UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

Udlændinge- og Integrationsudvalget 2023-24
UUI Alm.del Bilag 152
Offentligt

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI)

FFM REPORT

Udlændinge- og Integrationsudvalget 2023-24

UUI Alm.del - Bilag 152

Offentligt

August 2024

Syria

Documents and freedom of

movement in North and East

Syria (NES)

us.dk

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

This report is not, and does not purport to be, a detailed or comprehensive survey

of all aspects of the issues addressed. It should thus be weighed against other

country of origin information available on the topic.

The report at hand does not include any policy recommendations. The information

does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Danish Immigration Service.

Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any

particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Terminology used should not be

regarded as indicative of a particular legal position.

The Danish Immigration Service

Farimagsvej 51A

4700 Næstved

Denmark

Phone: +45 35 36 66 00

us.dk

August 2024

The publication can be downloaded for free at us.dk.

The Danish Immigration Service’s publications can be quoted with clear source

reference.

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Executive summary

The Syrian government (GoS) maintains a limited presence in North and East Syria (NES),

primarily in enclaves in the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, where it issues national civil, travel,

and ID documents to residents of NES. Additional civil registration offices operate in smaller

towns like Amuda and Darbasiyah. Passport issuance is conducted in Hasakah, while ID cards

and other civil documents are also produced in Qamishli in accordance with Syrian national law.

These documents are generally issued via an online application process.

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) issues a military

booklet related to the Mandatory Self-Defence Duty, as well as documents pertaining to

education, home and car ownership, and import/export permits. The Komeen, the smallest

administrative unit in the DAANES administration, also issues a certificate used to confirm the

holder’s identity.

Despite the GoS’ retention of a degree of control over the issuance of key documents, forged

and counterfeit Syrian documents are prevalent in the areas under the control of the DAANES,

as well as in other regions of Syria. It is also possible to manipulate personal information on

genuine documents through bribery. Documents issued by the DAANES are of little value or

demand, as they are not recognised nationally or internationally.

It is possible to travel between Qamishli and Damascus by air, and bus routes continue to

operate between DAANES areas and GoS-controlled areas. However, individuals from NES who

are wanted by the GoS for outstanding issues, such as military service or political activities, risk

being arrested at Qamishli airport or at GoS checkpoints when entering GoS-controlled areas by

land.

It has become increasingly difficult for Syrian citizens to exit NES and enter the Kurdistan Region

of Iraq (KRI), as travel restrictions between the KRI and NES were introduced in April 2024.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Table of contents

Executive summary .............................................................................................................. 1

Introduction......................................................................................................................... 4

Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... 6

Glossary ............................................................................................................................... 7

2. GoS presence in the NES ................................................................................................... 8

2.1 Security squares in Hasakah and Qamishli .......................................................................... 8

2.1.1 Civil affairs offices ......................................................................................................... 9

3. Documents issued by the GoS in Hasakah and Qamishli................................................... 10

3.1 The Civil Affairs Directorate ............................................................................................... 10

3.2 Civil Status Law .................................................................................................................. 10

3.3 Application process............................................................................................................ 11

3.3.1 National ID cards ......................................................................................................... 12

3.3.2 Family booklets ........................................................................................................... 15

3.3.3 Birth certificates .......................................................................................................... 16

3.3.4 Marriage certificates ................................................................................................... 17

3.4 Passports and travel documents ....................................................................................... 18

3.4.1 Syrian E-passport ........................................................................................................ 19

3.4.2 Application and issuance ............................................................................................ 20

4. Documents issued by the DAANES .................................................................................. 23

4.1 Identity certificates ............................................................................................................ 23

4.2 Civil and administrative documents .................................................................................. 23

4.2 Military documents............................................................................................................ 24

5. Forged and false documents ........................................................................................... 25

5.1 Prevalence of forged and false documents ....................................................................... 25

6. Freedom of movement ................................................................................................... 27

6.1 Cross-border movement .................................................................................................... 27

6.1.1. Access to the KRI ........................................................................................................ 27

6.1.2. Access to Turkey ........................................................................................................ 30

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

6.2 Internal movement ............................................................................................................ 30

Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 32

Annex 1: Meeting minutes ................................................................................................. 36

Annex 3: Terms of Reference .............................................................................................. 55

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Introduction

This report examines the issuance of documents and freedom of movement in North and East

Syria (NES). It provides an overview of the processes for obtaining various documents issued to

residents of NES by the Government of Syria (GoS) and the Democratic Autonomous

Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES). These include national passports and ID

cards, family booklets, birth and marriage certificates issued by the GoS, as well as identity

certificates and other civil, administrative, and military documents issued by the DAANES.

Furthermore, it addresses the general prevalence of counterfeit and forged documents in the

areas controlled by the DAANES. Furthermore, this report also addresses issues related to

freedom of movement within the region, such as access to and from NES from other parts of

Syria, as well as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

The report is written in accordance with the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA)

Country of Origin (COI) Report Methodology and has undergone an external peer review by the

Swedish Migration Agency’s COI unit.

The data and information presented in this report are

based on written sources as well as data collected through on-site meetings in the KRI and

online meetings with sources in Syria and Europe.

The majority of these meetings were held during a visit to the KRI from 27 April to 4 May 2024.

During the visit, information was gathered on document issuance, freedom of movement, and

access to NES, as well as information regarding military recruitment in NES. This information

was subsequently published in the report,

Syria, Military recruitment in North and East Syria,

the Danish Immigration Service (DIS) in July 2024.

This report has been compiled to provide the latest information relevant to the processing of

asylum cases. The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the report were developed by DIS in

consultation with the Secretariat of the Danish Refugee Appeals Board, and the ToR is included

at the end of the report (Annex III).

The report is a synthesis of the information obtained from oral and written sources and does

not include all details and nuances provided by the sources. In the report, care has been taken

to present the views of the sources as accurately and transparently as possible. The individual

sources should not be held accountable for the content of the report.

Prior to, during, and following the visit to the KRI, meetings were held with 12 sources, who

provided information relevant to this report. The purpose of the meetings was explained to the

sources, and they were informed that their statements would be included in a public report.

Some requested varying degrees of anonymity.

European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA),

Country of Origin (COI) Report Methodology,

February 2022,

url

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

The Syrian Civil Affairs Directorate

and the Department of Immigration and Passports would

typically be the primary authorities for queries related to the issuance of documents in Syria.

However, due to external circumstances, the DIS was unable to consult these authorities for

information regarding document issuance during this visit. To mitigate the impact of this, the

DIS consulted three lawyers residing in Syria with knowledge regarding the issuance of

documents, a Syrian lawyer with residence outside of Syria, as well as several comprehensive

written sources on the subject.

Draft meeting minutes were forwarded to sources for approval, providing the source an

opportunity to amend, comment, or correct statements so that the minutes reflect the

information shared most accurately. One source inside Syria did not find it necessary to

approve the minutes from the meeting with him. All other sources approved their statements.

The meeting minutes are attached as an annex to this report.

For transparency and accuracy, paragraphs in the meeting minutes have been numbered

consecutively and referenced in the report’s footnotes. In instances where sources have

provided information beyond the ToR, yet relevant to asylum cases, this information has been

incorporated in the minutes, but not addressed in the report.

The report recognises the evolving and uncertain situation in Syria, including NES, which has

the potential to render the information out of date. As a result, it is important to monitor and

update the issues addressed on a regular basis.

The research and editing of this report were completed on 14 August 2024. The report is

available on the DIS website,

www.us.dk,

and can be accessed by all stakeholders involved in

refugee status determination, as well as the general public.

The official Syrian name of this department is

shu’un al-madaniyya

or alternatively

idarat al-ahwal al-madaniyya,

which in other written sources is translated as Civil Affairs Directorate or Civil Status Department. In this document,

the term Civil Affairs Directorate is used.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Abbreviations

COI

DAANES

DIS

EUAA

EASO

GAPAR

GoS

HXP

KRG

KRI

NES

SDF

SNA

ToR

Country of Origin Information

Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

Danish Immigration Service

European Union Asylum Agency

European Asylum Support Office

General Administration for Palestine Arab Refugees

Government of Syria

Self-Defence Duty Forces

Kurdistan Regional Government

Kurdistan Region of Iraq

North and East Syria

Syrian Democratic Forces

Syrian National Army

Terms of Reference

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Glossary

Asayish

DAANES

Counterfeit document

Forged document

Kurdish internal security and police force

Political entity that administers areas in North and East Syria

Unauthorised reproduction of a genuine document.

A forged document is a genuine document that has been

altered in some way. This could be by replacing the image or

changing the information in the document.

Smallest administrative unit in DAANES-controlled areas.

Areas that are administered by DAANES.

Komeen

North and East Syria

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

A Kurdish-led military force comprised of several armed groups.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

2. GoS presence in the NES

The Government of Syria (GoS) maintains a limited presence in the Kurdish-controlled areas of

NES.

The relationship between the GoS and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the areas

has been characterised by limited coordination related to security and governance and sporadic

episodes of tension.

For further information regarding the presence of the GoS in the NES,

please consult the report published in July 2024 by the Danish Immigration Service (DIS):

Syria -

Military Recruitment in North and East Syria.

2.1 Security squares in Hasakah and Qamishli

The GoS controls specific enclaves known as ‘security squares’ (Al-Morab’at

Al-Amniya

Arabic) in the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, where they maintain several public offices,

including those for civil affairs, immigration and passports, recruitment to the Syrian Arab Army

(SAA), and schools.

These areas, also known as security enclaves, are small areas enclosed by streets where the

GoS has a limited capacity to operate.

Although NES has been under the control of the

DAANES/SDF since 2012, the GoS has retained a limited presence in the security squares in

Hasakah and Qamishli, where it has operated offices for civil affairs throughout virtually the

entire conflict.

The Syrian Directorate for Immigration and Passports

(Idarat al-hijra wa al-

jawazat

in Arabic) also operates an office in Hasakah, which is the capital of the province.

Denmark,DIS,

Syria Military recruitment in Hasakah Governorate,

2 July 2024,

url,

p. 29; EUAA,

Syria – Security

Situation,

October 2023,

url,

p. 105; Ciwan Isso (lawyer): 3; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 1, 3, 23; Zaki Mohammad Hajji

(lawyer): 1; DAANES DFR: 1; Denmark, DIS,

Syria – Military Recruitment in North and East Syria,

2 July 2024,

url,

pp.

10-11

EUAA,

Syria – Security Situation,

October 2023,

url,

p. 105; EUAA,

Syria: Security Situation,

September 2022,

url,

150; EASO,

Syria Actors,

December 2019,

url;

p.40; Enab Baladi,

SDF seizes six state buildings in Qamishli,

14 April

2022,

url;

Denmark, DIS,

Syria – Military Recruitment in North and East Syria,

2 July 2024,

url,

pp. 10-11

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 1, 3, 5: Mahmoud Omer (Lawyer):1, 4; Ciwan Isso (lawyer): 3, 4; Zaki Mohammad Hajji

(Lawyer): 1, 7; DAANES DFR: 1-3; Denmark, DIS,

Syria – Military Recruitment in Hasakah Governorate,

June 2022,

url,

p. 29; Enab Baladi,

Northern Syria: “Security Squares” manage SDF and regime interests,

9 October 2023,

url;

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 11: Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 7

DAANES KRI: 3; DAANES DFR: 1

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter

og pass

[Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

pp. 22-23: Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17; EASO,

Syria Actors,

December 2019,

url,

p.40

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

pp 22-23: Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 5, 7; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer):

4; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 3

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

2.1.1 Civil affairs offices

The GoS also operates civil affairs offices in other smaller towns in NES, despite these cities being

under SDF control.

These include Darbasiyah, Amuda and Al-Malikiyah (Derik),

which are

managed by civil servants employed by the GoS.

Mahmoud Omar also noted that there were

offices operated by the GoS in Qahtaniyah.

Hossein Naasoo explained that the GoS does not

maintain a civil, administrative or military presence in Manbij, Raqqa, Kobani, and parts of Deir

Ezzour.

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

11; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 4; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 8; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 2; Ciwan Isso:

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

11; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 4; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 8; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 2; Ciwan Isso:

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (Lawyer): 8

Mahmoud Omar (Lawyer): 2

Hossein Naaso (Lawyer): 4

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

3. Documents issued by the GoS in Hasakah and

Qamishli

Central Syrian identity documents issued by the GoS in Hasakah and Qamishli are issued in

accordance with the same laws that apply throughout the Syrian Arab Republic, and the

procedures for issuance are similar to those employed in other parts of the country under the

control of the GoS.

Syrian residents of NES can apply for three central documents issued by the GoS in areas of

Syria under the control of the DAANES. These documents are the ID card, national passport and

family booklet.

The GoS also issues a range of other documents in the region, including

military booklets and family documents such as birth and marriage certificates, as well as

extracts from civil registries.

3.1 The Civil Affairs Directorate

The Civil Affairs Directorate is responsible for the continuous registration and updating of

births, deaths and changes in marital status, in addition to registering acquisitions of citizenship

and rectifying errors within the registers.

The directorate is headquartered in Damascus, with

regional offices (mudiriya in Arabic) in each of the 14 provincial capitals and local offices

(amana in Arabic) at the sub-provincial level.

3.2 Civil Status Law

In 2021, the GoS introduced a new civil status law, Law No. 13/2021, which, similar to its 2007

predecessor, includes regulations and procedures for the registration of significant life events,

such as births, marriages, divorces and deaths, as well as the issuance of ID cards and family

booklets.

The introduction of Law 13/2021 extended the timeframe for Syrian citizens to

Ciwan Isso (lawyer): 1; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 7; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 9-11; Mahmoud Omar

(lawyer): 6; DAANES DFR: 6

Ciwan Isso (Lawyer): 2

Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 6; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (Lawyer): 4; Hossein Naasoo (Lawyer): 6

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

8; USDoS, Bureau of Consular Affairs,

U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil documents by Country, Syria, General

Documents,

n.d.,

url;

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p:8

Norway,

Landinfo, Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

8; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p.8

Norway,

Landinfo, Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

8; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 8; Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for

Syrians Living abroad,

2 December 2022,

url,

p. 6;

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

carried out inside Syria, and from three to nine months if the Syrian citizen in question is

resident outside Syria.

Individuals who fail to meet the deadlines may be subject to fines.

These fines have been

increased with the introduction of the new Civil Status Law in 2021.

In addition, a police

report is required if registration takes place more than one year after birth.

At the same time,

several amnesties have been announced, allowing late registrants to complete their

registrations without paying fines.

According to Hossein Naasoo, the Syrian civil status law is

also applied in the areas of Syria controlled by the DAANES.

3.3 Application process

In accordance with Law No. 13/2021 and the launch of a digitised registry, known as the “One

Syria Registry” or “Single Syrian Registry”, Syrian nationals are now able to submit applications

for and obtain official documents at any of the newly established civil registration centres

(markaz

al-sijil al-madani

in Arabic) situated throughout the country.

These documents

encompass birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce certificates, ID cards,

family booklets, and extracts from the civil status register.

As part of this initiative, a series of new electronic services were introduced via an online

citizen service portal.

This portal was subsequently developed into a more user-friendly

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 8; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

pp. 13-14; Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian

Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living abroad,

2 December 2022,

url,

p.12

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria:

Identitetsdokumenter

og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 15

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 15

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 15

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 15

Hossein Naasoo (Lawyer): 12

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living abroad,

2 December

2022,

url,

p. 7; Sweden, Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p: 10; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria:

Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url

p. 8

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living abroad,

December 2022,

url,

p. 15; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p: 10; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria:

Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,p.

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 9

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

mobile application named

Mu'āmalāti

(“My Cases” in Arabic).

These online platforms enable

Syrian citizens to apply for passports and a range of other documents, including extracts from

the Civil Registry, the Criminal Registry, and the Ministry of Education.

However, this does not

apply to family booklets and ID cards.

In line with the rest of Syria, the majority of documents

issued by the GoS in NES are applied for electronically.

There have been reports that the digitised registry was initially not functioning uniformly across

the country.

While it was operational in Damascus, it had not been successfully implemented

in some peripheral regions outside of government control, such as Hasakah.

Initially, the Civil

Affairs Directorate lacked the technical infrastructure, knowledge and training to effectively

implement the reorganisation nationwide, but the online solutions are now reported to be

available to residents of all provinces under GoS control.

3.3.1 National ID cards

Three lawyers stated that residents of NES are able to apply for ID cards in Qamishli.

Mahmoud Omar and Zaki Mohammad Hajji indicated that it was also possible to apply for ID

cards in Hasakah, whereas Ciwan Isso stated that residents of NES were only able to apply for

ID cards in Qamishli.

According to Ciwan Isso, the central server used for the issuance of ID

cards remains operational despite the ongoing conflict.

The national Identity Card (bitaqa

shakhsiyah or hawiya

in Arabic) is a crucial document for

Syrian residents, required for a range of activities including education, work, marriage

registration, property acquisition, and more.

It legally verifies the bearer's identity, including

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 9

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 9

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

pp.

9-10

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (Lawyer): 9

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:13;

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande,

January 2024,

url,

p: 9

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url:

13;

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande,

January 2024,

url,

p: 9

Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 1; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 4; Ciwan Isso (lawyer): 4

Ciwan Isso (Lawyer): 9

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 16; Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living

abroad,

2 December 2022,

url,

p. 32; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

biodata and nationality.

It is a legal requirement for all Syrian citizens and Palestinian refugees

registered in Syria to obtain a national identity card before their 15

birthday.

The

responsibility for ensuring that the card is obtained rests with the individual's legal guardian,

and fines may be imposed if this requirement is not met before the age of 15.

The expiry date is not specified on the card itself, however ID cards are valid for a period of 10

years from the date of issuance.

According to Norwegian Landinfo, the majority of individuals

do not renew their identity cards upon expiration after 10 years.

Applicants are required to attend in person to apply for an ID card, and must provide

fingerprints of all ten fingers as part of the application process.

The fingerprints are not stored

on the ID card itself, but are stored for verification purposes in the databases of the Civil Affairs

Directorate.

Furthermore, the applicant must be present in Syria at the time of application.

dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for

registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,p

10-11

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living abroad,

2 December

2022,

url,

p. 32; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer

vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 10-11

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 14; Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living

abroad,

2 December 2022,

url,

p. 32; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och

dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for

registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og

pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9, September 2022,

url,

pp. 20, 26-27; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry

of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

April 2019,

url,

pp. 4-5

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9, September

2022,

url,

p. 20; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer

vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 4

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 16;Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

September 2022,

url,

p. 20; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 20

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 14; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer

vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 20; Ciwan Isso (Lawyer): 7

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 20

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Therefore, it is not possible to apply for an ID card through a Syrian diplomatic mission or

representative in Syria.

The issuance of an official identity card to a minor first-time applicant requires their physical

presence and the collection of their fingerprints.

In addition, the applicant's legal guardian,

typically the father, must present their own identity card and the family book.

Furthermore,

they must provide the processing fee, and four passport photos of the applicant. If neither the

father nor the mother can be present, a close relative may stand proxy for them. It is only the

applicant, or one of their legal guardians (if the applicant is also present), who can collect a

minor's ID card.

First-time applicants over the age of 15 without official documents, or whose identity has not

been confirmed by anyone other than their legal guardian, are required to provide a certificate

confirming their identity from a recognised local leader, such as a

mukhtar

(local mayor or

village elder).

In addition to the standard application requirements, male applicants in the

military age range (18-42) must submit a military booklet or status report from the relevant

military authority.

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 14; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer

vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications

for Syrians Living abroad,

2 December 2022,

url,

p. 32

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 14; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer

vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Norway Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 20; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

pp. 4-5

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 20; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

pp. 4-5

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 5

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 4

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 4; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria:

Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 20

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

The ID cards issued to Syrian nationals and Palestinian refugees are almost identical.

The ID

cards issued to Palestinian refugees registered with the General Administration for Palestine

Arab Refugees (GAPAR) have a pink background and contain a personal number (raqm

shakhsi

in Arabic). In contrast, the background of ID cards issued to Syrian citizens is green around the

edges and contains a national number (raqm

watani

in Arabic).

Cards issued to Palestinians

also contain the text “temporary residence permit card for Palestinians” (tadhkarat

iqama

mu’aqqata lil-filastiniin

in Arabic).

3.3.2 Family booklets

The family booklet (al-bitaqa

al-usriya,

known more commonly as

daftar ʻāʼilii

in Arabic) is a

document that contains information about the family members and serves as proof of marriage

and the parentage of children.

This document is required to access basic public services such

as education and health care, as well as the issuance of birth registration and identity

documents for children.

All Syrian citizens are entitled to a family booklet.

Single men and women are generally not

issued a personal family booklet, regardless of age, and they remain registered in their fathers'

family booklets.

However, Law 13/2021 contains provisions that permit a slightly broader

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

pp. 26-27; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

pp. 26-27; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 11

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 26; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer

vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 18; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 8

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 8; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria:

Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 18; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian

documents: Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 8; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria:

Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 18; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian

documents: Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 18

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

range of individuals to apply for a family booklet. This includes an adult "only" child in the event

that the parents are deceased, imprisoned or divorced.

The family booklet contains the husband’s personal details, including name, place of birth,

religion, address, national identity number, military booklet number, special features, as well as

the place and date of issue.

Furthermore, the document contains the wife’s name, national

number, parents’ names, date and place of birth, religion, date and place of marriage, as well as

the date of marriage registration. Additionally, it includes the names and personal details of

children.

The family booklet must be updated in connection with changes to family relationships.

For

example, a woman who marries remains in her father’s family booklet, with a note indicating

that she has married, but she is also added to her husband’s family booklet. In case of divorce,

the women remains in her previous husband’s family booklet with a note indicating that they

are divorced.

The issuance of the family booklet requires the presence of the applicant and the presentation

of a valid ID. It can be issued to both spouses or a legal guardian appointed by the family court

(Sharia court) in cases where the spouse has been imprisoned or died.

Residents of NES can

submit their applications for family booklets and provide their fingerprints at the GoS-run

offices in Qamishli.

3.3.3 Birth certificates

The new civil status law requires parents in Syria to register their new-born children within 90

days of birth, and is an extension from the previous 30-day deadline for registration.

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 13

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 8; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska

handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents:

Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria:

Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 18

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 8; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska

handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents:

Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria:

Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 18

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 12; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 19

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 8; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska

handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents:

Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

pp. 12-13

Ciwan Isso (Lawyer): 4, 5, 7

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Registration can now occur at any civil affairs office, unlike the previous civil status law, which

restricted registration to the office where the father was registered or where the birth took

place.

In NES, birth registration is generally conducted by the head of the household or a

proxy, such as a family member or lawyer, at the local registry office, where the family resides.

A child can only be registered if the parents' marriage is recorded. If this is not the case, the

marriage must first be registered and approved by a Sharia court or another recognised

religious body.

Upon registration, the child receives a nationality number, is added to the

family register, and a birth certificate is issued.

This registration is crucial for the child, to be

recognised as a Syrian citizen, obtain an ID card, and confirm their ancestry.

For Syrian citizens

residing abroad, the registration period has been extended to nine months.

According to Ciwan Isso, birth certificates are applied for and issued at the local registry offices

in NES.

Zaki Mohammad Hajji explained that birth registration takes place at local registry

offices, and that birth certificates can be applied for electronically and issued by offices in

Hasakah or Qamishli.

3.3.4 Marriage certificates

In order for a marriage to be registered in Syria's civil registry, it must first be authorised by the

family court of the relevant religious community.

This process requires the submission of

special medical certificates, the consent of the wife's guardian (regardless of her age for a first

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 14; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

pp. 13 -14

Ciwan Isso (lawer): 11; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 14

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 14; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 14

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p: 14;Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 14

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 14

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 14; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 14

Ciwan Isso (lawyer): 10

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (Lawyer): 14

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 13; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 17; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 16

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

marriage), identity documents of both spouses, civil register extracts, and, for men of military

age, a marriage licence from military recruitment authorities.

The family court approves the marriage before judges, witnesses, and guardians, and issues a

marriage contract.

The original of this contract is sent to the Civil Registry to update the

marital status of the spouses and merge their registration details. A marriage certificate is then

issued.

According to Zaki Mohammad Hajji, the processing time related to marriage contracts

may be longer in NES than in areas under GoS control.

This may be due to the fact that in

areas under the control of the GoS, there is more supervision and control over the issuance of

documents, and the work of the staff responsible for issuing documents is more regularly

checked and supervised by the administration. As a result, the staff is more competent

compared to the NES.

3.4 Passports and travel documents

The Syrian national passport (jawaz

al-safar

in Arabic) is issued to all Syrians upon application,

regardless of age.

It confirms citizenship and identity.

Travel documents for Palestinians are

issued in accordance with the same regulations and according to the same procedures as Syrian

national passports.

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p: 13; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 17; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 16

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 13; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 17; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

pp. 16-17

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 13; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 17; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs

Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 17

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 13

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 12; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska

handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents:

Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17; Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC),

The 2021 Syrian Status Law: Implications for Syrians Living abroad,

2 December 2022,

url,

p. 14

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 22; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 27

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

The Directorate of Immigration and Passports, under the Ministry of the Interior, is responsible

for the issuance of Syrian national passports and travel documents

(wathiqat al-safar:

Arabic) for Palestinians registered as refugees in Syria.

The Directorate is headquartered in

Damascus, where the central passport register is located.

Prior to the conflict, the Directorate

had functioning regional offices in the 14 provincial capitals across Syria, and with the

exception of the offices in Idlib and Raqqa, all regional offices remain operational despite the

conflict.

Passports issued to residents of NES are issued by the regional office in Hasakah;

however, all decisions related to issuance and validity of Syrian passports are made by the

directorate’s headquarters in Damascus.

Passport applications submitted in Hasakah are

forwarded to Damascus for printing and personalisation.

3.4.1 Syrian E-passport

As of 20 August 2023, Syria commenced the issuance of new biometric e-passports as well as

biometric travel documents for Palestinians.

In line with the introduction of e-passports, the

issuance of N-series passports was to be phased out over a six-month period, with the last

passports from the N-series being issued until 20 February 2024.

The new e-passports are

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil Documentation and Registration

in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

url,

p. 12; Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin

Information Report Syria Documents,

December 2019,

url,

p. 7; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og

pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 27; Sweden, Migrationsverket,

Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande

[Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

pp. 17, 22; US

Department of State (USDoS), Bureau of Consular Affairs,

U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil documents by Country, Syria,

General Documents,

n.d.,

url

Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin Information Report Syria Documents,

December

2019,

url,

p. 7; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

September 2022,

url,

p. 22; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration,

application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 23

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 17; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 22: Ciwan Isso (lawyer): 4; Hossein Naasoo (Lawyer): 7;

Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 1-3

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 23; Ciwan Isso (Lawyer): 4; Hossein Naasoo: 7

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 18

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 18

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 18

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

machine-readable and contain an electronic chip that stores metadata and information about

the holder, including a fingerprint and facial image.

In January 2024, the Syrian e-passport was

still not compliant with ICAO standards due to a missing signature field.

However, there are

reports that from January 2024, passports generally have signature fields at the time of issue.

3.4.2 Application and issuance

Previously, passport applications were submitted to a regional office of the Directorate of

Migration and Passports or a Syrian diplomatic mission.

Following the introduction of the

biometric e-passport in August 2023, the Directorate of Migration and Passports in Damascus

issued a directive to provincial department heads that passport applications should henceforth

only be submitted through the new citizen services portal or the

Mu'āmalāti

app.

Passport applications can now only be made via electronic services. However, there are

privately run specialised offices that assist people with online applications for a fee.

The use

of such services is the result of significant technical issues with the online portals and the

mobile app,

as well as lengthy delays and waiting times in the passport issuance process.

Consequently, a significant number of Syrians have sought the assistance of intermediaries such

as the mentioned specialised offices, who can facilitate the application process through their

Arabian Business,

تاراملإا يف اهديدجتو نييروسلا رفس تازاوج رادصإ فاقيإ

[Temporary

suspension of the issuance and

renewal of passports for Syrians in the United Arab

Emirates], , 25 August 2023,

url;

Sweden, Migrationsverket,

Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande

[Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 18

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 18; Enab Baladi,

Syrian electronic passport impedes holders’ mobility,

url

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 18

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9, September

2022,

url,

p. 23

Arabian Business,

تاراملإا يف اهديدجتو نييروسلا رفس تازاوج رادصإ فاقيإ

[Temporary

suspension of the issuance and

renewal of passports for Syrians in the United Arab

Emirates], , 25 August 2023,

url

;

Sweden, Migrationsverket,

Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande

[Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 19; Enab

Baladi,

Syrian Electronic Passports impedes holders’ mobility,

22 December 2023,

url

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20; Syria Direct,

Delays and exploitation: Passport crisis prevents Syrians from

leaving the country,

22 August 2023,

url

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20; Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA),

دعب ةمدخلل ةينورتكللاا نطاوملا ةمدخ ةموظنم لمع ةدوع

ثيدحتلل اهفقوت

DIS[The electronic citizen service system returns to service after stopping it for updating]

, 6 October

2023,

url

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20; Syria Direct,

Delays and exploitation: Passport crisis prevents Syrians from

leaving the country,

22 August 2023,

url;

Arabian Business,

تاراملإا يف اهديدجتو نييروسلا رفس تازاوج رادصإ فاقيإ

[Temporary

suspension of the issuance and renewal of passports for Syrians in the United Arab

Emirates], 25 August 2023,

url

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

connections with the issuing authority.

However, this alternative is costly, insecure and

exploitative.

100

The use of intermediaries in this manner, however, also occurred prior to the

introduction of the online application platforms.

101

The application and issuance of Syrian passports to residents of NES is subject to the same

procedures as in GoS-controlled areas of Syria, with slight variations.

102

These variations include

the time taken to process a passport application and the printing and personalisation of the

passport, which is performed in Damascus.

103

Passports issued in relation to applications from

within Syria are typically delivered in person at the offices of the Directorate of Migration and

Passports.

104

The applicant in question is required to sign a release form and provide a

fingerprint.

105

Residents of NES submit a passport application electronically and the passport is

issued by the office in Hasakah.

106

Syrians residing abroad can obtain passports through Syrian diplomatic representations,

regardless of their legal status or outstanding legal issues in Syria.

107

Passport applications via

Syrian diplomatic missions are submitted using the electronic consular platform, which provides

services for passport issuance or renewal.

108

This platform facilitates data submission, video

verification, and the submission of signatures and fingerprints.

109

However, as of December

2023, the majority of Syrian expatriates relied on sending their passports to Syria for renewal or

issuance.

110

This was either done through a relative to complete the application or by

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20;

Enab Baladi,

Syrian passports: Electronic portal closed, brokers’ pockets open,

March 2022,

url;

Syria Direct,

Delays and exploitation: Passport crisis prevents Syrians from leaving the country,

August 2023,

url

100

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20;

Enab Baladi,

Syrian passports: Electronic portal closed, brokers’ pockets open,

March 2022,

url;

Syria Direct,

Delays and exploitation: Passport crisis prevents Syrians from leaving the country,

August 2023,

url

101

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 24

102

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 7; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 4, 11; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 6

103

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 23; Ciwan Isso (Lawyer): 4; Hossein Naasoo: 7

104

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20

105

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 20

106

Mahmoud Omar (Lawyer): 3

107

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 7

108

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

pp. 19-20; Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates,

Electronic Consular Center,

n.d.,

url

109

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 10

110

Enab Baladi, Syrian electronic passport impedes holders’ mobility, 22 December 2023,

url

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

submitting the application to the electronic consular platform, after which the documents were

sent to the Syrian Embassy in Oman to finalise the process.

111

Syrian males of military age (18-42) who have not completed their military service are eligible

to receive passports valid for a period of two years within Syria.

112

Passports issued to

employees of the GoS or by a Syrian diplomatic mission are typically valid for a period of two

and a half years.

113

This also applies to passports issued to Syrians abroad who are subject to

legal proceedings.

114

Those below the age of 18 and those who have completed their military

service without outstanding legal issues are eligible for passports valid for six years.

115

Individuals with outstanding legal issues in Syria are ineligible to obtain a Syrian passport within

the country.

116

Passports issued to Syrians abroad through a relative/proxy include a stamp inscribed with

Kharaaj al-Qotor

(is out of Syria in Arabic) on the final page to indicate that the holder is

outside of Syria, and that the passport is issued to a proxy. If the passport is issued to a close

relative or legal representative, this information is also recorded on the final page.

117

The fee for a passport with a standard waiting period of up to eight months is 70,000 Syrian

pounds (approximately 30 USD), while an expedited passport issued within two days costs two

million Syrian pounds (approximately 400 USD). For applications submitted outside Syria, the

fee is 300 USD for a standard waiting period and 800 USD for an expedited passport.

118

111

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 10; Enab Baladi, Syrian electronic passport impedes holders’ mobility, 22

December 2023,

url;;Arabian

Business,

تاراملإا يف اهديدجتو نييروسلا رفس تازاوج رادصإ فاقيإ

[Temporary

suspension of the

issuance and renewal of passports for Syrians in the United Arab

Emirates], 25 August 2023,

url

112

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil 8; Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och

dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for

registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 21; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og

pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 23

113

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 21; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 23

114

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 21; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 23;

115

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

p. 21; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity

documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 23

116

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 6

117

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 11-12; Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),

Country of Origin

Information Report Syria Documents,

December 2019,

url,

p. 8

118

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid

registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for registration, application and

issuance],

24 January 2024,

url,

pp. 20-21

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

4. Documents issued by the DAANES

Although the GoS is responsible for issuing central identity documents to NES residents, the

DAANES also issues various administrative documents to its residents.

119

The legal framework

for the issuance of documents by the DAANES authorities is the Social Contract, which was

updated in late 2023.

120

Documents issued by the DAANES are generally only valid in areas

controlled by the DAANES, but can also be used in connection with crossing the border into the

KRI.

121

4.1 Identity certificates

The smallest administrative unit of the DAANES is the

Komeen,

which is present in every

neighbourhood, and operates in parallel to the mukhtar system in areas under GoS-control.

122

is responsible for issuing identity certificates (Shahadat

al-Ta'rif

in Arabic and

Nesnameh

Kurdish).

123

These certificates are essential for administrative tasks such as applying for driving

licences, employment, DAANES residence permits, and rental contracts in the areas controlled

by the DAANES.

124

Although not an official ID document, this certificate confirms a person's

identity and residence, parental information and the reason for issuance, such as recruitment

into the SDF or employment.

125

These documents are equivalent to the GoS civil registration

certificates.

126

However, this certificate is not issued according to a standardised layout.

127

The

primary reason for the issuance of this document is the prevailing security situation in the NES

making it necessary to have the identity of the person confirmed by the local

Komeen.

128

4.2 Civil and administrative documents

DAANES authorities issue a wide range of documents, including court documents related to

marriage and divorce, driving licences, educational certificates from primary to university level,

vehicle registration certificates, and residential real estate rental contracts.

129

Visitor cards

(bitaqa al-vafedin:

In Arabic) are issued by the Asayish, the Kurdish internal security and police

force, to individuals from other areas of Syria seeking entry and residence in NES.

130

119

120

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 10; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15-20

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 11; Kurdistan24,

New administration name adopted for local administration in

northeast Syria,

13 December 2023,

url;

RIC, Upcoming Elections, the new Social Contract and political system

changes – interview with Kobane Autonomous Administration officials, 2 April 2024,

url

121

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 14; Mahmoud Omar (Lawyer): 8; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 21-22

122

DAANES DFR: 7-8; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15

123

DAANES DFR: 7; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 10; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15

124

DAANES DFR: 7; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 10;

125

DAANES DFR: 7; DAANES KRI: 2; Mahmoud Omar (Lawyer): 10; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15

126

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15

127

DAANES DFR: 7

128

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 15

129

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 10; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 16; DAANES DFR: 5

130

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 16

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Driving licenses are issued by DAANES authorities throughout NES.

131

In each city within NES,

there is an office where individuals can complete the theoretical and practical driving tests and

obtain driving licences.

132

The DAANES issues educational certificates to students from its own institutions,

133

which use

Arabic, Syriac,

134

and Kurdish curriculum. In contrast, students from GoS-run institutions, which

use an Arabic-only curriculum, receive their certificates from the GoS authorities.

135

The GoS

does not recognise the Kurdish or Syriac curriculum and thus does not recognise the graduates

from the institutions which use these curricula, whilst the DAANES recognises graduates from

universities following the GoS curriculum.

136

Documents issued by the DAANES for marriage or divorce differ from those issued by the GoS.

In areas controlled by the DAANES, it is possible to register a civil marriage with the

municipality, whereas a marriage is regulated by religious courts in the GoS-controlled areas of

Syria.

137

Marriage documents issued by GoS authorities have international recognition, whilst

DAANES documents are only valid within NES. DAANES also issues family registration

documents, which are valid in DAANES-controlled areas and for crossing into the KRI.

138

4.2 Military documents

Military booklets related to the Self-Defence Duty with Self-Defence forces (HXP) are issued at

the DAANES armed forces recruitment offices. The Self-Defence Duty booklet, issued by the

DAANES Ministry of Defence and stamped by the DAANES Ministry of Interior, records the

completion, discharge and exemption status of the individual in question. Upon completing the

Self-Defence Duty, individuals receive a temporary discharge document (Bera

ez zimma:

Arabic) until their updated military booklet is returned.

139

This document signifies that the

holder has been discharged from the mandatory Self-Defence Duty, and has returned his

weapon and uniform. It can be used for travel and be presented at checkpoints controlled by

the SDF.

140

131

132

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 18; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 9

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 18

133

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 20; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer); DAANES DFR: 5; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 9

134

The Syriac language is a dialect of Aramaic that is spoken in Syria and Iraq.

135

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 20

136

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 20-21

137

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 10; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 7; Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass

[Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September 2022,

url,

p. 17; US Department of State (USDoS), Bureau of

Consular Affairs,

U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil documents by Country, Syria, General Documents,

n.d.,

url;

Sweden,

Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument: Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan

och utfärdande,

24 January 2024,

url,

p: 13

138

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 22; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 8

139

DAANES DD: 1; Former Mandatory Self-Defence Duty conscript: 1: DAANES KRI: 1

140

DAANES DD: 1; Former Mandatory Self-Defence Duty conscript: 1

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

5. Forged and false documents

Forgery of documents is a prevalent issue across all regions of Syria, largely attributable to the

Syrian government's loss of control in numerous areas during the conflict, and pervasive

corruption.

141

Local civil registry offices have in practice been operating independently of the

GoS, and there has been an increase in the number of documents being issued incorrectly.

142

The number of manipulated and forged documents has also risen.

143

Although possible, the

forgery of documents issued by the DAANES is rare, which is partly due to their limited use

outside of NES.

144

In contrast, the forging of documents issued by the GoS is more complex due to the electronic

application processes involved.

145

However, corruption is prevalent in the Syrian public

sector.

146

Transparency International ranked Syria 177

out of 180 countries in its Corruption

Perceptions Index for 2023.

147

Since the outbreak of the civil war, it has also become possible

and far more widespread to obtain documents containing incorrect personal information in

Syria.

148

Bribery is common in the GoS-controlled parts of Syria, and it remains possible to

manipulate personal information on genuine documents issued by the GoS through bribery.

149

5.1 Prevalence of forged and false documents

Despite the ongoing conflict, the GoS authorities have retained a degree of control over the

issuance of central documents.

150

Nevertheless, forged and counterfeit documents are common

across both DAANES-controlled and other areas of Syria

151

The GoS’ loss of territorial control

and widespread corruption has made it easier for citizens to obtain various types of

documents, such as passports, birth and death certificates, marriage contracts, ID cards, and

educational certificates, by paying bribes.

152

Authentication challenges persist, particularly with ID cards, which are easier to forge than

passports due to less sophisticated security features.

153

Even when individuals manage to

141

142

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 8; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 11

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

pp. 28-29

143

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 28

144

Norway, Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 24; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 14

145

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 23

146

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 28

147

Transparency International,

Corruption Perceptions Index Syria,

2023,

url

148

Norway, Landinfo,

Syria: Identitetsdokumenter og pass [Syria: Identity documents and passports],

9 September

2022,

url,

p. 28

149

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 23, 32

150

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 41

151

Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 11; Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 8

152

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 8

153

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 42

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

obtain forged Syrian documents, these are not properly registered within the national registry,

limiting their usability within Syria.

154

Syrian embassies abroad enforce authentication protocols

requiring the submission of a comprehensive array of authenticated documents and employing

barcode inspection to verify authenticity.

155

The ease of obtaining forged documents varies regionally, with GoS-controlled areas of Syria

experiencing higher levels of bribery and corruption compared to NES.

156

Forged and genuine

documents containing incorrect information are available, and young men use forged university

documents to defer their Self-Defence Duty.

157

It is also possible to obtain forged military

booklets issued by the GoS, as well as the DAANES.

158

Legal complexities also arise from the use of legitimate procedures to issue documents based

on forged foundations, such as obtaining marriage contracts through forged powers of attorney.

For example, Syrians residing in Europe can obtain marriage contracts issued in Syria by using a

forged power of attorney.

159

In fact, a marriage contract issued in this way is not forged, as it is

issued by a Sharia court and has the right seal. However, the signature of one or both parties on

the power of attorney is forged, meaning that the power of attorney is signed by people and

lawyers in Syria instead of the spouses residing in Europe. There is a legal principle in Syrian law

stating that what is based on falsehood is false, meaning that documents which are issued on a

forged basis are to be considered false.

160

154

155

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 43

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 44

156

Syrian Kurdish expert in Europe: 1

157

Syrian Kurdish expert in Europe: 2

158

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 25

159

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 9

160

Hossein Naasoo (lawyer): 9

UUI, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 152: Orientering af UUI om Fact-finding rapport fra landedokumentation om dokumenter og bevægelsesfrihed i Nord- og Østsyrien

SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

6. Freedom of movement

The destruction of infrastructure in NES by Turkey has had a severe impact on the region's

economy, resulting in very low employment rates, and has negatively affected civilian life in the

region.

161

Kobane is particularly economically isolated due to Turkey's control of the Tal Abyad

and Ras al-Ayn (Serikaniye: in Kurdish) border crossing, which makes travel difficult and lengthy.

Many people are leaving NES due to the deteriorating economic situation, which has been

exacerbated by the inflation of the Syrian Pound and lack of employment opportunities.

162

6.1 Cross-border movement

Due to a lack of access to Syria and sources with relevant knowledge about topics addressed in

this section, the section is mainly based on information obtained from an interview with the

owner of a travel agency in KRI, which offers comprehensive assistance to Syrian nationals in

relation to obtaining visas, sponsorships, work permits, family reunification and travelling to

and from Syria.

6.1.1. Access to the KRI

In April 2024, visa restrictions on Syrian nationals were introduced by the Kurdistan Regional

Government (KRG) authorities. The KRG’s decision to suspend visa issuance, reportedly at the

request of the Iraqi federal government, is part of a wider initiative to regulate foreign labour in

Iraq.

163

The specific regulations for travelling to the KRI vary depending on the point of

departure and mode of transport.

164

6.1.1.1. Travelling from Syria to the KRI via international airports

All individuals from Syria, regardless of ethnicity, are required to possess a passport that is valid

for a minimum of six months in order to engage in international travel. Passports are stamped

upon departure from Syria and upon arrival in the KRI.

165

Young men, who have not yet completed their mandatory military service, are obliged to present

documentation that substantiates their ongoing education in order to obtain a visa for the KRI. It

is more likely that visas will be granted to families rather than to individuals.

166

Additionally,

minors are unable to apply for visas without the presence of a parent and must obtain consent

from the non-travelling parent.

167

161

Wladimir van Wilgenburg: 1-2; Enab Baladi,

Turkish targeting focuses on infrastructure in northeast Syria,

January 2024,

url;

North Press Agency,

Turkey’s aggression impacts civilian infrastructure in NE Syria,

10 January

2024,

url

162

Wladimir van Wilgenburg: 1-2

163

Syria Direct,

Erbil allows some visas, sets ‘prohibitive’ requirements for Syrians’ residency renewals,

3 June 2024,

url;

The New Arab,

Humanitarian concerns arise as Iraqi Kurdistan suspends entry visas for Syrians,

3 April 2024,

url;

Rudaw,

Syrians in Kurdistan decry visa halt,

16 April 2024,

url

164

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 1-6,13- 23

165

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 1, 2

166

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 3, 4

167

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 5

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Prior to the suspension of visa issuance for Syrians in April 2024, there were two daily flights

between Erbil and Damascus, operated by FlyErbil, Fly Baghdad, and Cham Wings. Additionally,

Aleppo Airport was operational.

168

Although the majority of travellers purchased round-trip tickets, the return flights to Syria were

frequently empty. In 2020, Cham Wings introduced a policy requiring round-trip ticket purchases,

resulting in an average ticket price of approximately USD 500. However, the introduction of flights

by FlyBaghdad and FlyErbil led to a decrease in one-way ticket prices to USD 200-250.

169

Following the suspension of visas, flight operations have been significantly reduced. Currently,

only two weekly flights operate between Damascus and Erbil, reflecting the decreased travel

demand and regulatory changes.

170

6.1.1.2. The Semalka border crossing

The Semalka border crossing, also known as

Faysh Khabur,

is an unofficial border crossing

between the KRI and the DAANES.

171

It was established in 2012 by the KRG with the

construction of a pontoon bridge between the two territories.

172

This border is operational for

crossings three to four days a week.

173

Although Lebanon is still the primary country of transit for Syrian citizens, a considerable

number of individuals crossed the Semalka border during the period between 2012 and 2019,

due to the active conflict in the NES region. Those crossing into the KRI were received by the

KRG authorities and accommodated in camps. Since then, as the conflict has diminished,

stringent control measures have been introduced, and the prices for irregular crossings have

also increased.

174

Given the unofficial status of this specific border crossing, traversing it in either direction is, in

practice, de facto an illicit border crossing. However, this is not typically prosecuted, as both

sides of the crossing are under Kurdish control,

175

and established procedures have enabled

residents of NES to enter the KRI by obtaining permits to do so from the KRG and the

DAANES.

176

168

169

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 31

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 32, 33

170

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 34

171

Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Syria:

The border situation between Turkey, Syria and Iraq, 10

October 2024,

url,

p. 12; Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 13; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 15

172

Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum,

Syria: The border situation between Turkey, Syria and Iraq,

October 2024,

url,

p. 12;

173

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 27

174

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 26, 29

175

Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum,

Syria: The border situation between Turkey, Syria and Iraq,

October 2024,

url,

p. 12

176

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 14-15; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 15, 16

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

This crossing point is unofficial and therefore no passport is required unless the person in

question has come from a third country, e.g. from Europe, to visit NES or is on his or her way

back to KRI from NES.

177

In 2017, the DAANES immigration authority announced that it was developing new application

forms and local passports for travel to the KRI.

178

Individuals crossing the border present their

travel permit, which is a two-page booklet that contains the traveller’s personal information

and a photo.

179

The KRG has implemented an online platform for the approval of entry into the KRI through the

Semalka-crossing. Individuals seeking entry into the KRI must obtain the KRG’s approval

through this platform.

180

The likelihood of receiving approval to travel from the KRG is increased

if the applicant in question submits multiple documents confirming their identity and reasons

for travel.

181

In addition, NES residents must apply for an exit permit from the DAANES

authorities, which is submitted at the immigration office in Qamishli.

182

Obtaining the permit to

exit NES is generally easier for families than young men.

183

Although the number of applications for exit permits has increased, actual departures have

remained static due to the suspension of visa issuance for Syrians and DAANES authorities are

also reluctant to grant exit permits.

184

The same documents must be presented in connection

with departure from and return to NES from the KRI.

185

Syrian nationals who are either dual citizens or in possession of foreign residence permits and

who intend to enter the NES via the Semalka border are required to present documentation

that demonstrates familial ties or other connections to NES at the border checkpoint.

186

Young single males have very limited chances of being granted passage. Exceptions are cases of

medical emergency or urgent family reunification. For example, an applicant from NES could be

granted entry to Europe via KRI if they have a family member there. Applications must be

submitted in person at the DAANES immigration office in Qamishli. Travellers must also have a

sponsor within NES, who is financially liable if they do not return.

187

Individuals who fail to return to NES, or their sponsors, may be subject to a fine of

approximately USD 2,000 imposed by DAANES authorities. Furthermore, such individuals may

177

178

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 13; Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 14, 15; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (Lawyer): 26

Kurdistan24,

Syrian Kurdish administration to issue new travel documents,

31 august 2017,

url

179

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 22

180

Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 16

181

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 15

182

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 18

183

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 14

184

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 27

185

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 23

186

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 29

187

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 16, 19

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

also be subject to a daily fine of approximately USD 15 imposed by KRG authorities for each day

their stay in the KRI has exceeded the permitted duration of their legal stay.

188

Upon crossing into the KRI, travellers are required to undergo security screening and are

informed of the maximum permissible stay of one month, which can be extended to two

months upon payment of a fee. Those wishing to stay longer are required to apply for a

residence permit.

189

The traveller’s luggage is registered on the border, and the authorities scan the person’s

documents and take their photo. This is followed by transportation via bus to the opposite side.

The transfer by bus costs around 10 USD.

190

According to Zaki Mohammad Hajji, the procedure at the Iraqi border is uniform for all Syrian

citizens, and DAANES authorities do not distinguish between Kurdish residents of NES and

other Syrian citizens.

191

6.1.2. Access to Turkey

Previously, the principal migration route was through the KRI to Turkey via the Semalka border

crossing. However, due to the increased travel restrictions between NES and the KRI, it is now a

common occurrence for individuals to be smuggled through Turkish-controlled areas into

Turkey and subsequently to Europe. By taking this route, persons risk detention by Turkish-

backed Syrian National Army (SNA) militias.

192

6.2 Internal movement

Qamishli Airport operates a limited number of flights to Damascus, with the majority of flights

being conducted by military aircraft. There are currently no scheduled flights to Aleppo.

193

Individuals from NES can travel to GoS-controlled areas via Qamishli Airport. However,

individuals with outstanding issues, e.g. evasion of military service or oppositional activities,

avoid using the airport due to the significant risk of arrest. Arrests may occur when the person

in question reaches Damascus, but it can also occur at the airport in Qamishli.

194

DAANES

representatives have stated that the security square in Qamishli is generally avoided by the

public, as it is surrounded by SDF checkpoints.

195

The use of bus transportation represents a more cost-effective, though time-consuming,

alternative that is preferred by individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

196

188

189

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 25

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 21

190

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 20

191

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 27

192

Wladimir van Wilgenburg: 3

193

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 38-39

194

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 38-40; Zaki Mohammad Hajji: 30

195

DAANES DFR: 4

196

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 40

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

The Latakia-Damascus highway remains open with frequent bus services transporting

civilians.

197

However, individuals who are sought by the GoS risk detention if they attempt to

travel through GoS checkpoints.

198

In addition, those travelling through checkpoints risk being

subjected to discrimination at checkpoints based on ethnicity, language, and place of

residence.

199

Smuggling routes exist between different areas of control in Syria, often involving bribery.

200

Status settlements and security clearances can be obtained before entering areas controlled by

the GoS, albeit with difficulty for individuals with significant outstanding security issues.

201

Former residents of Afrin have been relocated to camps for internally displaced persons in

areas under the control of the DAANES. Those remaining, primarily Kurds, are under the

governance of the Turkish military and the SNA.

202

Afrin residents face categorical exclusion

from GoS-controlled territories solely based on their place of origin and are only able to depart

from the NES via Qamishli airport.

203

In order to travel into NES, people from areas under GoS

control need to be vouched for by two residents of NES, who stand as guarantors for the

traveller.

204

197

198

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 37

Mahmoud Omar (Lawyer): 12

199

Zaki Mohammad Hajji: 27

200

Syrian human rights organisation:1- 2; Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 32

201

Zaki Mohammad Hajji: 32-33

202

Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 35

203

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 28: Mahmoud Omar (lawyer): 18; Owner of a travel agency in Erbil: 36

204

Zaki Mohammad Hajji (lawyer): 29

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

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16 April 2024,

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/160420242,

accessed 16 July 2024

Sweden, Migrationsverket, Landinformation,

Officiella syriska handlingar och dokument:

Procedurer vid registrering, ansökan och utfärdande [Official Syrian documents: Procedures for

registration, application and issuance],

24 January 2024,

https://lifos.migrationsverket.se/dokument?documentSummaryId=48047,

accessed 27 May

2024

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA),

Through the Citizen Service Center portal…Interior Ministry

launches an electronic service for obtaining a passport,

11 July 2022,

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=277618,

accessed 27 May 2024

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA),

ثيدحتلل اهفقوت دعب ةمدخلل ةينورتكللاا نطاوملا ةمدخ ةموظنم لمع ةدوع

[The

electronic citizen service system returns to service after stopping it for updating]

, 6

October 2023,

https://sana.sy/?p=1912370,

accessed 27 May 2024

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Interior, Civil Affairs Directorate & UNHCR,

Civil

Documentation and Registration in the Syrian Arab Republic,

25 April 2019,

https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/69169,

accessed 27 May 2024

Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates,

Electronic Consular Center,

n.d.,

https://ecsc-expat.sy/,

accessed 28 May 2024

Syria Direct,

Delays and exploitation: Passport crisis prevents Syrians from leaving the country,

22 August 2023,

Delays and exploitation: Passport crisis prevents Syrians from leaving the

country (syriadirect.org),

accessed 27 May 2024

Syria Direct,

Erbil allows some visas, sets ‘prohibitive’ requirements for Syrians’ residency

renewals,

3. June 2024,

https://syriadirect.org/erbil-allows-some-visas-sets-prohibitive-

requirements-for-syrians-residency-renewals/,

accessed 28 June 2024

The New Arab,

Humanitarian concerns arise as Iraqi Kurdistan suspends entry visas for Syrians,

3 April 2024,

https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqi-kurdistan-region-suspends-entry-visas-

syrians,

accessed 16 July 2024

Transparency International,

Corruption Perception Index 2023,

2023,

https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023,

accessed 9 August 2024

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDES),

Technical Report on the

Status of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in the ECSWA Region,

30 March 2009,

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-

social/crvs/documents/Technical_report_ESCWA_Final.pdf,

accessed 27 May 2024

USDoS (US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs),

U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil

documents by Country, Syria, General Documents,

n.d.,

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-

Country/Syria.html,

accessed 27 May 2024

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Annex 1: Meeting minutes

WhatsApp meeting with Ciwan Isso, lawyer based in Syria, 2 May

2024

Issuance of Syrian documents in NES

1. NES is part of Syria, and therefore still falls under the sovereignty of the Syrian state, as

well as the Syrian constitution and secondary laws that were issued in support of this.

This includes regulation regarding the issuance of Syrian documents for the whole

country.

2. Every person in NES can apply for three main types of Syrian documents, which are ID-

cards, family booklets and a national passport.

3. GoS maintains service offices in the security squares in Hasakah and Qamishli.

4. ID-cards and family books are only issued in Qamishli. For passports, it is necessary to

go to Hasakah, as the passport and Immigration Office is located there. The office in

Hasakah is electronically linked to the office in Damascus All legal procedures related to

the passport are carried out by the applicant in Al-Hasakah, but the passport is printed

in Damascus and sent to the Immigration Department in Al-Hasakah which is the

issuing authority. The first official in the Immigration Department in Al-Hasakah signs

the passport.

5. Signature and fingerprints are required for all three types of documents issued in

Hasakah and Qamishli.

6. For passports, it is necessary to have the fingerprint scanned in Hasakah, as this is

where the Immigration office is.

7. Fingerprints collected in Qamishli are only for ID-cards and family booklets. The

registry office in Qamishli is one of the main registration centres, and covers the city of

Qamishli and the smaller towns around Qamishli.

8. Hasakah and Amuda also have registry offices.

9. There is a central server in Syria for issuance of ID-cards, which is still working and

remains in place despite the conflict. It is therefore also possible for people to have

their documents checked in regions outside their home region.

10. Birth certificates are applied for and issued at the registry offices, who also issue other

minor documents. Smaller registry office supply updated registry information to the

office in Qamishli that then can update the family book.

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(NES)

11. Birth registration done by head of household/proxy at the local registry office in the

town where the family is from. Issuing a birth certificate and all legal procedures,

including the family booklet, are carried out by the local office in the area. However,

later, the single window system was implemented, where any citizen can extract

documents related to personal matters and data from any governorate, provided that

the citizen is legally registered.

Written interview with Hossein Naasoo, lawyer based in Germany,

17. April 2024

The source has provided the information in consultation with a number of lawyers inside Syria,

including lawyers within NES to ensure the accuracy of the information.

Government of Syria (GoS) presence in NES

1. The areas in NES, which are under the military and administrative control of the

Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAANES) comprise:



Tal Rifaat and the Al-Shahba areas in the Aleppo countryside



the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo



Manbij, Kobani, Raqqa, parts of Deir ez-Zor



Al-Hasakah and Qamishli, with the exception of the security squares controlled

by the GoS.

2. There is difference between different regions of NES, which are under the DAANES

control, with regard to the presence of GoS civil administration. For example, there is

no civil, administrative or security presence of the GoS institutions in Manbij, Raqqa,

Kobani, and parts of Deir ez-Zor, neither GoS civil registry offices, real estate

registration departments nor educational institutions.

3. As for the Aleppo countryside and Aleppo neighborhoods, GoS administration, is

present, for instance GoS-run schools in cities with an Arab majority as well as civil

registry departments.

4. Also in the cities and regions of the Jazira, such as Al-Hasakah, Qamishli, Amuda, Derik,

Tarbasbiyah, Darbasiyah, and others, there are civil courts and civil registry

departments.

5. In Al-Hasakah and Qamishli, all GoS departments, including the courts, the Immigration

Department, the Land Registry, the Civil Registry, the security services and the police

are located in the security squares.

Documents issued by the GoS

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

6. All documents issued by the GoS, such as passport, ID’s, real estate ownership data,

marriage certificates, birth certificates, death certificates, power of attorney,

ownership confirmation rulings, educational certificates, military service booklets and

academic postponement of military service are valid in NES. The only exception is

driving license, where it is driving licenses issued by the DAANES which are valid in NES.

7. The procedures for issuing GoS documents are the same in NES as in other areas of

Syria. The only exception is the procedures for issuing passports. In Hasakah, when the

passport application form is filled and submitted together with the required

identification papers and the required fees are paid, the application will be sent to

Damascus to be processed. The passport will then be issued in Damascus and sent back

to Hasakah, where the applicant can collect it. This procedure was imposed by the

Immigration Department after the ISIS earlier in the conflict took control of some areas

in Hasakah and the Syrian opposition groups affiliated with Syrian National Coalition

subsequently started forging passports. The purpose of the procedure is thus to ensure

that passports are not forged.

8. Document forgery has spread widely in all Syrian regions without exception. This is due

to the GoS’ loss of territorial and administrative control in many places in Syria during

the conflict as well as the wide-spread corruption. The citizens can now obtain any

type of document or certificate in exchange for paying money, for instance passports,

birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, power of attorney, marriage

contracts, personal ID’s, driving licence, educational certificates, etc.

9. For example, people residing in Europe can obtain marriage contracts issued in Syria by

using a forged power attorney. In fact, a marriage contract issued in this way is not

forged, as it is issued by a Sharia court and has the right seal. However, the signature of

one or both parties on the power of attorney is forged, meaning that the power of

attorney is signed by people and lawyers in Syria instead of the spouses residing in

Europe. There is a legal principle in the Syrian law stating that what is based on

falsehood is false, meaning that documents which are issued on a forged basis are to

be considered false.

Documents issued by the Autonomous Administration

10. Following documents are issued by the DAANES:



Mandatory Self-Defence Duty booklets



Driving license



Marriage contract. In DAANES-controlled areas, marriages is registered with

the municipality and is thus a civil marriages, whilst in GoS-controlled areas, it

is a religious marriage registered with the Sharia court.



Ownership confirmation rulings



Building and well drilling licenses



Educational certificates, including university certificates



Car plates

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(NES)

11. The legal framework for these documents is the social contract of the DAANES, which

is equivalent to the constitution, as well as the Legislative Council and the people’s

courts.

12. The Civil Code and the Syrian Penal Code are applied in the DAANES-controlled areas,

with the exception of abolishing and amending some articles, including those related

to inheritance, polygamy and the honor-related crimes, as the DAANES’ legislation is

based on the principle of quality of rights between men and women, and polygamy is

prohibited in DAANES-controlled areas. Likewise, defending honor is not taken into

account as a mitigating factor in murder crimes. Some articles are also added to the

law regarding terrorism.

13. The procedures for obtaining DAANES documents begin with submitting the

application for the approval of the local Komeen, which is found in each district and

issuance of a certificate of good conduct by the Komeen. These are then used at the

relevant department to complete the procedures and obtain the documents applied

for.

14. It is very rarely that one comes across a forged document issued by the DAANES. This is

partly due to the limited use of these documents as they are not valid in other areas of

Syria, and partly because of the strict administrative procedures and monitoring by the

DAANES authorities.

WhatsApp-meeting with Zaki Mohammad Hajji, Human rights

lawyer based in Qamishli, Northeast Syria (NES), 9 April 2024

Government of Syria (GoS) presence in NES

1. The GoS' presence in NES is limited to the so-called security squares (Al-Morabat

Al-

Amniya)

in the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, where they operate government offices,

including among others civil status offices, recruitment offices and some schools etc.,

to serve the residents of NES. The Syrian authorities’ exercise of power and authority in

the security squares is limited to running these offices. The DAANES authorities control

the rest of the territory in NES.

2. When it comes to criminal matters, the Syrian authorities are not in a position to

exercise their authority (i.e. arresting and prosecuting wanted persons) in NES.

Criminal matters are handled by the DAANES, as the Syrian authorities present in the

security squares neither have the capacity nor are allowed by the DAANES authorities

to do it.

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(NES)

3. Unless the person concerned approaches the GoS authorities in the security squares,

the Syrian authorities are unable to arrest persons wanted for military service. The GoS

is able to check a person’s security file at the passport and immigration office in

Hasakah, which enables them to arrest people with outstanding issues who approach

them to make enquiries. The GoS is unable to arrest persons outside this specific

setting in the security squares.

GoS documents issued in NES

4. In Hasakah and Qamishli, the GoS issues the following documents: family book, ID

documents, personal registration certificate, family registration certificate, birth

certificate, marriage certificate and court decisions in relation to marriage and divorce.

Passports are issued in Hasakah, as this is the centre of the governorate.

5. It is also possible to obtain certified copies of previously issued documents. For

example, if a person has a document issued in Ras al Ain, which is currently under

Turkish jurisdiction, he or she can contact the Hasakah office to obtain a certified copy

of the document - for example, a marriage certificate.

6. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain court certificates pertaining to decisions validating

e.g. car or home ownership, as well as educational certificates from primary school,

middle school, high school and university.

7. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) recruitment offices, which are also present in the security

squares, also issue military booklets related to military service in the SAA as well as

study postponement paper which is issued to students.

8. In the two cities of Amuda and Darbasiyah, which are under the DAANES authority,

there are local offices of the civil status department managed by civil servants of the

Syrian government. These local offices of the civil status department cannot issue

electronic documents, identity cards or a printed copy of the family book because they

do not have access to the online databases necessary to provide these services, and

these electronic services exist only in the security squares in Al-Hasakah and Qamishli.

The procedures

9. Most GoS documents are applied for electronically in NES as in the rest of Syria,

including the following documents: family registration certificate, personal registration

certificate, birth certificate, marriage certificate, and all types of family related

documents.

10. Only a few documents are not applied for electronically. An example of such

documents are court decisions related to marriage/divorce, which are registered

electronically after the marriage/divorce has taken place. Other examples are

documents related to initial enquiries with the court and documents issued in

connection with buying and selling of property.

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(NES)

11. The procedures for issuing documents, including requirements for photos and

supporting documentation, are the same whether a person applies for the document

in Damascus or in NES. The only difference may be in how long it takes to issue a

document. In some places, such as Damascus, it can take 24 hours to issue a passport,

while in others, such as NES, it can take 10 or 15 days.

12. However, the processing time for documents applied for electronically, such as birth

certificates and marriage documents, is the same whether the applicant is in

Damascus, NES or Aleppo.

13. Regarding the few documents, which are not applied for electronically, for instance

marriage contracts, the processing time may depend on local conditions. For example,

in Damascus, it can take 20 days to obtain such documents, while in NES it can take

two months. This may be related to the fact that in the areas under the GoS' control,

there is more oversight and control over issuance of documents, the work of

employees responsible for issuing documents is more regularly checked and supervised

by the administration, and the employees are thus more competent compared to NES.

14. Documents applied for electronically by residents of Amuda and Al Malikiye are issued

in Hasakah and Qamishli. However, the residents of these cities can register their

newborn child at the registry in Al-Malikiyeh and Amuda, and thereafter apply for the

birth certificate electronically, which would be issued in Hasakah or Qamishli. Parents

from these areas can also choose to go to Hasakah and Qamishli to register their

newborn child, but it would not be necessary to travel 100 km to go to Hasakah to do

the registration if they could do it in the local offices in Malikiyeh and Amuda.

Registration can also be done by proxy. For example by a family member or a lawyer.

Documents issued by the DAANES in NES

15. The smallest administrative unit of the DAANES is called

Komin. Komin

issues an

identity certificate (Shahadat

al-ta’rif

فيرعتلا ةداهش

), which is used for all kinds of

administrative and paperwork in the DAANES, such as applying for a driving license,

applying for employment or service with DAANES armed forces, obtaining a residence

permit or authentication of a house or shop rental contract etc. This document

explains who the person is, and who his father and his mother is, what the purpose of

obtaining the document is etc. This document is issued due to the current security

situation in NES. Since there is a Komin in every neighbourhood, they know everything

about their area. The identity certificate issued by Komin corresponds to the civil

registration certificate issued by the GoS, and should not be confused with a security

clearance.

16. The DAANES authorities also issue court documents related to marriage and divorce,

driver’s licenses, education certificates from primary school to university level,

registration certificates for vehicles and residential real estate rental contracts, as well

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(NES)

as visitor cards (Bitaqa

al-Vafedin

نيدفاولا ةقاطب

)

issued by the Assayish which allow entry

and residence in NES for people from other regions.

17. The DAANES authorities also issue military booklets related to the Self-Defence Duty

with HXP in NES. The booklets are issued at the recruitment offices of the DAANES

armed forces.

18. Driving licenses are issued by DAANES authorities throughout all of NES. In every city in

NES, there is an office, where people can take the theoretical and practical driving tests

and obtain driving licenses.

19. The DAANES do not issue passports and personal ID’s, and its courts do not issue

decisions related to real estate ownership.

20. The DAANES authorities issue educational certificates to students from schools and

universities run by the DAANES whilst the students from the GoS-run educational

institutions receive their certificates from the GoS authorities. This is because the

curriculum used by the GoS educational institutions is only in Arabic, whereas the

curriculum used by DAANES run educational institutions in NES is in Arabic, Syriac and

Kurdish. The GoS does not recognise the Kurdish or Syriac curriculum.

21. The DAANES recognises university graduates from universities that follow the

curriculum of the GoS, but the GoS does not reciprocate this for graduates from

universities that follow the DAANES curriculum.

22. The main difference between court documents related to marriage and divorce issued

by the GoS and the DAANES is that documents of this type issued by the GoS are

recognised abroad, whereas this is not the case for documents issued by the DAANES.

These are only valid in NES.

Prevalence of counterfeit and forged documents in NES

23. Forging documents issued by the GoS is difficult as many documents are applied for

electronically, but it is possible to pay an employee to change/manipulate personal

information on a genuine document, such as a person’s date of birth, or for giving the

document to someone else than its owner etc. A number of factors have led to

prevalence of forgery of some documents in some GoS institutions by paying bribe.

These factors include the conflict that has been ongoing in the country for more than

13 years, where corruption and poverty have spread, the rampant inflation, the

exponential decline in the value of the Syrian pound, and the weakening of the state’s

authority.

24. Forgery can also occur in documents issued by the DAANES, such as import and export

licenses, driving licenses etc. This type of forged documents can only be used inside

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(NES)

NES because the documents issued by the DAANES are not recognized by the GoS and

other countries.

25. It is also possible to obtain forged military booklets issued by the DAANES as well as by

the GoS authorities by paying a bribe. However, the ease of doing so varies, as there

are departments and employees from whom forging documents is more challenging.

Access to NES from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and freedom of

movement

26. To enter NES from Iraq, Syrian citizens (Kurds as well as Arabs from NES or other areas

in Syria) must present their passport or ID-card to the DAANES authorities, who

conduct the identity and document verification at the border.

27. The procedure at the Iraqi border is the same for all Syrian citizens, and the DAANES

authorities do not differentiate between Kurdish residents of NES and other Syrian

citizens. Whilst there is no discriminatory treatment of people crossing the Iraqi border

into NES, persons who enter the GoS-controlled areas from NES may be subject to

discrimination at checkpoints by the GoS authorities based on their ethnicity, language

and place of residence. People may be harassed at checkpoints with questions related

to who they are and where they come from.

28. For example, there are a number of people in NES from Afrin who are unable to travel

into other areas of Syria from NES by land. Because of this, a person from Afrin who

wants to go to Aleppo has to travel by air from Qamishli to Damascus and from there

travel to Aleppo. The only reason for this is that they are from Afrin.

29. In order to travel in to NES, people from areas under GoS control need to be vouched

for by two residents of NES, who stand as guarantors for the person travelling in to

NES.

30. Wanted draft evaders from military service with the SAA will be arrested if they

attempt to fly to Damascus from Qamishli. This can happen when the person in

question reaches Damascus, but also at Qamishli airport, which is controlled by the

GoS authorities.

31. People from NES, who have outstanding issues with the Syrian government, will be

arrested if they attempt to enter areas of Syria that are controlled by the GoS, for

instance the Immigration and Pass Department in the security square in Hasakah.

32. Bribery is common in GoS-controlled areas of Syria. Syrian government employees are

paid very low salaries, e.g. USD 30 per month, which is an incentive for them to accept

bribes. It is also possible to obtain a security clearance and status settlement through

bribery prior to travelling to Damascus or other GoS-controlled areas of Syria.

However, this is not common.

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33. A status settlement and a security clearance can be obtained prior to travelling into

GoS-controlled areas, but can also be obtained upon detention at checkpoints. People

can obtain status settlements for a number of issues, for instance if they have

participated in a demonstration against the GoS, and they are covered by amnesties.

However, it is difficult to obtain a status settlement or security clearance if a person

has a security issue with the GoS.

WhatsApp-meeting with Mahmoud Omar, lawyer based in

Qamishli, Northeast Syria (NES), 16. April 2024

GoS documents issued in NES

1. GoS authorities in NES continues to issue documents such as passports, ID cards, and

legal documents. These documents are issued by GoS offices in the security squares in

the cities of Qamishli and Hasakah (the provincial capital).

2. There are also GoS civil registration offices and courts issuing documents in other cities

such as Al-Malikiyah (Derik), Qahtaniyah, Amuda and Al-Darbasiyah. However, Ras al-

Ayn is an exception, as it is under Turkish control.

3. Passports are applied for electronically and are issued in Hasakah. According to Syrian

law, Syrian passports must be issued in the respective province's main city, which is

why passports are only issued in Hasakah.

4. The military recruitment units in the security squares in Qamishli and Hasakah, issues

military booklets in connection with military service in the SAA.

5. All documents from the civil registration offices are applied for electronically.

The procedures

6. The procedure for issuing documents (passports, ID cards, and military books) is the

same in NES and the rest of Syria. Passport issuance is regulated under the same law

and the issuance procedure is uniform and applies to everyone anywhere in Syria.

However, there may be differences in processing time, as the processing time may be

shorter in Damascus, where they have more resources compared to, for example,

Hasakah.

Documents issued by the DAANES in NES

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(NES)

7. The DAANES issues the following documents: family registration, Self-Defence Duty

military booklet. The DAANES issues documents based on Sharia courts unless one

enters a civil marriage, in which case the local municipality will issue the marriage

document.

8. Family documents issued by the DAANES are valid only in the DAANES controlled areas.

However, these documents can be used for, crossing the border into the Kurdish

Region of Iraq (KRI).

9. The DAANES also issues driving licenses and educational certificates from the

educational institutions under the DAANES, from the primary school level up to

University.

10. In the DAANES, the smallest administrative unit, known as the Komeen, issues a type of

ID certificate referred to as ‘shahadat altareef’ in Arabic or ‘Nasname’ in Kurdish.

Although not an official ID document, this certificate serves to confirm an individual’s

identity and grant permission for activities such as property purchases.

Prevalence of counterfeit and forged documents in NES

11. Forged and counterfeit documents are prevalent in both the areas controlled by

DAANES and elsewhere in Syria.

Access to NES from Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and freedom of movement

12. Individuals wanted by the GoS, including those wanted for missing military service,

cannot leave NES and travel to other parts of Syria without risking detention or arrest

at GoS checkpoints. If a person wanted for military service is apprehended by the GoS

authorities, they will send him directly to military service.

13. In the security squares in Hasakah and Qamishli, arrest of wanted persons only

happens if the individual actively approaches GoS offices present in the area with

access to databases of those with outstanding issues.

14. Wanted individuals in the DAANES-controlled area who wish to leave Syria often seek

to travel through the Semalka border crossing (اكلاميس

ربعم)

to the Kurdish areas in Iraq

(KRI). The Semalka border is controlled by the DAANES. At this border, it is sufficient to

present an ID card unless you are from Europe, in which case a passport will be

required.

15. The Semalka border crossing, acting as an internal border between the Kurdistan

Region of Iraq (KRI) and NES, is not internationally recognized. Consequently, it

operates without the same regulations for controlling individuals and their documents.

For Syrian citizens traveling from the KRI to NES, Semalka is the sole route allowing

entry to Syria without requirement of presenting a passport

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(NES)

16. The KRI has implemented an online platform for entry approval. Individuals seeking

entry must receive approval though this platform, with information shared with the

DAANES authorities for their approval as well.

17. The number if checkpoints operated by the DAANES in NES has decreased as the threat

from ISIS has diminished. Usually, these checkpoints are positioned at the entry and

exit points of cities.

18. People from Afrin are only able to leave NES via the airport in Qamishli.

Meeting with owner of a travel agency in Erbil, 28.04.2024

The source is the owner of a travel agency, which offers comprehensive assistance to Syrian

nationals in relation to obtaining visas, sponsorships, work permits, family reunification and

travelling to and from Syria.

Traveling from Syria to Iraq (KRI) via international airports

1. Any Syrian - Kurd or Arab - intending to undertake international air travel from Syria

must possess a passport, which is valid for a period of at least six months.

Passports used to travel between Syria and KRI are stamped on both sides of the

border.

3. Young men seeking to leave Syria prior to completing their military service in the Syrian

Arab Army (SAA) must provide documented justification for the deferment of military

service, such as ongoing educational pursuits. Students should submit a passport and

documentation for the deferment of service in order to obtain a visa to KRI.

4. Families travelling together are more likely to get a visa compared to those who travel

alone.

5. Minors (i.e. persons below the age of 18) are ineligible to apply for visas without their

parents’ presence and consent. A minor must be accompanied by at least one parent,

with the additional requirement of consent from the parent who is not travelling with

the minor.

6. Individuals with outstanding legal issues in Syria are disqualified from obtaining a

Syrian passport inside Syria.

Obtaining passport as a Syrian living outside Syria

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(NES)

7. Syrians residing abroad can obtain passports through Syrian diplomatic representations

irrespective of their legal status within Syria. Even Syrian citizens wanted for serious

crimes are able to obtain passports from Syrian diplomatic representations.

8. Individuals yet to fulfill their military service obligations may obtain passports valid for

two years within Syria, while those residing outside Syria who have outstanding legal

issues are able to obtain passports with a validity period of two and half years.

9. Minors (under military service age) and individuals having completed their military

service are eligible for passports that are valid for six years.

10. Syrians abroad can use an online platform pertaining to the Syrian Embassy in the

Kingdom of Oman to apply for renewal of their passport. The platform is used for data

submission and video verification, as well as submission of the applicants’ signature

and fingerprint.

11. Passports issued to Syrians abroad will include an stamp (Kharij

I-qotor)

on the final

page to signify that the applicant is outside of Syria, and that the passport has been

issued to a proxy. Syrians in Syria do not get this stamp in their passport.

12. If a passport is issued to a close relative or legal representative, this will be recorded on

the final page of the passport.

Unofficial border crossing between KRI and NES

13. The Semalka (also known as Faysh Khabur) border crossing between the KRI and NES is

an unofficial border, and it is therefore not necessary to have a passport when

crossing.

14. NES residents, who want to travel to the KRI, are mandated to obtain an exit permit

issued by DAANES before leaving NES. This is easier for families than young men for

whom it can be difficult to exit NES.

15. Additionally, a travel permit issued by the KRG authorities is required for this border

crossing and can be applied for through an online portal. The likelihood of receiving a

KRG travel permit is increased if the applicant submits multiple documents confirming

their identity and reason for travel to KRI.

16. Passage across the border is seldom sanctioned for young men. Exceptions are typically

granted to families, who need urgent medical treatment or in cases of family

reunification.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

17. Eligibility to apply for a travel permit to cross the Semalka border is restricted to

residents of Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir ez Zour governorates.

18. The application for travel permits for travelling to KRI from NES is to be submitted in

person at an immigration office situated in Qamishli. There is no online platform for

this type of applications.

19. Individuals from NES, who want to leave NES, are required to designate a sponsor or

guarantor within NES, who assumes financial liability in the event of non-return. The

sponsor may face imprisonment if the individual in question fails to return. Sponsor

registration is mandatory through the Qamishli immigration office, with the exception

of young brides departing permanently for family reunification in Europe.

20. The traveler’s luggage is registered on the border, and the authorities scan the

person’s document and take their photo. This is followed by transportation via bus to

the opposite side. The transfer by bus costs around 10 USD

21. Upon crossing into the KRI, travelers undergo security screening and are informed of

the maximum permissible stay of one month, which is extendable to two months upon

payment of a fee. People wanting to stay longer are required to apply for a residence

permit.

22. Presentation of a "cross permit" suffices for individuals utilizing this border crossing,

rendering a passport unnecessary. This is a two-page booklet which contains the

traveler’s personal information and a photo of the individual as well as the authorized

duration of stay in KRI.

23. Upon returning from NES via the same border crossing, individuals must present the

same documentation that was presented upon departure. Additionally, nominal fees

are levied by both border sides. Passport stamping is omitted for those presenting

passports.

24. Previously, it was possible to apply for a residence permit in KRI after crossing this

border. However, since the beginning of April 2024, this is no longer possible and there

are substantial fines imposed on individuals who do not return to NES. The only

exception to this is newlywed brides that are able to remain in KRI until they leave KRI

for family unification in Europe.

25. Non-returning individuals or their sponsors from NES face a fine of almost USD 2000

imposed by the DAANES authorities. Such non-returning individuals are also imposed a

daily fine of approximately USD 15 by the KRG authorities for each day their stay in KRI

has exceeded the permitted duration of their legal stay in KRI. .

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(NES)

26. Many people crossed the Semalka border in the period 2012 – 2019 due to the active

fighting in the NES region. People crossing into KRI were received by the KRG

authorities and accommodated in camps. Since then, as the fighting has diminished,

stringent control measures have been introduced and the prices for irregular crossings

have also increased.

27. The border is operational for crossings three to four days weekly. Observations made

prior to the recent decision to temporarily suspend visa issuance for Syrians indicated

approximately 400-500 individuals crossing on each side. Despite increased

applications for exit permits following the decision, actual departures have not seen a

proportional rise. The authorities on the NES side are not giving people permission to

travel.

28. The decision regarding visa limitation was passed in April 2024.

29. Syrian nationals holding foreign citizenships or residence permits intending to enter

NES via the Semalka border must present documents that demonstrates familial ties or

other connections to the region at the border checkpoint. Syrians coming from Europe

can meet their families in KRI or Lebanon instead of entering Syria. Lebanon is

technically still the primary country of transit used by Syrians, as there are more Syrian

Arabs than Kurds.

30. The Semalka border is the safest way to travel to and from NES.

Flight routes to Syria

31. Prior to the decision to suspend visa issuance for Syrians earlier this year, daily flights

operated between Erbil and Damascus. Two daily flights were scheduled for this route,

serviced by three airlines: FlyErbil, FlyBaghdad and Cham Wings. The Aleppo airport

was also active.

32. Despite most travelers purchasing round-trip tickets for these routes, the return flights

to Syria were often empty.

33. Starting from 2020, Cham Wings enforced the requirement for travelers to buy round-

trip tickets, leading to an average ticket price of approximately USD 500. Subsequently,

with the introduction of FlyBaghdad and FlyErbil offering the same routes, the cost of

one-way tickets decreased to the range of USD 200-250.

34. Presently, following the implementation of the visa suspension, only two weekly flights

operate between Damascus and Erbil.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

Access of persons from Afrin to GoS-controlled areas

35. Presently, individuals hailing from Afrin find themselves navigating a complex socio-

political landscape. Former residents of Afrin now inhabit IDP camps, while those who

remain in Afrin are primarily Kurdish individuals subject to Turkish influence and

governance under the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

36. At the same time, individuals originating from Afrin face categorical exclusion from

accessing GoS-controlled territories solely based on the fact that they are from Afrin.

Freedom of movement within Syria

37. The highway linking Latakia to Damascus remains open and lots of buses travel on this

road transporting civilians on a daily basis.

38. Individuals from NES continue to journey to GoS –controlled areas via Qamishli airport.

Notably, those with no outstanding issues opt for such travel to access essential

services like medical treatment or education. Individuals with outstanding issues, e.g.

failed military service or previous opposition activities, usually refrain from travelling to

GoS-controlled areas fearing possible arrest and prosecution by GoS authorities.

39. Qamishli airport facilitates travel to Damascus with three airlines operating one weekly

flight each. Notably, the aircraft utilized for these flights are primarily military planes.

There are no flights to Aleppo, but there is weekly flight to Qamishli from Lebanon.

40. An alternative mode of travelling between NES and GoS-controlled areas is bus

transportation. Albeit characterized by prolonged travel durations and uncertainty,

busses are often preferred by poor people due to their low price. The bus journey,

lasting approximately 15 hours includes passing numerous checkpoints along the

route. Despite the challenges, daily bus services facilitate movement between different

regions.

Forged and counterfeit documents

41. Despite many years of conflict in Syria, the authorities maintain control over the

issuance of documents.

42. Instances of counterfeit and forged ID cards are more prevalent compared to

passports, owing to the heightened difficulty associated with tampering with passport

authentication features.

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(NES)

43. Even if an individual manages to obtain a forged Syrian document, such documents are

not properly registered within the national registry, and they would therefore not be

able to use them in Syria.

44. Syrian representations abroad enforce stringent authentication protocols,

necessitating the presentation of a comprehensive array of authenticated documents,

including but not limited to family books, ID cards and passports, for identity

verification purposes.

45. Authentication of Syrian documents mandates endorsement from both the Ministry of

Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Embassy personnel are adeptly trained in

the technical scrutiny of documents and possess the capability to verify document

authenticity through barcode inspection using their dedicated registry.

46. The issuance of a power of attorney empowers an individual to act on behalf of the

applicant, thereby qualifying them to receive a passport in the applicant's stead.

Meeting with Wladimir van Wilgenburg, journalist, Erbil, 30. April

2024

Leaving NES

1. The destruction of infrastructure in NES by Turkey has had direct impact on the

economy of NES, and the employment rate is very low. Kobane is economically isolated

because of Turkey taking control of Tal Abyad/Serekaniye. It is difficult to reach there,

the road is long from the border and people need to go from Hasakah to Raqqa and

then to Kobane.

2. An increasing number of people are leaving NES due to deteriorating economic

situation, which is also related to the inflation of the Syrian Pound and the lack of

employment opportunities. The future of NES remains highly uncertain, and there is

considerable dissatisfaction among residents with the region's poorly maintained

educational system.

3. People leaving NES irregularly are usually smuggled through Turkish-controlled areas

into Turkey, and subsequently to Europe. People using this route run the risk of being

detained by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army militias (SNA). Previously the

main route was via the KRI to Turkey.

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WhatsApp meeting with Fanar Al-Kait and Khaled Ibrahim,

Department of Foreign Relations of the DAANES, Qamishli, April 28,

2024

Organization of Security Squares

1. Security squares are isolated pockets in Hasakah and Qamishli. In Qamishli, the security

square covers about one square kilometer. The GoS cannot operate outside the

security squares, and checkpoints of the SDF will stop GoS forces if they attempt to

pass with forcibly recruited individuals.

2. The security square in Hasakah is slightly larger than the one in Qamishli, as Hasakah is

the provincial capital and houses many GoS offices.

3. The security square is literally the meaning of these places, as they are the limited

areas where GoS forces are present.

4. Generally, people do not visit the security square in Qamishli, which is surrounded by

SDF checkpoints.

Documents issued in NES

5. The DAANES issues driving licenses, educational certificates and family books in areas

under its control.

6. Property documents, residency permits, national passports and central identity

documents, including identity cards, are issued by GoS departments in Hasakah.

7. The identification certificate (Shadat

al-Taarif

in Arabic or

Nasnameh

in Kurdish) is an

identity document issued by the Komeen of the councils (districts, towns, and cities) in

NES under the control of the DAANES. This certificate confirms the person's identity

and residence (address). It is used, for example, when people apply for jobs and fuel

requests. The identification certificate is not issued according to a standardized layout.

This document is also issued to Ajanibs and Maktoumeen, who cannot obtain central

identity documents issued by the Syrian government.

8. The Komeen system operates parallel to the mukhtar system in areas under GoS

control.

9. Forgery exists in both NES and areas controlled by the GoS. However, the DAANES

keeps records of issued documents, and procedures for verifying and authenticating

documents are in place.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

WhatsApp meeting with a Syrian human rights organisation, 22

April 2024

The source has been monitoring and documenting violations (e.g. killings, abductions, torture

etc.) against civilians conducted by different parties of the Syrian conflict since 2011. It has a

well-established network of sources throughout Syria.

Leaving and entering NES

1. There are smuggling routes between all areas controlled by different groups in Syria.

People living in the DAANES-controlled areas or other areas in Syria who want to enter

areas controlled by other groups can be smuggled through these routes and avoid

checkpoints. They can even pass the checkpoints without being caught by bribing the

personnel.

2. Bribery at checkpoints is widespread in all areas of Syria. A person, who lives in the

DAANES-controlled areas and wants to go to Damascus, can pass all checkpoints even

if he is wanted by the Syrian authorities, simply by bribing the personnel at all

checkpoints. Usually, the drivers accompanying the wanted persons know the

personnel at these checkpoints and bribe them in advance. SOHR is aware of cases of

persons who have managed to travel from NES to Damascus several times despite

being wanted by the Syrian authorities.

Meeting with the representation of the DAANES in Suleimaniyah,

29. April 2024

Documentation

1. Completion, discharge and exemption are registered in the Self-Defence Duty booklet,

which documents the person’s status regarding the Self-Defence Duty. The booklet is

issued by the DAANES Ministry of Defence and stamped by the DAANES Ministry of

Interior.

2. The SDF conducts an identity verification in connection with recruitment as well as a

background check through Komeen. People who apply to join SDF have to present their

national ID-card, family documents and a Shahadet al-Tariff/Nasnameh issued by the

local Komeen.

Security squares

3. The security squares in Hasakah and Qamishli are called security squares because of

the enclaves, which are shaped as squares by the streets surrounding them.

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SYRIA – DOCUMENTS AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMEN T IN NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

(NES)

WhatsApp meeting with a Syrian Kurdish expert based in Europe,

30. April 2024

The source works with Syria’s humanitarian and stabilization programming for years and visits

NES frequently.

Prevalence of forged documents

1. Obtaining forged or counterfeit documents in NES is not easy, but not impossible. It is

easier to obtain forged or counterfeit documents in areas under GoS control. Bribery

and corruption is more prevalent in GoS-controlled areas.

2. Both forged documents and genuine documents issued using incorrect information are

available. Young men use forged university education documents to delay their Self-

Defence Duty.

WhatsApp meeting with a former Mandatory Self-Defence Duty

conscript residing in Malikiyah (Derek), Syria, 1 May 2024

The source is a 22 years old previous Self-Defence Duty conscript, who was discharged from the

service in October 2023. He is from the city of Malikiya (Derek) and still lives there. He

conducted his duty in the city of Hasakah.

Documentation of the service

1. On the first day after completing his service, the source was issued a small ID card

called

Bara’at al-zamma,

which contains the name of the source, his picture, dates of

his service and the signature and stamp of the military authority. This card documents

that the holder has completed his Self-Defence Duty, and he can use the card when

passing checkpoints. Six months after completing his service, the source has not

obtained his military booklet yet. This is, according to the source, due to the large

number of conscripts, who are to be issued their Self-Defence Duty booklets.

WhatsApp meeting with Zydan Asî, Joint Chairman of the Defense

Authority for North and East Syria, the Defence Department of the

DAANES, 2 May 2024

Bera ez zimma

1. Upon completing the Self-Defence Duty and while individuals are waiting for their Self-

Defence Duty booklets to sent to the, they are issued a document called “Bera

zimma”.

It is a temporary discharge document signifying that the holder of the

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(NES)

document has returned their weapons, uniform and other belongings. It can be

presented at various checkpoints for inspection and used for travel. However, this

document is temporary and must subsequently be replaced with a military booklet.

Annex 3: Terms of Reference

1. Issuance of Syrian and Kurdish documents in NES

1.1. Issuance of Syrian documents, including IDs, passport, family booklet, marriage

certificates

1.2. Issuance of documents by the DAANES, including military booklet, civil documents etc.

2. Freedom of movement

2.1. Extent of freedom of movement for wanted persons

3. Access to NES

3.1. Access to NES from the KRI

3.2. Possibility for NES residents to leave Syria via GoS-controlled areas