In the wake of the historic transformations taking place in Syria, there have been urgent calls for the new Syrian government to address one of the heaviest legacies of the former regime: the exorbitant fees imposed on Syrian passports.
In a statement, the Syrian Network for Human Rights called for urgent and comprehensive reforms, describing the current system as a violation of the most basic human right to freedom of movement and an unbearable financial burden for Syrians suffering from severe economic hardship.
The current fee structure reveals a stark disconnect from the country's dire economic reality. Abroad, the cost of issuing a passport can reach $300 for a regular service, which can take up to 40 working days, and jumps to $800 for expedited service.
Internally, the situation is no less dire. The cost of an "instant" passport is approximately 2.1 million Syrian pounds (equivalent to $200), an amount that exceeds the average monthly salary of a civil servant, which is 2.16 million pounds (according to February 2025 statistics). This means that obtaining a basic travel document can consume an entire month's salary or more, leaving families facing impossible choices.
The severity of the crisis is magnified when these costs are compared to the official poverty line. The absolute poverty line is 2.54 million pounds, while the cost of living for a family of five exceeds 9.1 million pounds. For millions of Syrians living below these lines, passport fees represent an insurmountable barrier, denying them the right to travel for medical treatment, education, or to reunite with their separated families.
The statement described this reality as "a direct infringement of citizens' right to seek better life opportunities."
The painful irony is that the Syrian passport is currently ranked as the second most expensive in the world, yet it is also among the weakest.
International human rights organizations point out that international standards require passport fees to not exceed $20, with validity ranging from six to ten years, which contradicts the current reality in Syria.
In light of these facts, the Syrian Network for Human Rights called on the new government to adopt an immediate and radical reform package, including:
- Immediately reduce fees: Set a ceiling on the cost of a regular passport not exceeding $50, and $100 for urgent services, in line with citizens' purchasing power.
- Extend passport validity: Increase passport validity to 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors, to reduce the burden of repeated renewals.
- 3. Combat corruption: Launch a transparent and effective online appointment booking portal to eliminate the market of brokers and middlemen who exploit citizens' needs.
- 4. Exempting the most vulnerable groups: Providing free or nominal-priced passports to refugees, displaced persons, students, and families living below the poverty line.
- 5. Improving the issuance mechanism: Standardizing the processing time and ending the deliberate delays that force citizens toward more expensive options.
The statement concludes by emphasizing that these reforms do not represent mere administrative adjustments, but rather a necessary step toward restoring the dignity and basic rights of Syrian citizens, and turning a page on the injustice they have long suffered.
Zaman Al-Wasl
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