Analysis & Features

16-05-2023
Syria’s Academic Delegations Law, issued by Legislative Decree No. 6 of 2013, requires any person to study abroad on an academic delegation to have a guarantor who will pay all expenses and fees incurred by the student if they fail to fulfil their obligations to the sending entity or refuse to return home to Syria. 
25-04-2023
Without a comprehensive post-earthquake plan, the Syrian government’s approach has been limited to providing tax exemptions for those affected and facilitating access to loans to finance repairs.
28-03-2023
The Directorate of Planning and Urbanisation is part of the municipal services at the Damasus governorate. It is tasked mainly with preparing and following up on the city’s general zoning draft plan. The directorate also puts in place the city’s planning and expropriation draft plans and follows up on procedures for approval. 
21-03-2023
More than a month after the February 06 earthquake, President Bashar Al-Assad issued a decree granting tax exemptions for people impacted by the disaster. Some of the measures listed in Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2023 are related to real estate that was partially or fully damaged in the earthquake, exempting owners from some current taxes and fees and temporarily from future taxes. The decree also eases the process for obtaining loans to restore damaged properties. 
15-03-2023
No law in Syria’s legislative system specifically addresses real estate damaged by natural disasters. Although some laws mention issues related to real estate damaged by natural disasters, they do not address housing, land, and property rights.
14-02-2023
The Syrian Arab Code for the Design and Implementation of Reinforced Concrete Structures is a system for buildings to meet certain safety standards. Engineers and building contractors must adhere to this code during their study and design phases and when applying for their construction permits. The Syrian Engineers Syndicate and local administrative units oversee adherence to the code during the various stages of construction. 
31-01-2023
The Ministry of Local Administration and Environment issued 14 decrees on December 6, 2022, approving 14 similar decisions by Syria’s 14 governorate councils to increase direct and indirect taxes for 2023. Real estate fees and taxes made up a large portion of these decisions. 
24-01-2023
Limitation of disposal is a provisional measure that includes placing a precautionary seizure on someone’s real estate to guarantee any financial rights owed to the state. This measure comes at the request of a public entity, usually the relevant governorate’s finance directorate or the local city council. 
17-01-2023
From the 16th century until the end of Ottoman rule in Syria, the Sharia courts regulated the documentation for proving real estate ownership and entered them into their records. These records are still preserved in Damascus and Aleppo, and to a lesser degree in Homs and Hama, and are still used before the Sharia courts today.