contact the UD’s 24-hour operating center on tel: +47 23 95 0000 E-mail: UDops@mfa.no

Major Landmarks in Syria

Entry

Please note that entry regulations may change. The Foreign Service is not responsible if the following information on entry regulations or visa requirements is changed at short notice. It is the responsibility of the traveler to ensure that travel documents are valid for entry and to familiarize themselves with the current entry rules for each country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not advise anyone traveling to or staying in Syria. Norwegians located in Syria are encouraged to leave the country.

Visa to Syria for Norwegian citizens applied for at the Syrian Embassy in Stockholm;

Visiting address: The Syrian Embassy in Stockholm, Vendevägen 90, 182 32 Danderyd, Sweden Tel: +46 8 622 18 70

For more information, see their website; http://www.syrianembassy.se/.

For more detailed information on necessary travel documents, or any restrictions on the import of medicines, animals, etc., contact the Syrian Embassy in Stockholm.

Health

Since the crisis broke out in the country, there has been a breakdown in the Syrian health sector due to major material destruction, collapse of local medicine production, fewer doctors and health workers while far more patients. Health services depend heavily on different geographical areas and which actors have the military, administrative and civilian control.

Health challenges – The ongoing war has led to major challenges in the health sector, in terms of health care, access to medicines, over 1.5 million injured as a result of war actions, inadequate humanitarian access and medication for the chronically ill – to name a few. This is on top of the fact that a large part of the population suffers from inadequate food and water supply, poor water quality, inadequate shelter and heating and/or poor sanitary conditions.

WHO reports on the prevalence of influenza-like diseases, acute diarrhea and typhoid. While registering 25 cases of polio until 2013, after extensive vaccination campaigns, no new cases have occurred in the past year.

For up-to-date information on the prevalence of epidemics, see WHO’s weekly Ewars (Early Warning and Response System) updates, here.

Access to medicines: There is limited access to medicines.

For more and up-to-date information on the situation in the health sector in Syria, see WHO’s Syria website.

Practical information

  • Time difference: + 1 hour
  • Current: 220 volts.
  • Phone: There are two nationwide GSM networks: Syriatel and MTN Syria.
  • National telephone code: +963 (allcitycodes)
  • Internet domain:.sy
  • Currency value: Due to very high inflation, the Syrian pound has fallen sharply in value since 2011. On 30 November 2015, the official exchange rate of SYP 346.69 was for USD 1.
  • National Holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1), Revolution Day (March 8) Mother’s Day (March 21), National Day (April 17), Martyr Day (May 6), Christmas (December 24-25). Easter (varies), Eid al-Adha(varies), Eid al-Fitr (varies) muharram (varies) and mawlid (varies). Non-religious celebrations associated with political events/the ruling regime are not necessarily celebrated in rebel-controlled areas of the country.
  • Please note that bank/credit cards are no longer a valid means of payment in Syria. This means that it is not possible to withdraw local currency (SYP) or USD from ATMs.

Other

  • Language: The official language of Syria is Arabic, which in its spoken language has its own Syrian dialect form. Classical Arabic, which is the written language, is used in official contexts, on radio and on television. In the north, Kurdish dialects are also spoken, and in some villages northeast of Damascus there are remnants of Aramaic, the language spoken in the area in Jesus’ time.
  • Climate: The short Mediterranean coastline has hot, dry summers, pleasant autumn and spring and a short but occasionally cold winter. Most of the precipitation falls during the winter months, but snow is relatively rare. Most of the country is desert or semi-desert. In the northern part, the Euphrates flows through the land and forms the middle part of the fertile crescent, which extends from the Gulf to Sinai.