Services and Assistance in Syria

Once you arrive in Syria, you will have access to a range of services from UNHCR and its partners through Community Centres and other facilities in your area of return. These services are based on need, availability, and are tailored to assist specific circumstances:

• Legal assistance: Free legal services to help navigate challenges related to asylum, documentation, and other legal matters.
• Healthcare: Where available, access to healthcare services address basic medical needs, particularly for vulnerable groups.
• Education and child protection: Services for children, including access to education and child protection are available based on local resources.
• Shelter and non-food items: Shelter support and essential non-food items is prioritized based on urgency and specific needs.
• Psychosocial support: Specialized programmes, including mental health and psychosocial support, is available to help with trauma and other challenges.
• Family tracing: If you have been separated from your family, UNHCR, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local partners, provides family tracing services to help reunite families. These services are free and are aimed at reconnecting individuals with lost or missing family members.
• Community Centers and  Satellite Centers are available across Syria, where you can find services closest to your location.

For more information, visit  Syria is Home: syriaishome.org.

If you or someone you know experienced gender-based violence in Syria, you can also contact UNFPA for psychosocial support, legal advice and medical support:

• Call (+963) 0119416 or 0951444190 for free (open 24 hours, seven days a week).

If you are returning from Lebanon through Qaa/Joussieh, you might be eligible for transportation support. This service is free of charge and managed by UNHCR partners in Syria.

For more details, visit: Syria is Home.

You can enrol your children in public schools in Syria at any time during the school year. You will need to provide your children’s educational transcripts from Lebanon for their academic equivalency assessment.

If these documents are unavailable, students in grade 1 to 8 must take a placement test in Syria to determine their academic level. Students without an accredited Grade 9 certificate must take the Grade 9 standard exam administered by the Syrian Ministry of Education.

Formal basic, secondary, and vocational education documents can be obtained from the school you have attended in Lebanon. They should be validated by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Syrian Embassy in Beirut. For university certificates, validation by all three entities is particularly important.

For guidance on how to obtain and certify education diplomas in Lebanon: click here

Informal education and training certificates cannot be validated by Lebanese official entities but could help upon your return to Syria. Try to obtain diplomas/certificates from the organizer/facilitator for informal studies and trainings you have attended prior to departure.
As the situation in Syria continues to evolve, stay informed on procedures.

For more information about access to education in Syria and the documents required, visit Syria Is Home (Syriaishome.org) or contact a community center in Syria: unhcr.org/sy/cc.

If you or your family member has already returned to Syria–either at your own initiative, with community support, or through a UNHCR return programme—and your individual file has been closed by UNHCR in Lebanon, your personal data will be processed by UNHCR in Syria and may be shared with UNHCR partners in Syria, including WFP and UNICEF, to facilitate any assistance. This includes:

• Biographical data (full name, date of birth, nationality, family composition)
• Necessary information about any specific needs (e.g. health condition) you or accompanying family members may have
• Contact information (e.g. phone number)

As part of this assistance, UNHCR in Syria provides a one-time reintegration cash grant of USD 600 per family to a number of families with heightened vulnerabilities, subject to available funding and applicable eligibility criteria.

Please note that returning to Syria and being registered with UNHCR does not automatically qualify a family for the grant. Due to limited funding, the grant is prioritized for families with heightened vulnerabilities, and therefore not all families will receive assistance. Significant delays in receiving the grant may also occur (see next “What is the one-time reintegration cash grant?” for further details).

The “reintegration cash grant” is a one-time cash grant of USD 600 per family, provided by UNHCR in Syria to support the return and reintegration of a number of families with heightened vulnerabilities who return permanently to Syria. The grant is intended to help returning families meet their basic needs during the early period after their return. Support is prioritized for the most vulnerable households, and each case is assessed individually in line with established eligibility criteria. 

Please note that assistance remains limited and the grant is not provided to all returnees. Refugees are therefore strongly advised not to base their decision to return on the expectation of receiving this assistance. 

UNHCR reviews each family’s situation individually. Due to limited resources, not all returnees will receive this assistance. Eligibility is determined primarily based on established criteria. Please check Syria is Home website to see available services in your area.

The reintegration cash grant is provided only once per family. If one member of a family has already received the assistance, no other family member registered under the same file or Family Number can receive it again, even if they return to Syria at a later date. 

If your family is found to be eligible, UNHCR Syria will contact you directly with information on how, when, and where the assistance will be delivered. Refugees are strongly advised not to base their decision to return on the expectation of receiving this assistance. 

No application is required. If your family is assessed as eligible, UNHCR Syria will contact you directly through the contact details registered with UNHCR. It is important to ensure that the WhatsApp number registered with UNHCR remains active, as this is the primary channel used by UNHCR Syria to communicate with eligible returnees. 

If your contact information changes after your return to Syria, you should update your details through the UNHCR Call Centre to ensure you can be reached if your family is eligible for assistance. 

UNHCR services are provided free of charge. UNHCR does not ask for any payment or fees at any stage of the process.

NOTE: You cannot apply for this one-time reintegration cash grant through UNHCR Lebanon. You do not need to contact UNHCR Lebanon to request the grant, close your file, or report your return to Syria. If your family is eligible, UNHCR Syria will contact you directly.

If you have a chronic disease such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension or heart disease, make sure to request a summary of your medical report and prescribed medication from your healthcare provider in Lebanon before you travel. You will need to show these documents to a healthcare provider in Syria to continue treatment there.

Approach the nearest Primary Health Care Center to check if your children are up to date with their vaccinations. Children up to 18 years of age can receive required vaccinations free of charge at either location. Make sure to update and bring their vaccination booklets.

When traveling to Syria, bring your medical pregnancy report from Lebanon and a supply of any medication you are taking. In Syria, approach the nearest community center for referral to maternity and child health care services.

• Information on Community Centers in Syria: Contact For Syrians – UNHCR Syria

For support tracing missing family members inside Syria:

• Call the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): ? 093 603 3628 (add +963 if you are calling from outside Syria)

Note: Former detainees in Syria can call ICRC at ? 095 355 5431 to request urgent medical and psychosocial assistance and support finding/contacting families.