Beirut Travel Forum

Hi,
I'm gonna be heading to Lebanon soon, by bus, via Syria. I was wondering if anyone has had the experience... and can someone say if it is possible for an American citizen to get a visa at the border? It wasn't exactly clear on the consular website.
Thank you!

A couple of years ago we took a coach from Syria to Lebanon. We were part of a small group, so the coach was chartered privately. Our guide and facilitator did all the paperwork at the border so we had plenty of opportunity to observe. Let me say that the border we went through (from Damascus enroute to Baalbek) was absolutely chaotic, with cars and trucks and small vans parked all higgeldy-piggeldy and a mass of people milling around and running from "here" to "there" and often with great sheafs of paper in their hands. It was the one time when I was thankful that we were not on a diy trip!! There are always lines at the border and it can take ages and ages to get through. One first of all has to exit Syria and then one has to enter Lebanon, with two lots of officials coming onto the bus and looking at passports, etc. I am afraid I have no idea if it is possible to obtain a visa at the border but I can hazard a guess that if it is, then you must be prepared to spend ages doing it.

Getting a Lebanese visa is fairly straight forward and (in theory at least) now free.
Getting a Syrian visa at the border in in theory impossible. In pratice many people do get one, but this will involve considerable waiting time, i.e. your transport will most likely have moved on by the time you get issued a visa.

Hawkhead, could you post here the private coach that you engaged in Syria & Lebanon? How much is the cost? 5 of us are going to holiday in Syria & Lebanon on Dec next mth and is not sure if we should cross the border on our own or get a travel agent. But its seem better to get a agent if its chaotic at the border...

Sorry, all arrangements were made by a UK company with their representative in Syria.