Lebanon revises visa restrictions for Syrians

The Lebanese foreign ministry has announced that Syrians will no longer need an entry visa in order to visit the country. The changes come in the wake of unpopular visa restrictions that were imposed on 5 January.

Syrians now only need to say why they are visiting the country and show valid documents to prove their citizenship status in order to gain access.

According to the ministry, the new measures affirm that Syrian citizens who enter Lebanon are not immigrants, stressing that the needed measures are not related to entry visas. The ministry reiterated that Lebanon would remain open for Syrians as normal.

“Lebanese authorities are committed to humanitarian laws and international conventions which organises the status of the refugees,” the ministry said in a statement.

The statement noted that all the measures taken by the Lebanese government take place within the context of practicing sovereignty by the government, and that the changes are in the interest of both Lebanon and its “Syrian brothers” without violating the right of freedom of movement.

At the end of last year, the Lebanese General Security Services said that the country would begin imposing visa requirements on Syrians in the New Year.