Starting a business in Syria: foreigner's guide (2026)

Decree No. 114 of 2025 amended Investment Law No. 18 of 2021 to permit full foreign ownership of investment projects and removed the previous requirement that foreign investors take on a local Syrian partner.

The regime guarantees protection against expropriation (with judicial oversight and market-value compensation), the right to transfer profits and invested capital abroad in convertible currency after taxes, and access to international arbitration in disputes with the state.

Decree 114 restructured the Syrian Investment Agency into a semi-autonomous body under the Supreme Council for Economic Development (directly affiliated with the Presidency), with licensing routed through 'one-stop' centers — streamlined on paper but politically centralized in practice.

Investors may obtain work and residence permits for themselves, their families, and non-Syrian staff; the amended law permits hiring foreign labor (reported up to ~40%) to fill technical and managerial skill gaps.

A US Executive Order effective 1 July 2025 revoked the OFAC Syria sanctions program and de-listed Syrian banks (incl. the Central Bank of Syria); the EU lifted economic/banking/transport/energy sanctions in May 2025. Certain export controls and individual designations linked to the former regime remain.

Setting up typically involves obtaining an SIA investment licence, reserving a trade name, notarizing Arabic articles of association, depositing required capital in a Syrian bank, and registering in the Commercial Registry plus a tax ID. Minimum capital varies by legal form and sector and is set under Syrian companies law; sensitive sectors (e.g., oil, telecoms, banking, insurance) require additional ministry/Central Bank approval.