Google has formally taken Syria off the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list after almost 20 years of limitations. This ends an advertising prohibition that started in 2004 and grew a lot in 2011.
The historic announcement was made on August 13, 2025. It lets almost 22 million Syrians use Google’s advertising system for the first time in more than ten years.
Read on to understand all you need to know about the resumption of Google Ad services in Syria.
Which Google Advertising Products Are Back?
The platforms that are covered under the latest announcement are:
- Google Ads: Syria is now a possible target in campaign settings. Before, IP-based restrictions stopped any activity.
- Google Ad Exchange: Publishers can now again make money using programmatic ad inventory, which had been completely restricted.
- Google Ad Manager: Brought back direct ad sales and campaign management tools for publishers and advertisers in Syria.
Account Recovery and Verification Steps
Google will not simply unlock old accounts. Instead, affected users are required to go through a manual verification procedure, including:
- Sending in proper business papers, like registration or ID, to show that the business is real.
- Identity checks and updated terms-of-service acknowledgment.
- Support teams must manually evaluate and approve accounts before they can be used again.
People having accounts that were previously linked to operations in Syria will need to have them restored. Users with accounts that were registered outside of Syria may be able to get back in quickly, depending on flags.
Why This Is Important For Syria’s Digital Economy
This move makes it possible for organized digital marketing to happen in a country with around 22 million people, many of whom use smartphones even though the infrastructure isn’t great.
Before, marketers had to use traditional techniques like Facebook groups, Telegram broadcasts, and cold pitching.
Local businesses can now:
- Launch targeted campaigns using Google’s global ad formats.
- Use programmatic buying via Ad Exchange.
- Implement tracking and analytics to get an accurate picture of the impact.
- Bring ad expenditures into formal banking and billing systems. This might make things a lot more scalable and clear.
What’s Still Uncertain
Even with this welcome reopening, there are still a few questions:
- Feature Rollouts: It’s not clear if all of the sophisticated ad formats (such localized extensions and DSP capabilities) are available right now or if they will be added gradually.
- Timelines: Google’s policy pages don’t say how long verification will take or if there will be a special assistance channel for Syrian account users.
- Banking logistics: Despite reports stating that payments are becoming easier, it’s still not clear how corporate billing works.
Conclusion
Even though many facts still remain in the shadow of doubt, this is obviously a hopeful moment for Syria’s digital marketing industry.
It’s time for Syrian Google ad specialists to reclaim their place in the global ad ecosystem. Plan it carefully!
