The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced a forthcoming reduction in passport issuance fees by 50% to 70%. This would represent the first significant rollback of one of the former regime’s most extractive and regressive revenue streams. As we noted in the latest issue of Syria in Figures, consular fees—especially those for passport renewals abroad—had become a critical source of income for the former regime. By 2024, these fees accounted for 25% of projected indirect revenues, up from just 5% in 2010. For ordinary Syrians, the burden was immense: with costs ranging from $300 to $800, obtaining a passport at times cost more than an entire family’s monthly income for refugess in neighbouring countries, effectively transforming a basic right into a costly privilege.
For more on this, read our analysis.