Why Syria was left out of the Partner Program
The problem isn't your channel or your content. It's a legal issue. Google is an American company, and US sanctions blocked it from paying people who live in Syria. That's why Syria never showed up on the list of countries where the YouTube Partner Program is available. That's the program that runs ads on your videos and gives you a share of the revenue.
In 2025 the United States started lifting a large part of those sanctions. That's good news, but it doesn't mean the program opened the next day. Adding a country to the list is Google's decision alone. Google has to set up payments, identity verification, and tax handling in that country first, and that can take a while.
So I'm not going to tell you the program is available, and I'm not going to tell you it's impossible. I'll show you how to find the answer yourself.
How to check for yourself in two minutes
Open the page listing countries where the YouTube Partner Program is available. It's the only source that counts. Look for Syria on it.
- If Syria is on the list, the program is open to you. You still have to meet the requirements.
- If it isn't there, the program isn't open to people living in Syria yet.
Don't go by a Facebook group post or a video titled "Monetization is now open in Syria." Stories like that sometimes spread before they're true. The official page only changes once the decision has actually changed.
The requirements themselves are simple. According to YouTube's official page, you need 1,000 subscribers. On top of that you need either 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days. And the country that matters is the one you actually live in, which has to be the same country on your payment account.
The "second country" trick: why it costs more than it pays
You'll hear plenty of advice. Register the channel in another country. Run a VPN. Buy a ready-made channel that's already monetized. I get why that's tempting, but think it through.
YouTube pays you through an AdSense account. AdSense asks you to verify your identity and address before it pays out, and it may mail a verification code to the address you registered. A fake address doesn't receive mail. And an ID that doesn't match your details can get the whole account suspended, along with everything you've earned.
Buying and selling monetized channels also breaks YouTube's terms. If the seller takes the channel back or the platform shuts it down, the buyer has nothing to fall back on.
The rule is simple. Any route that requires lying to Google about where you live can collapse at the worst possible moment: after a year of work, right when the money starts coming in. The only clean option is obvious. If you genuinely live in a country that's on the list, sign up from there with your real address and real ID.
Is building a channel now a waste of time?
This is the question you're thinking but not asking. The answer is no.
Look at it this way. Even if the program opened tomorrow, your channel wouldn't qualify tomorrow. Hitting the requirements usually takes months of posting. If you wait for the news before you start, you start from zero on that day, while the people who started earlier are already there.
I'll be upfront about one thing. Watch hours only count for the last 12 months, and Shorts views only for the last 90 days. So if the decision takes a long time, the views from your earliest videos may not count. But your subscribers stay. More importantly, your experience stays. You'll know which openings keep people watching, which topics pull in your audience, and how to post consistently without burning out. That knowledge doesn't expire.
Income that doesn't wait on YouTube
YouTube ads aren't the only way to earn. A channel with a real audience opens other doors:
- Direct sponsorships. Plenty of Arab companies and apps want to reach a specific audience. You deal with them directly and agree together on a payment method that works for both sides.
- Affiliate marketing. You put a product link in your description and earn a cut of every sale. Some programs don't accept people living in Syria, so read each program's terms before you count on it.
- Selling your skill. Once you've learned to make short videos for your own channel, you can make them for a shop, restaurant, or store near you. Your channel becomes your portfolio.
Each of these comes with its own payment problem when you're in Syria. So ask yourself first: how will the money actually reach me? Then start.
Start with the part you control
Google's decision isn't in your hands. But three things are entirely yours: the niche you pick, the first line of every video, and posting consistently. Those three are what drive views, not how the video gets made.
If you don't want to be on camera, or you don't have filming gear, faceless channels fit your situation well. Stories, history, motivation, and psychology all work well as short videos of 30 to 60 seconds. You can browse niches that work for faceless channels to pick one.
This is where a tool like MaqtAi helps. You type in the topic, and it writes a script that opens with a strong hook, then adds a voiceover, animated visuals, and on-screen text, and puts it all together as a vertical video. You don't appear in the video and you don't record your voice. What the tool doesn't do matters too. It doesn't make your channel eligible for monetization, and it doesn't bring in views on its own. YouTube demonetizes repetitive, mass-produced content, so your own idea and angle are still essential.
Every month you wait is a month with no subscribers and no data telling you which video worked and why. Meanwhile someone in your niche is posting every day and learning from each video. You don't have to decide your channel's future today. Make one video, watch it, and judge for yourself. Most new accounts get free credit after confirming their email, no card required. Details are on the pricing page.
Doing this by hand is the part most people quit at. MaqtAi writes the script, narrates it, generates the visuals and captions, and assembles the faceless short for you. Verify your email and you get 450 free credits: about 3 videos on the still-frame tier, or one with AI motion. Free renders carry a watermark.
Try it on your niche freeFAQ
Can I open a YouTube channel and post videos while living in Syria? Yes. Opening a channel and posting is one thing, and earning from ads is another. The restriction was on the Partner Program and payouts, not on publishing content.
Will my current views count if the program opens in Syria later? Your subscribers stay with you. Watch hours only count for the last 12 months, though, and Shorts views only for the last 90 days, according to YouTube's official requirements.
Will a VPN make me eligible to monetize? No. Eligibility depends on where you actually live and on verifying your identity and address in your payment account. Trying to game it can cost you the account and the earnings together.
Does YouTube limit the reach of AI-made videos? There's no reach penalty just because a video was made with AI. The platform ranks videos on viewer behavior, like watch time and completion. But repetitive, mass-produced content can be demonetized.
Results vary from person to person, and nothing in this article guarantees any income.