Do Germany passport holders need a visa to visit SY?

German ordinary passport holders need a visa for Syria. There is currently an active German Foreign Office travel warning. Although airports now offer a visa-on-arrival paid in USD cash, it requires prior entry approval and the situation is volatile, so a visa arranged through the Syrian Embassy in Berlin or a licensed operator is the safe route. Germany has no visa-waiver agreement with Syria, and Syria is not part of any visa-free arrangement for German nationals. Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 the transitional government overhauled the visa system during 2025-2026; the previous eVisa platform is offline and rules change frequently. In practice many Western travelers, including Germans, can obtain a visa on arrival at Damascus or Aleppo international airports (USD cash only), but airport arrivals generally require prior entry approval arranged several days ahead through a licensed tour operator or sponsor. Fees and stay lengths reported by operators in early 2026 ranged roughly from USD 40-125 depending on a nationality "group" system and duration. The German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) maintains an active travel warning (Reisewarnung) for all of Syria, states that a visa must be obtained, and advises applying at the Syrian Embassy in Berlin; the German Embassy in Damascus is closed and consular help is extremely limited. Passports must be valid at least six months, and any Israeli entry stamp or stamp from a border crossing adjacent to Israel can result in entry denial. Because official guidance directs travelers to obtain the visa in advance and sources on VOA conditions conflict, the conservative verdict is visa-required.