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Syrians are rejoicing after the interior ministry in Damascus announced on Sunday that it was lifting all travel bans issued under the ousted Assad regime, which affected over five million people.

The lifting of the ban extends to those who were barred from travelling due to requests for further investigation or people who failed to perform compulsory and reserve service, the ministry statement said.

Lifted restrictions included arrest warrants, summonses and notifications, state news agency SANA reported.

The interior ministry previously said it had estimated that over eight million Syrians were on lists of people wanted by the former regime's security and judicial authorities during Bashar al-Assad's time in power.

The ministry’s director of office, Khaled al-Abdallah, said the new government had already started taking measures to remove citizens from wanted lists, which were written up during a widespread crackdown carried out by Assad's regime.

There were as many as 15 "wanted" categories, including those listed under "terrorism", state security and intelligence, al-Abdallah said.

Some of the people who were charged with criminal offences were wanted for dealing in currencies other than the Syrian pound, he added.

A Syrian-British citizen, who found out she was among those removed from the travel ban list but asked to remain anonymous in case the decision was reversed, hailed the move, calling it a "positive step many Syrians were waiting for".

"The Assad government often used this measure against its citizens to criminalise journalists, activists and civil servants and to restrict their freedom of movement," she told °®Âþµº.

"Even people who fled the war and were not involved in politics found out later that a travel ban was imposed on them, further complicating their return home," she added, calling it a "really crucial step into building a new relation between the state and the people, where we can feel safe in our own country and free to return and visit as we should".

Many Syrians took to social media to express joy and welcome the news that the travel bans were being lifted, highlighting how they were a major hindrance. Others expressed surprise at the number of people on the lists.

"They had banned a quarter of the population from travelling!"Ìý in response to the news.

Others scrambled to see if their name was among those now removed from the travel ban list.

"Damn, my name will surely be on that list,"Ìý

According to local Arabic media reports, the travel ban lists were registered in an electronic record system under the immigration and passports department, which would allow for the wanted person to be transferred to the branches of the security services, the armed forces command, national security office or the Baath party regional command.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has undergone major political changes, with leader Ahmad al-Sharaa vowing to protect minorities, calling for sanctions to be removed and taking steps to rebuild the economy.

Assad, who fled from Syria on 8 December after rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) advanced across the country, now lives in exile in Russia.

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