Syria has opened its doors to Spanish nationals under a new visa policy in force since January 2025. For Spanish companies with active projects or in the evaluation phase in the country, this opening represents a genuine opportunity, but also a new and specific immigration landscape, with requirements and timelines that leave no room for improvisation.

The context is significant: in 2025, the Syrian transitional government has signed memoranda of understanding with foreign companies worth 14 billion US dollars across sectors including infrastructure, international airport, energy, urban transport and residential construction. The European Union, for its part, lifted all economic sanctions on Syria on 28 May 2025 through Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1094, removing the restrictions that had blocked European companies from operating in the country for over a decade. The Syrian market is, technically and legally, open to Spanish business.

But an open market does not mean a straightforward one. And managing the mobility of the personnel who will deliver those projects is one of the first operational bottlenecks companies encounter.

A new visa regime, but with conditions that need to be properly understood

The new access policy allows entry via visa on arrival or e-visa. It sounds simple. In practice, it is not, not for a company that needs to plan technical missions with fixed dates, specific worker profiles and guaranteed regulatory compliance.

The right type of visa, the appropriate entry method, the actual processing timelines, the documentation that must accompany the worker and the restrictions affecting certain profiles or passports are all variables that must be assessed case by case. A processing error cannot be resolved at the airport: it may result in denied boarding and a delayed project.

Furthermore, the fee structure has already been revised twice during 2025, and processing timelines can extend to several weeks depending on the traveller’s profile. Planning workforce mobility to Syria using the same tools one would apply to a European destination is a mistake with direct operational consequences.

Air access carries a prior requirement that many companies are unaware of

One of the most critical points, and least known among companies approaching this market for the first time, is that a visa on arrival does not allow travellers to arrive at the airport without prior documentation when travelling by air. There is an approval procedure that must be completed before the flight. Without that document, the airline will deny boarding.

Processing times for this approval can reach three to four weeks in certain cases. It is not a procedure that can be resolved in a matter of days when there is urgency involved. And urgency, in international technical projects, is frequently the norm.

Knowing this requirement in advance, and having an established process to handle it with full guarantees, is part of the value that a specialist international mobility team brings to companies operating in complex markets.

Beyond the visa: what a company needs to have resolved

The visa is the first barrier, but not the only one. Companies deploying technical staff to Syria under medium or long-term projects must have addressed, among others, the following:

• Social Security compliance for posted workers in a country with which Spain has no bilateral agreement currently in force.
• Tax treatment of the worker during the assignment and applicable withholding obligations.
• Contractual framework for the posting: assignment letter, return conditions, mandatory insurance coverage.
• Risk management in an environment where the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains permanent travel alerts and where local healthcare infrastructure cannot guarantee adequate medical attention.
• Adaptation of the company’s mobility protocol to the country’s specific conditions: passport restrictions, local registration obligations, regulatory variability.

None of these elements is optional. And all of them must be resolved before the first employee steps onto a plane.

Is your company evaluating projects in Syria, or do you already have staff on the ground?

At Feliu N&I, we have over 20 years of experience managing the international mobility of Spanish companies in complex markets. We know that every destination has its own particularities, and Syria, at this moment of transition, combines opportunity and complexity in a way that requires expert guidance from day one.

Whether your company is evaluating projects in Syria, already has personnel deployed there, or simply wants to have a mobility protocol in place before the first contract arrives, the time to address these matters is now, not once a flight has already been booked.

Contact us for a personalised consultation. We will analyse your specific situation and provide a mobility plan tailored to the needs of your project.

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