Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Syria: 8 legal requirements + 7 other things worth knowing.
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Tick before you go
8 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 IDP plus national licence
Syria recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit; carry it alongside your UK/EU photocard licence and passport with a valid Syrian visa obtained in advance.
Source: AA IDP guide →Carnet de Passage for own vehicle
Bringing your own car requires a Carnet de Passage en Douane plus V5C/ownership proof; without it the vehicle will not clear customs at the border.
Source: RAC Carnet guide →Local third-party insurance at border
Green Card is not valid; you must buy compulsory Syrian third-party motor insurance from a state insurer kiosk at the border crossing (typically 20-50 USD equivalent for a short stay).
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left; UK-plated right-hand-drive cars are legal but headlamp beam deflectors are required.
Speed limits 110 / 70 / 50 km/h
Motorway (autostrade) limit 110 km/h, rural roads 70 km/h, urban areas 50 km/h; limits are erratically enforced and often ignored locally.
Zero alcohol tolerance in practice
The legal BAC limit is 0.0 g/L (alcohol is restricted under local norms); any detectable alcohol while driving leads to arrest.
Warning triangle and first aid kit
Vehicles must carry a warning triangle, first aid kit and spare wheel; a fire extinguisher is also expected at military and regime checkpoints.
Cash-only economy, USD preferred
The Syrian pound (SYP) is heavily devalued; bring clean US dollars in cash as Western cards, ATMs and Apple/Google Pay do not function due to sanctions.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against all travel to Syria; UK travel insurance is void and consular support is extremely limited, so self-driving here is not realistic for ordinary visitors.
FCDO Syria adviceSyria recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit; carry it alongside your UK/EU photocard licence and passport with a valid Syrian visa obtained in advance.
AA IDP guideBringing your own car requires a Carnet de Passage en Douane plus V5C/ownership proof; without it the vehicle will not clear customs at the border.
RAC Carnet guideGreen Card is not valid; you must buy compulsory Syrian third-party motor insurance from a state insurer kiosk at the border crossing (typically 20-50 USD equivalent for a short stay).
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left; UK-plated right-hand-drive cars are legal but headlamp beam deflectors are required.
Motorway (autostrade) limit 110 km/h, rural roads 70 km/h, urban areas 50 km/h; limits are erratically enforced and often ignored locally.
The legal BAC limit is 0.0 g/L (alcohol is restricted under local norms); any detectable alcohol while driving leads to arrest.
Dial 112 for police, 110 for fire and 113 for ambulance; response outside central Damascus is unreliable and English is rarely spoken.
Vehicles must carry a warning triangle, first aid kit and spare wheel; a fire extinguisher is also expected at military and regime checkpoints.
There is no vignette system and the M1/M5 motorways are toll-free, but military, regime and de facto authority checkpoints occur every few kilometres and informal fees are common.
Damascus, Aleppo and Homs have no LEZ or emission sticker scheme; vehicle inspection is not enforced for foreign-plated cars.
Large areas remain contested with unmarked checkpoints, kidnapping risk, landmines and UXO off-road; never drive at night and never deviate from main routes.
FCDO securityRoads over the Anti-Lebanon and Jebel al-Sheikh ranges and the Damascus-Beirut highway can close with snow December-February; no winter tyre law exists.
The Syrian pound (SYP) is heavily devalued; bring clean US dollars in cash as Western cards, ATMs and Apple/Google Pay do not function due to sanctions.
Official petrol is around 0.10-0.30 EUR/litre on ration cards but foreigners pay black-market rates of 1.00-1.50 EUR/litre; queues at stations routinely exceed several hours.
We'll build the itinerary, estimate fuel + tolls, and show EV chargers along the route, and this checklist appears automatically on every trip that crosses into Syria.
Start planning →Places to add to your Syria road trip.
Don't get caught out
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left; UK-plated right-hand-drive cars are legal but headlamp beam deflectors are required.
Motorway (autostrade) limit 110 km/h, rural roads 70 km/h, urban areas 50 km/h; limits are erratically enforced and often ignored locally.
The legal BAC limit is 0.0 g/L (alcohol is restricted under local norms); any detectable alcohol while driving leads to arrest.