Question · Editor’s answer
Indian passport at Masnaa — do I need pre-approval?
Indian passport, UK residence. I can fly to Beirut next month. Operator pages put India on a “restricted” list and want a letter. A couple of 2026 blogs just say visa on arrival like everyone else, about fifty dollars.
I am not buying a tour to get a stamp. I also cannot afford to be turned around at Masnaa with a non-refundable ticket behind me.
Has an ordinary Indian tourist passport actually walked up this year without paper, or is that wishful posting?
Replies · 1
Waleed Al-HasanEditor’s answer
Do not walk up to Masnaa on an ordinary Indian tourist passport and treat visa-on-arrival as a right. We could not dual-source an Indian tourist collecting that stamp in 2026 without paper.
Operator lists in 2026 still flag India — Syrian Guides, Syria Scope, CultureRoad, In Your Pocket. They want written approval before Lebanon, Jordan, or DAM. Decision 128 is a fee table (about US$50 if they stamp you), not a guarantee. ShomoX Arabic puts India in the ordinary US$50 band and does not mark it restricted. Pack the stricter reading.
A tour is not automatically required. Pre-approval desks often sit at tour offices; that is their product. Get the letter from a licensed desk or a mission, then the cash. Do not buy a non-refundable ticket until the paper is in your hand.
A 2025 Nassib thread had a guided traveller waved back into Jordan. Leave slack. That is luck, not a right.
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