Reporting by Ahmed al-Khalil: Translation by Yusra Ahmed
(Eqtsad)- “Passport” has become a need and a must for Syrians as it is their hope to be able to leave the country to find safer place.
Passport application for adults over 18 requires attending in person to the Immigration and passport agency with the ID card for people who are inside Syria, while for minors under this age, passport application needs to be submitted by the father only, or someone from the family who has a guardianship like a mother or uncle or aunt if the father is dead or absent for any reason like travel or abduction.
Getting a guardianship for a minor needs first a permission from the neighbourhood’s official to forward it to the Civil affairs judge to grant the guardianship. It sounds simple, however, the official starts blackmailing the relatives of the minor and request proof of the father’s death or in case of travel or disappearance or abduction, the official starts questioning about reasons behind disappearance and if the father is “terrorist”, just as a hint for parents to force them to pay bribery of at least 500 Syrian pounds (S.P) to sign the permission.
The journey continues in the court, where the parents need to pay fees in a form of stamps equal to 340 Syrian pound officially, but the actual price gets doubled.
After putting the stamps on the permission, the turn of the Judge of civil Affairs comes, who repeats the same questions: “is your father a terrorist, what is the proof of his abudction, can you provide death certificate”, then he signs the permission without stamping it and forward it to the clerk office, where the same questions are repeated and excuses given to delay the process till the applicant give the employee a bribery of at least 1000 S.P to forward a letter to the immigration stating that the applicant has a guardianship for the minor to act on behalf of him or her, then the permission returned to the judge who stamp it and forward it to prosecutor for final signature.
If someone wants to save himself all the hassle, he can give the application to a specialist pursuer at a cost of 8000 S.P at least.
In addition to the guardianship, a minor passport require a copy of the civil register. It seems easy to get that, but with frequent electricity cut off and poor internet connection, the process takes long time causing huge queues. After printing the document of civil register, it needs stamps of 150 S.P, and bribery of 500 S.P for the head of the civil registry office to sign it, then it needs to go to the municipality to sign and stamp by the manager after paying 100 S.P officially.
The cost of civil register reaches to 2000 Syrian pounds if a specialist pursuer would do it.
the long journey to get a passport for a minor continues to immigration and passport agency, where an application cost 50 S.P then it needs filling in and putting stamps equal to 500 S.P, then the application with the civil register and the guardianship letter need to be submitted.
In most cases the civil register gets rejected, the another one need to be issued from the civil registry office nearby the immigration and passport agency, which costs in total around 500 S.P between official fees and bribery.
the colonel in the immigration and passport agency receives documents and sign them to direct the applicant to the designated employee who forward the applicant once again to another employee to sign on papers to enable him to receive the passport, then an amount of 5200 S.P must be paid to the bank and come again with the receipt.
The other option is that the employee could pay the fees on behalf of the applicant but needs to pay 500 SP extra, besides another 1000 S.P for the employee’s help, who tells the applicant to come back after 12 days to receive the passport with validity of 6 years.
In regard to adults passports, the same procedures take place for men over 42 years old and for “the only male” in the family, who must provide the same documents except the guardianship document, and they are issued a passport valid for 6 years.
However, young men aged 18-42, are only entitled for passports valid for 2 years on condition to pay $300 for insurance if applicants are inside the country after having a permission from the military recruitment.
For those who are outside the country, they need to provide a proof of address abroad verified by one of regime’s embassies and paying $.200 for renewal or $.400 for issuing a new passport.
(Eqtsad)- “Passport” has become a need and a must for Syrians as it is their hope to be able to leave the country to find safer place.
Passport application for adults over 18 requires attending in person to the Immigration and passport agency with the ID card for people who are inside Syria, while for minors under this age, passport application needs to be submitted by the father only, or someone from the family who has a guardianship like a mother or uncle or aunt if the father is dead or absent for any reason like travel or abduction.
Getting a guardianship for a minor needs first a permission from the neighbourhood’s official to forward it to the Civil affairs judge to grant the guardianship. It sounds simple, however, the official starts blackmailing the relatives of the minor and request proof of the father’s death or in case of travel or disappearance or abduction, the official starts questioning about reasons behind disappearance and if the father is “terrorist”, just as a hint for parents to force them to pay bribery of at least 500 Syrian pounds (S.P) to sign the permission.
The journey continues in the court, where the parents need to pay fees in a form of stamps equal to 340 Syrian pound officially, but the actual price gets doubled.
After putting the stamps on the permission, the turn of the Judge of civil Affairs comes, who repeats the same questions: “is your father a terrorist, what is the proof of his abudction, can you provide death certificate”, then he signs the permission without stamping it and forward it to the clerk office, where the same questions are repeated and excuses given to delay the process till the applicant give the employee a bribery of at least 1000 S.P to forward a letter to the immigration stating that the applicant has a guardianship for the minor to act on behalf of him or her, then the permission returned to the judge who stamp it and forward it to prosecutor for final signature.
If someone wants to save himself all the hassle, he can give the application to a specialist pursuer at a cost of 8000 S.P at least.
In addition to the guardianship, a minor passport require a copy of the civil register. It seems easy to get that, but with frequent electricity cut off and poor internet connection, the process takes long time causing huge queues. After printing the document of civil register, it needs stamps of 150 S.P, and bribery of 500 S.P for the head of the civil registry office to sign it, then it needs to go to the municipality to sign and stamp by the manager after paying 100 S.P officially.
The cost of civil register reaches to 2000 Syrian pounds if a specialist pursuer would do it.
the long journey to get a passport for a minor continues to immigration and passport agency, where an application cost 50 S.P then it needs filling in and putting stamps equal to 500 S.P, then the application with the civil register and the guardianship letter need to be submitted.
In most cases the civil register gets rejected, the another one need to be issued from the civil registry office nearby the immigration and passport agency, which costs in total around 500 S.P between official fees and bribery.
the colonel in the immigration and passport agency receives documents and sign them to direct the applicant to the designated employee who forward the applicant once again to another employee to sign on papers to enable him to receive the passport, then an amount of 5200 S.P must be paid to the bank and come again with the receipt.
The other option is that the employee could pay the fees on behalf of the applicant but needs to pay 500 SP extra, besides another 1000 S.P for the employee’s help, who tells the applicant to come back after 12 days to receive the passport with validity of 6 years.
In regard to adults passports, the same procedures take place for men over 42 years old and for “the only male” in the family, who must provide the same documents except the guardianship document, and they are issued a passport valid for 6 years.
However, young men aged 18-42, are only entitled for passports valid for 2 years on condition to pay $300 for insurance if applicants are inside the country after having a permission from the military recruitment.
For those who are outside the country, they need to provide a proof of address abroad verified by one of regime’s embassies and paying $.200 for renewal or $.400 for issuing a new passport.
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