Türkiye has introduced a new regulation concerning visa requirements for Syrian citizens who hold diplomatic passports.
Presidential Decision No. 11671, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was published in the Official Gazette dated August 28, 2026, and numbered 33354. Under the decision, citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic holding diplomatic passports were granted a visa exemption under certain conditions.
Visa-free travel for 90 days within 180 days
Under the regulation, Syrian diplomatic passport holders may stay in Türkiye without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period when traveling for tourism.
The exemption is not limited to tourist travel. The visa exemption also covers the assignment of diplomatic passport holders to posts in Türkiye and transit through Türkiye.
The legal basis for the decision was cited as Article 18 of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection.
The exemption does not cover all Syrian citizens
The most important detail regarding the scope of the regulation is that the decision does not mean visa-free travel for all Syrian citizens.
The new exemption applies only to citizens holding diplomatic passports issued by the Syrian Arab Republic. Therefore, no general visa exemption has been introduced for people carrying ordinary Syrian passports.
The decision also takes effect at a time when diplomatic relations and official contacts between Ankara and Damascus are intensifying again.
In short, the information shown in the image is accurate; however, the headline must explicitly refer to “diplomatic passport holders.” Otherwise, it could be mistakenly understood as a visa exemption for all Syrians.
