A circular circulated on social media pages on 3 February said a decision had been issued to ban the entry of Syrian citizens who already hold entry approvals to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The circulated circular, which also appeared on the pages of travel offices, said the measure applies to Syrians arriving from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan, “until further notice.”
According to what was circulated, the decision does not include holders of Egyptian residence permits, and it states that Friday, 6 February 2026 is the last date on which entry will be allowed.
However, despite the news being shared with reference to “official Egyptian sources,” no clear official announcement has been issued so far by the relevant Egyptian authorities to confirm or deny its content.
The renewed circulation of such decisions, whether confirmed or within the framework of unpublished instructions, reopens the file of the Syrian presence in Egypt, especially with regard to residency permits, which have become a daily concern for thousands of Syrians living there.
In recent years, Syrians have faced difficulties obtaining residency permits or renewing them.
Syrians in Egypt live under varying conditions, between relative stability for those who have valid permits or steady sources of income, and persistent anxiety for a wide segment due to accumulating fines or the inability to renew residency permits.
A decision that could be reversed
Marrota Office, a travel and tourism office in Damascus, told Enab Baladi that Egyptian security authorities had verbally informed offices to halt the entry of Syrians at the current time, without a written decision or an officially announced circular from a competent Egyptian body.
The office said this pattern of communication is common in decisions related to Syrians’ entry into Egypt.
Instructions often reach airlines and tourism offices in unwritten form, while keeping the door open to reversing them at any time.
“Everything that reaches us from Egypt comes in this way, without official letters, because the decision may be canceled at any moment,” the office added.
According to the office, similar decisions have been repeated over the past years, with Syrians’ entry being suspended more than once for short periods, before being reopened again days later.
Security tightening
Amer Adna, a Syrian resident in Egypt who is familiar with procedures affecting Syrians, said the decision to prevent entry for Syrians coming from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan is “correct and being implemented,” and it will continue until further notice.
He told Enab Baladi that Egyptian authorities have begun tightening procedures on Syrians inside the country for about ten days.
Security patrols have spread in the streets, especially in areas where Syrians are concentrated.
Adna said that for about a year, and until the recent period, the authorities had granted grace periods to regularize status, allowing those able to obtain residency permits to do so, while those unable were asked to return to their country.
According to Adna, patrols have recently begun stopping Syrians who do not carry valid residency permits across different governorates, not only in specific areas, leading to deportation cases, while others have been subjected to legal regularization procedures.
He noted that the mechanism in place involves designating certain areas and running patrols that ask about residency permits. Those without a permit are referred to detention, where they face either deportation or later release after resolving their legal status.
He explained that anyone issued a deportation decision who does not have a passport is referred to the Syrian embassy to obtain a “laissez passer,” under strict security procedures.
After it is issued, a travel ticket is booked at the expense of the person or their relatives.
He added that deportees are transferred directly to the airport, and are not allowed to return to their homes after a deportation decision is issued, until they leave the country.
These developments come in the context of similar decisions issued in 2024 and 2025, when instructions were circulated to travel and airline companies.
Those instructions required not accepting any Syrian passenger on flights bound for Egypt from different countries worldwide, with the exception of holders of temporary Egyptian residence permits for purposes other than tourism.
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