Lebanon Key findings: UNHCR Facilitated Return Feedback and Post-Distribution Monitoring Survey of Syrian Refugee Returnees (February 2026)

Background

Following the opening of new prospects for voluntary returns to Syria at the end of 2024, the General Security Office (GSO) waived administrative fines and the re-entry ban for refugees returning to Syria as of 1 July 2025, and UNHCR launched its facilitated Voluntary Return (VolRep) programme. Under this, refugees receive counselling, support with civil documentation, $100 return cash grant/person, and a Repatriation Form accepted as an identity document for cash assistance collection at financial service provider (FSP) outlets countrywide. Refugees can choose to return in a:

• Self-Organized manner, where the household organizes their own logistics including transport.
• Organized (UNHCR-IOM) manner, where the household benefits from transportation of the family members and luggage by IOM.

Refugees can also choose to return in a spontaneous manner, without support.

In 2025, UNHCR inactivated 501,603 refugees as having returned to Syria, of whom 54,673 were supported under UNHCR’s VolRep Program. 95% (51,793) returned in a self-organized manner and 5% (2,880) in an organised manner. This report presents the findings from UNHCR’s January 2026 survey of a representative sample of Syrians supported through UNHCR’s VolRep programme in 2025, including post-distribution monitoring of the return cash grant. It does not include those returning spontaneously.

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