International film productions should consider robust security protocols, including armed escorts, thorough risk assessments, secure lodging, armoured vehicles, and close protection officers, to effectively manage potential risks.
Damascus
Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia
Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic
Syrian Pound (SYP)
Arid and semi-arid
Film crews must obtain accreditation from the Syrian Ministry of Information before filming. This process involves submitting an application, providing the necessary documentation, and receiving official approval from the Ministry.
Film permits in Syria are issued by the Syrian Ministry of Information, specifically through its Audiovisual Department.
Obtaining a film permit generally takes 4–6 weeks. However, the timeline may vary depending on the project’s scope and the Ministry’s approval process.
Securing a private filming location in Syria involves the Fixer acting as an intermediary between the film crew and the property owner. The Fixer will negotiate terms, obtain necessary permits, and ensure all local regulations are followed to facilitate a smooth filming process.
The cost for using a private location is negotiated directly between the Fixer and the property owner. This negotiation typically begins once the film production team submits a detailed schedule, including specific filming dates and times.
Film crews in Syria must obtain a special permit from the Syrian Ministry of Defense to operate drones for filming purposes. They must also comply with strict regulations and guidelines set by the Ministry.
Film crews importing drones into Syria must secure a special permit from the Syrian Customs Authority and the Ministry of Telecommunications. Additionally, they must declare the drone’s specifications, value, and intended purpose.
The Syrian Ministry of Defence, through the General Authority for Civil Aviation, is responsible for issuing drone permits in Syria.
Drone permit processing in Syria typically takes 2-4 weeks, though this may vary depending on the complexity of the application and the approval process.
Drone permit costs in Syria generally range from $500 to $2,000 USD, depending on the type of permit, duration of filming, and location.
Yes, Syria is a Carnet country.
General Process for Carnet Country
Film crews can obtain an ATA Carnet from their home country, which they present to customs upon arrival. This allows for duty-free and tax-free temporary importation of film equipment, including drones.
The Syrian Customs Authority, under the Syrian Ministry of Finance, handles customs clearance for film crews in Syria.
International film productions should consider robust security protocols, including armed escorts, thorough risk assessments, secure lodging, armoured vehicles, and close protection officers, to effectively manage potential risks.
International film productions should consider robust security protocols, including armed escorts, thorough risk assessments, secure lodging, armoured vehicles, and close protection officers, to effectively manage potential risks.
No film rebate / incentive
Syria
Iraq, Syria, Yemen
Fill in our client brief and we’ll get back to you with everything you need to start filming in this region.
Syria is one of the world’s most historically extraordinary and challenging filming destinations, a cradle of civilisation holding some of the oldest cities on earth, magnificent ancient ruins, Crusader castles, desert landscapes and layered cultural heritage, set against the reality of a country emerging from years of devastating conflict and a profound political transition. From the ancient souks and Umayyad Mosque of Damascus and the citadel and old city of Aleppo to the Roman ruins of Palmyra, the Crusader fortress of Krak des Chevaliers and the Mediterranean coast, the country offers heritage of immense significance, balanced against a security and operating environment that is among the most complex anywhere.
For international crews, Syria offers unrepeatable historical locations, deep cultural heritage and warm, resilient local hospitality, balanced against the critical and overriding reality that this is a conflict-affected, high-risk environment in transition, where security, sanctions, access and viability must be assessed with the utmost care and confirmed as current before any production is even considered. It is a destination only for specialist, security-led productions, chiefly news, current affairs and documentary, working with expert local partners and realistic, flexible planning, and only where conditions and official advice allow.
Hoodlum provides Film Production Services in Syria for documentaries, news, current affairs, factual programming and specialist location shoots, where and when it is viable and safe to operate. Our team supports visa and permit guidance, accreditation, location agreements, drone coordination where feasible, customs and carnet clearance, local crew and fixer sourcing, transport, comprehensive security and risk planning and full on-ground production management. You can see the full scope of what we do and the people behind it on our who we are page.
Syria rewards no shortcut, and viability and safety come before everything else. It is a country of extraordinary heritage and hospitality, but it is emphatically not a destination for informal, independent or under-prepared shooting by foreign crews, and security, permits, sanctions, customs and movement all demand expert, current local coordination. The security position, the correct permits, the customs plan and a thorough, up-to-date risk assessment must all be settled and confirmed before any commitment, and the only responsible way to approach it is through an experienced local production partner who monitors conditions continuously.
Any consideration of filming in Syria must begin with the current context, which has changed profoundly and remains highly volatile. The country has undergone a major political transition, with a new transitional government reshaping institutions, and the situation continues to evolve rapidly, meaning that regulations, authorities, permits, entry procedures and security conditions can all change at short notice and may differ significantly from previous arrangements.
Numerous governments maintain the strongest travel warnings against Syria, citing armed conflict, the risk of air strikes, terrorism, arbitrary detention and kidnapping, and conditions vary dramatically by region, with some areas far more dangerous than others and certain zones entirely off-limits. Sanctions and banking restrictions add a further layer of complexity, affecting payments, insurance and logistics. For all these reasons, the single most important step is a current, professional assessment of whether a shoot is viable and safe at all, and Hoodlum will advise honestly and without commercial pressure on that question before anything else proceeds.
When and where conditions genuinely permit, the country’s draw is access to heritage of extraordinary depth and significance, much of it central to human history. In a carefully managed schedule, a specialist production can reach ancient cities, magnificent ruins and cultural landscapes that exist nowhere else, with a historical and human resonance that is unmatched, supported by resilient and hospitable local communities and experienced crews.
Damascus is the usual coordination point, and the interest sits in the heritage and the human story. A documentary might explore the ancient heart of Damascus or the recovery of Aleppo. A news or current-affairs production might cover the country’s transition and its people. A history production might focus on Palmyra, Krak des Chevaliers or the coast. The country is significant because it offers world-class, deeply resonant heritage and stories, strictly for productions equipped to work within the security realities and only where it is safe and viable to do so.
Such work is essentially limited to:
Hoodlum’s production support team turns a brief into a realistic, security-first, locally-led plan, always beginning with the question of whether and where it can be done safely.
Damascus, the capital, is generally the practical anchor for the limited productions that operate in the country, and often the most stable point of entry and coordination. It is where production partners, fixers and crew are coordinated, where permits and accreditation are arranged with the relevant authorities, and where security planning is established before any movement.
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus offers the ancient walled old city, the Umayyad Mosque, historic souks, churches and layered heritage of immense significance, and tends to be more stable than much of the country, though conditions must still be assessed continuously. Movement beyond the capital carries significantly greater and variable risk. Hoodlum uses Damascus as the coordination base for Film Production Services in Syria, establishing security, permits and logistics before any consideration of wider movement, and only where advice and conditions allow.
The country holds some of the most significant heritage sites on earth. Aleppo, another of the world’s oldest cities, has its ancient citadel, old city and souks, though heavily affected by conflict; Palmyra holds the remains of a spectacular ancient Roman desert city; Krak des Chevaliers is one of the best-preserved Crusader castles in the world; and Bosra, Maaloula and the coast add further layers of history.
These locations carry immense historical and documentary value, but access to any of them depends entirely on the current security situation, which varies by region and can change without warning, with some areas requiring extensive clearance and others being inaccessible or unsafe. Many sites have also suffered conflict damage, which is itself often a sensitive subject to film. Hoodlum assesses the viability and safety of any heritage location individually and currently, and will only coordinate access where it can be done safely and lawfully.
Entry to Syria for filming has historically required both a visa and specific permits, but procedures have been changing significantly during the transition, so the current requirements must be confirmed directly and cannot be assumed from past practice.
Historically, film crews required a visa alongside a special permit and accreditation from the information authorities, supported by a passport, an invitation letter, the script and synopsis, a crew list and proof of insurance and financing, with processing taking several weeks. Entry procedures, including visa-on-arrival availability and the permitting authorities, have been in flux during the transition, so every element must be verified as current before travel, and productions should also be aware of exit-permit and other requirements that can apply. Given this, an experienced local partner tracking the live situation is indispensable.
Because entry, permits and accreditation are interlinked, fluid and consequential, working with a trusted local partner is not optional but essential. Hoodlum helps productions confirm the current entry and permit position, assemble documentation, and avoid immigration or accreditation becoming a serious problem.
Film permits have historically been issued by the information authorities, with additional approvals for specific locations, and this remains a multi-agency, approval-heavy process, though the precise authorities and procedures are subject to change during the transition and must be confirmed currently. Historically, permits could take several weeks and required a passport copy, the script and synopsis, a crew list, an equipment list, location plans and a letter explaining the project.
Content is reviewed as part of the process, and filming of anything sensitive, particularly government, military, security or infrastructure sites and conflict damage, is restricted and can carry severe penalties, so this must be approached with extreme care and never assumed. Certain areas and subjects are entirely off-limits. A local partner is essential to navigate the current authorities, the approvals and the strict content sensitivities.
Private locations are arranged through a local fixer, who liaises with owners and handles permissions on presentation of a detailed schedule. A Hoodlum location scout can propose viable options where safe, after which we handle access, terms and permissions. Private permission never replaces official permits or overrides security and legal restrictions, and everything is subject to the current situation.
Drone filming is extremely sensitive and heavily restricted, historically requiring special permits from the defence and aviation authorities and strict compliance, and in the current security environment aerial work is highly problematic and in most cases not feasible. Filming military installations, security infrastructure or conflict-related subjects, including from the air, can carry severe penalties.
Any drone operation must be treated as exceptional, approached only through the proper current authorities with expert local guidance, and assumed to be unavailable unless specifically confirmed. Importing a drone historically required additional permits, and in the current environment restrictions on electronic and communications equipment, GPS jamming and security concerns make aerial and even some standard electronic operations highly complex. Hoodlum advises honestly that drone work is generally not viable, and will only explore it where it can be done safely and lawfully.
Syria has historically been an ATA Carnet country, allowing temporary importation of professional filming equipment under a carnet, presented to customs on arrival for duty-free and tax-free temporary import, on the guarantee of re-export within the validity period. However, in the current environment, customs procedures, sanctions and the transition mean the position must be confirmed directly and cannot be assumed.
Historically, clearance was handled by the customs authorities with the carnet, a commercial invoice, a packing list, a certificate of origin, a customs declaration, the information-authority permit and a detailed equipment list, typically over a few working days. In practice, sanctions and banking restrictions complicate the movement of equipment, insurance and payments significantly, so a local customs agent and current, specialist guidance are essential, and additional buffer time should be assumed. The equipment is brought in temporarily and must be re-exported, so an accurate inventory is essential.
Hoodlum helps productions confirm the current customs and carnet position, prepare the equipment list and documentation, coordinate a local agent, and navigate the sanctions and logistics considerations that now shape any movement of gear.
Syria does not offer a film rebate or tax incentive, so productions should not expect any financial incentive, and the budget focus is entirely on security, fixers, logistics, permits, customs and insurance. The reason to work in the country is heritage, news value and human story, never cost savings.
A defining practical reality is sanctions and banking. International cards and ATMs generally do not function, international payments are heavily complicated, and comprehensive sanctions screening and specialist legal and financial advice are essential, with cash handling and currency issues adding further complexity in a country that has also undergone currency reform. Specialist insurance, including war-risk cover, is difficult and costly to secure. Because the environment is so specialist, a trusted local partner is indispensable for access, coordination, payments and every aspect of logistics. Hoodlum helps productions understand the genuine cost, sanctions and insurance realities and build a sound, compliant operating plan, or advise against proceeding where appropriate.
Safety and security are the overriding consideration for any potential production in Syria, taking absolute precedence over every creative, logistical and financial factor, and a production should proceed only after a rigorous, current, professional assessment confirms it is viable. The country is affected by armed conflict, the risk of air strikes, terrorism, arbitrary detention and a rising risk of kidnapping of foreign nationals, and many governments advise against all travel, so the starting assumption must be extreme caution.
Conditions vary dramatically by region and can change without warning: some areas may be relatively stable for carefully managed work while others are extremely dangerous or entirely off-limits, and border crossings and airspace can close at short notice. A serious approach demands experienced local fixers with continuous, live situational awareness, comprehensive risk assessments for every location and movement, war-risk insurance, secure transport and accommodation, close-protection and armed-escort arrangements where appropriate, robust communications and detailed contingency and evacuation plans. The healthcare system has been severely affected, so medical and evacuation planning is critical.
Restrictions on electronic and communications equipment, GPS jamming, strict content sensitivities and the need to avoid military, security and government sites all add further layers of risk. Cultural and political sensitivity and careful management of content and movements are essential. Hoodlum’s absolute priority is the safety of any production, and we will provide a rigorous, current security framework, draw on continuous local monitoring, and advise honestly and without commercial pressure on whether a brief can be achieved safely, including advising against it when that is the right answer.
Syria is a possible choice only for specialist, security-led productions, chiefly news, current affairs and documentary, that specifically need its heritage or its human and political story, that are prepared to make safety and viability the overriding priority, and that work with expert local partners and fully flexible, security-led planning, and only when current conditions and official advice permit.
It is emphatically not suitable for standard commercial, branded, lifestyle or unscripted entertainment productions, for anything requiring guaranteed access or fixed schedules, for productions that cannot secure war-risk insurance or navigate sanctions, or for any crew unwilling or unable to prioritise security above all else. In most circumstances and for most productions, it will not be viable, and Hoodlum will say so plainly.
The most serious mistakes include:
Every one of these can have severe consequences, and the only safe approach is to make security and current viability the first and overriding step, guided throughout by expert local partners.
Hoodlum provides Film Production Services in Syria for the specialist, security-led productions for which it may be viable, beginning always with an honest assessment of safety and viability, and continuing only where conditions allow. Our support covers current-situation and viability assessment, visa and permit guidance, accreditation, heritage-site coordination where safe, private location liaison, customs and carnet guidance, local crew and fixer sourcing, transport, comprehensive security and risk planning, sanctions-aware logistics and on-ground production management.
From Damascus and its ancient old city to the heritage of Aleppo, Palmyra and Krak des Chevaliers, where and when it is safe and lawful to operate, we help specialist productions approach the most historically significant filming environments in Syria with security, current viability, the right guidance and expert local partners at the centre of everything. Planning a project? Contact us to talk first about current viability and safety, and then, only if appropriate, permits, local fixers, logistics, security planning and full on-ground production management.
It depends entirely on the current situation, which is volatile and changes rapidly following the country’s political transition. Many governments advise against all travel. Any project must begin with a current, professional security and viability assessment, and in many circumstances it will not be viable. Hoodlum advises honestly on this before anything else.
Historically yes, both a visa and special permits and accreditation from the information authorities were required, but procedures have been changing significantly during the transition, so the current requirements must be confirmed directly and cannot be assumed from past practice. A trusted local partner tracking the live position is essential.
Permits have historically been issued by the information authorities with additional approvals for specific locations, but the precise authorities and procedures are subject to change during the transition and must be confirmed currently. Content is reviewed, and military, security, government and conflict-related subjects are restricted with severe penalties.
Generally no. Drone filming is extremely sensitive and heavily restricted, and in the current security environment is in most cases not feasible. Filming military, security or conflict-related subjects, including from the air, can carry severe penalties, and restrictions on electronic equipment and GPS jamming add further complexity.
Historically yes, but in the current environment customs procedures and sanctions mean the position must be confirmed directly and cannot be assumed. Sanctions and banking restrictions significantly complicate the movement of equipment, insurance and payments, so a local agent and specialist guidance are essential.
No. Syria does not offer a film rebate or tax incentive. The reason to work there is heritage, news value and human story, never cost, and budgets focus entirely on security, fixers, logistics, permits, customs and specialist insurance.
Considering a project in Syria? The first and most important conversation is about current viability and safety. Hoodlum begins with an honest, up-to-date assessment, and only where it is safe and appropriate do we handle permits, local fixers, location coordination, customs and carnet guidance, comprehensive security planning and full on-ground production management. Get in touch with our team to talk through your brief, and we will advise you honestly on whether and how it can be achieved.