Syrian customs: what you can bring and what you cannot

Our packing page looks at what is in your bag: which item earns its place and which does not. This page asks a different question — which item runs into a rule. What follows are the written limits of Syrian customs, and the gaps between them. Setting the two out separately beats presenting all of it as settled.

The new customs law

Syria issued a new customs law on 18 May 2026. In practice that means some of the older lists circulating online no longer hold. The figures on this page rest on guidance published after the law, though customs practice varies from gate to gate and an officer’s discretion is a genuine variable. Knowing the rule is enough; assuming the rule will be applied to the letter is not.

Cash and declaration

Bringing foreign currency in is allowed and the ceiling is high: the reported limit is 500000 dollars or the equivalent in another currency. What matters is the lower threshold — anything at or above 5000 dollars must be declared. Declaring is not a difficult procedure, and skipping it creates trouble later. When you declare, take the receipt and keep it: that piece of paper is how you change leftover pounds back on the way out and how you account for the money you brought.

Taking Syrian pounds out of the country is closed to visitors; for citizens and residents the reported limit is 50000 pounds. Whether that figure is in new or old pounds is not clear in the sources — ask on the way out. The practical advice is the same either way: do not accumulate pounds, and work your last day’s spending down to zero. Our page on money and cash in Syria describes the notes, and the page on changing money covers the rate.

Electronics

Personal used devices come in duty free: phone, laptop, tablet, camera, chargers. What causes trouble is a new item still sealed in its box — customs can charge duty or ask for a deposit. Carrying more than one of the same item also reads as commercial intent and lengthens the conversation. If you travel with a camera and lenses, used equipment and a single kit out of one bag is enough.

Drones, radios and satellite gear

This section is short and firm. A drone cannot be brought in without prior permission, which is asked for separately by the interior ministry and by customs, and an unauthorised drone is confiscated at the airport. Satellite phones and satellite internet equipment, Starlink included, are prohibited without prior authorisation from the telecommunications regulator. Handheld radios, short-wave sets and standalone GPS devices are not lawful to possess either. Metal detectors are banned. On none of these items is there a “it might get through” zone; leave them at home.

Medicines

You may bring your own medicine in a quantity that matches the length of your trip. Two conditions attach: carry it in the original box with its label, and hold a doctor’s letter for anything on prescription. Official documentation is asked for particularly with psychiatric, neurological and strong sedative classes. Do not decant pills into a loose container; the box is the medicine’s identity. Our page on health and emergencies covers the pharmacy side.

Food, tobacco and alcohol

Factory-sealed food is admitted: sweets, spices, coffee, tinned goods. Fresh meat, dairy, cheese and unpackaged animal products are not. For tobacco the reported limit is 5 cartons of cigarettes or two and a half kilos of tobacco. For alcohol there is no limit because there is no permission: alcoholic drink is not brought into the country in any quantity. This site does not recommend places serving alcohol in the first place, and customs points the same way.

Gold and jewellery

On entry the reported allowance for personal gold jewellery is 500 grams. On exit the limit narrows: up to 200 grams of personal jewellery. Taking out bars and gold coins is prohibited. Keep the receipt for any silver or gold work you buy in the souq — it is the simplest way to show what was bought and when.

On the way out: old things stay

This is the section that catches most visitors. Antiques, archaeological pieces, manuscripts and ancient coins cannot leave the country. Anything reckoned to be more than 100 years old is treated as protected heritage. Old carpets and paintings can require a certificate from the Ministry of Culture. Buying a piece sold in the souq as “Ottoman” carries two risks at once: if it really is old it is seized on the way out, and if it is not, you overpaid. Our page on shopping and what to take home sets out what can be bought safely.

Not writing the unknown as if it were known

What is missing from this page is information too. We do not hold a verified full exemption list for personal effects, a value limit for gifts, or the duty rates on individual items. Three questions to ask at the gate: does this item have to be declared, does duty apply to it, and will a document be required to take it out. Put all three to the officer and take the answer on a piece of paper. For how the crossing itself proceeds, see our pages on Beirut to Damascus by road and on entering from Jordan.