Middle East - Anthony Ham [445]
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TELEPHONE
Mobile Phones
You can purchase a Syriatel SIM card to use in your mobile phone while you’re in the country. These cost S£400 and include a decent number of calls. MTN offers similar cards. Cards are available at mobile-phone shops throughout the country (these are ubiquitous) and at the arrivals hall at Damascus International Airport. Otherwise non-Syrian mobile phones work fine in Syria (usually through Syriatel), but roaming charges can be prohibitive.
Phone Codes
The country code for Syria is 963, followed by the local area code (minus the zero), then the subscriber number. The international access code (to call abroad from Syria) is 00. The numbers for directory assistance are 141 142 (national calls) and 143 144 (international calls).
Phonecards
Syrian Telecom cards are available from mobile-phone shops and kiosks and you’ll find phones on the streets in most cities, especially outside the government telephone office. You’ll need a S£200 card to make calls within Syria (S£20 per minute), a S£350 card to phone Europe and other Western destinations (around S£50 per minute).
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VISAS
Everyone, except citizens of Arab countries, requires a visa to enter Syria. The basic rule is that you should obtain a visa at the Syrian embassy or consulate in your home country. Avoid applying in a country that’s not your own or that you don’t hold residency for, as the Syrian authorities don’t like this: at best, they’ll ask you for a letter of recommendation from your own embassy (often an expensive and time-consuming proposition); at worst, they’ll turn you down flat. US citizens should be aware that many US embassies abroad have a policy of not issuing letters of recommendation – leading to the ridiculous situation where they issue letters stating that they don’t issue letters of recommendation. If your home country doesn’t have a Syrian embassy or consulate, there’s no problem with you applying in another country; alternatively, you can obtain a visa on arrival.
Officially, the Syrian embassy in Amman issues visas only to nationals and residents of Jordan and to nationals of countries that have no Syrian representation. That said, we receive occasional reports that citizens without Jordanian residence were obtaining single-entry Syrian visas in Amman for JD90.
In Turkey, you can get Syrian visas in both Ankara and İstanbul, but you’ll need a letter of recommendation from your embassy. There’s no Syrian embassy in Lebanon, although that may have changed by the time you read this – see boxed text, Click here.
There are three types of visa: transit, single entry and multiple entry. Transit visas are only good for airport stays. Both single- or multiple-entry visas are valid for 30 days inside Syria, although the embassy’s visa stamp may say 15 days (Click here), and must be used within three months of the date of issue. Don’t be misled by the line on the visa stating a validity of three months – this simply means the visa is valid for presentation for three months. You’ll usually require two photographs and have to fill out two forms.
The cost of visas varies according to the reciprocal agreement Syria has made with your home country. For example, UK citizens pay UK£35 for a single-entry visa, US citizens US$100 and Australian citizens A$45. If you book travel arrangements through a foreign tour operator that has a working relationship with a Syrian operator, you are entitled to a free visa, collectable at the point of entry.
Remember also that any evidence of a visit to Israel – most visa application forms ask if you’ve been to ‘Occupied Palestine’ – will see your application turned down flat. Later, if Syrian border officials see that you have an Israeli visa or stamp in your passport, or if a scan of recent stamps suggests that you have recently travelled through Israel and the Palestinian Territories, you will be refused entry to Syria (see boxed text, Click here). However,