A Syrian passport does not open the door to Dubai on its own: the e-visa must be issued before you reach the check-in desk, so every Dubai visa for Syrians is arranged online ahead of the journey. Where tourist applications are accepted, the usual choice is the tourist e-visa granting 30 days and one entry, which arrives by email as a PDF. Syrian media report that tourist visas are currently restricted, with visits sponsored by close relatives in the Emirates the main route, so confirm the position with us before paying for anything.
Syrian Passport Holders and the Dubai Visa Rule
Always, for ordinary travel. The Syrian Arab Republic appears under "visa required" in the foreign ministry's nationality list of entry rules, and Syrians fall outside the landing visas granted to a few nationalities living in Western countries. A German residence card or a Saudi iqama changes nothing: the UAE visa for Syrians is an e-visa granted beforehand. Airline agents in Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut or Istanbul check for it at the desk.
Palestinian Refugees From Syria
Palestinians who grew up in Syria usually hold a Syrian-issued travel document for Palestinian refugees rather than a Syrian passport. Separate and generally stricter rules apply to that document, so speak to our team before starting an application on one.
Current Visa Situation for Syrian Travellers
Syrian applications receive more scrutiny than most. Age-based limits on visas for young Syrian men were reported in the past, and travellers holding valid visas have been turned back when their paperwork looked thin. Syrian media have since reported that agency-arranged tourist visas were halted, leaving visits sponsored by a parent, spouse or child resident in the Emirates as the main route. No official notice has confirmed this, and rules can change quickly. Airlines have also at times asked Syrian visitors to show:
- a return ticket dated within the visa's validity;
- a confirmed hotel booking or a host's address in Dubai;
- enough money for the stay, with around USD 500 commonly mentioned by carriers.
Carry printed copies of all three, and message us before booking non-refundable travel so we can check whether the airline you are using has issued any fresh instructions.
Which Dubai Visa Fits a Syrian Trip?
Where agency applications are open, choose the Dubai tourist visa that suits your nights in Dubai and any side trip:
All of these count as a Dubai visit visa and are delivered by email. Transit permits are not offered to every passport, so ask our team first if you hope to break a long journey in Dubai.
Documents for Syrian Applicants
Every file for the Dubai visa requirements for Syrians needs:
- A colour scan of the photo page, from a booklet with no less than six months' life remaining at arrival.
- A current portrait, passport style, taken against white and sized to our photo specifications for Dubai visas.
- Booked flights home or onward.
- A hotel voucher, or a host relative's address together with their Emirates ID.
- Health cover that pays out in the Emirates, discussed in our travel insurance notes for Dubai visitors.
Arabic names appear in Latin letters in many forms, for instance Mohammad or Muhammad, Abdulrahman or Abd Al Rahman. Copy every name letter by letter from the coded lines along the bottom of the data page, and file a separate application for every child.
Renewing a Syrian Passport
The Immigration and Passport Directorate issues passports inside Syria, and Syrian missions abroad, including the embassy and consulate in the Emirates, issue them on its behalf. New biometric passports carry six years of validity. If yours would lapse within six months of the trip, replace it first, because the approval stays linked to the expiring booklet's number.
How Syrian Passport Holders Apply Online
Here is how to apply online, step by step:
- Select the visa that suits the trip.
- Enter Syria as nationality, followed by your country of residence.
- Add the scanned data page, the portrait and your bookings.
- Pay the US dollar fee by card; if your card is declined for overseas payments, ask us about alternatives.
- Watch the status in our application tracking tool, then save the approved e-visa to your phone and print it.
The Dubai visa processing time printed on each card tops out at four working days, yet Syrian files can wait longer while extra checks run, so allow roughly three weeks before your flight. When departure is close, our faster processing option may help eligible files.
Flights From Damascus and Aleppo to Dubai
flydubai, Syrian Air and Fly Cham all fly nonstop between Damascus and Dubai, a trip of about three hours twenty minutes. From Aleppo, flydubai has flown daily since July and Fly Cham weekly, each taking 3 hours 30 to 40 minutes. Emirates has paused its own Damascus service, while Air Arabia Abu Dhabi connects the Syrian capital and Aleppo with Abu Dhabi. Regional airspace closures can disrupt schedules, so recheck bookings the day before departure.
Time Difference Between Syria and Dubai
Syria keeps UTC+3 throughout the year while Dubai uses UTC+4, so noon in Damascus is 1pm in Dubai. Evening departures may arrive after midnight, and that later date must fall within the dates your Dubai e-visa covers.
Syrians in Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UK Applying for Dubai
Large Syrian communities live in Germany, Saudi Arabia and Britain, and a life abroad leaves the Syrian passport requirement untouched: apply online, naming the country you now live in. Anyone who has since become a German or British citizen may fly on that document, which needs no visa arranged beforehand; see our pages for German passport holders and British travellers. Syrians resident in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or another Gulf state should read our guide to Dubai visas for Gulf residents before deciding. Refugees holding a German refugee travel document instead of a Syrian passport face different rules, so ask us first.
Syrians Flying From Lebanon, Turkey or Jordan
Many Syrians begin the journey in Beirut, Istanbul or Amman, where large communities have settled. Temporary protection status in Turkey, or residence in Lebanon or Jordan, does not alter the visa rule, so the application names that country as residence and the e-visa must still be approved before check-in. Carry the residence card as well as the passport. Middle East Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and Royal Jordanian all serve Dubai from these hubs.
Syrian Families in Dubai Hosting Relatives
Syrians form a long-established community in Dubai and Sharjah, and many invite mothers, fathers or siblings for long visits. Guests apply one by one. A resident sponsoring a parent, spouse or child needs a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000, rising to AED 8,000 for siblings and other relatives, and a copy of the host's tenancy agreement and Emirates ID usually covers the accommodation requirement. Husbands, wives or children relocating permanently need residence sponsorship instead, outlined in our family sponsorship rules for Dubai residents.
Jobs, Work Permits and Syrian Visitors
Visit status excludes any paid job. A legitimate post begins once the employer secures a permit, explained in our summary of Emirates work permits, so be wary of anyone suggesting you fly in on a tourist visa and look for a job later.
Extensions and Overstays for Syrian Visitors
If plans shift, raise a Dubai visa extension with us well before the visa expires; depending on the original visa, an extra month granted in the country or, for longer stays, a 60-day extension issued inside Dubai may be possible. Each surplus day adds AED 50 to the bill straight away, as our Dubai overstay charges guide shows, and an overstay record weighs heavily against later Syrian applications. After a refusal, study the typical causes of rejected Dubai visas before reapplying.
Syrian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate in Dubai
Syria's embassy in Abu Dhabi answers on +971 2 444 8768 and its Dubai consulate on +971 4 357 2227. Both handle passports and emergency travel documents for Syrians across the Emirates, so ring ahead to check services and hours before going in person. Report a lost passport to Dubai Police first.
Get Help With a Syrian Passport Application
Not sure which option suits your dates, or travelling alongside relatives holding other nationalities? Write to our advisers with your route, or open a Dubai visa application online. Advisers on WhatsApp answer at any hour and can look over documents before you submit a UAE visa for Syrian citizens.
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