Social media accounts in Syria reported that the issuance of express passports had been stopped at the Directorate of Immigration and Passports (DIP) in Damascus. These stories have not been verified.
Wael (25 years old) confirmed to Athr Press that he applied for an urgent passport 15 days ago, and so far, it has not been issued, noting that an employee at the Immigration and Passports Directorate asked him to reapply after at least 25 days.
Ghassan, 36, confirmed to Athar Press that he tried to renew his passport but was surprised by the long period he had to wait to obtain a new one. “This is my twentieth day after I applied to renew my passport,” he said.
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One of the officials in the DIP in Syria (who refused to reveal his name) confirmed to Athr Press that the reason for the delay in issuing passports is the high demand of citizens to apply for passports because of the desire to travel.
The official indicated that the passport renewal might take 60 days unless evidence that the citizen has made their reservations and bought tickets.
DIP has declined to respond to Athar press questions on this matter officially
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
