The Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs issued a decision allowing investors in free zones to bring in their used cars from neighboring countries and display them in their private showrooms, while activating the activity of car “cutting and dismantling” under regulations.
The decision, published by the Ports and Customs Authority on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, was based on minutes from a meeting between the authority’s presidency and the administration of the General Establishment for Free Zones on April 16.
The decision required investors wishing to bring in their cars to submit an “official written pledge” containing three commitments: not placing the cars into domestic consumption, not demanding their registration or sale inside Syrian territory, and committing not to violate the laws and regulations in force.
It also allowed the activation of car “cutting and dismantling” activity inside free zones, provided it is subject to joint supervision by the General Customs Administration and the General Establishment for Free Zones.
In its decision, the Ports Authority set regulations for this activity, most notably restricting it to free zones only and preventing complete cars or frames that can be assembled from entering the local market, in an effort to combat the phenomenon of “cut-up cars” that were reassembled and sold to citizens.
Measures to Regulate Imports
The decision comes as part of measures to regulate car imports, which began at the end of June 2025, when the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry issued a decision suspending the import of used cars as of June 29.
At the time, the decision included limited exceptions covering trucks, tractor units, public works machinery, and agricultural tractors no more than ten years old, as well as passenger buses with more than 32 seats and no more than four years old.
Experts said at the time that the decision would help “control the import bill and preserve foreign currency reserves,” and that the current number of imported cars was “sufficient compared with the infrastructure and population size.”
On May 7, 2025, Syrian Minister of Transport Yarub Badr said the government was preparing measures to reorganize car imports into Syria, after the country was flooded with modern cars following the opening of imports several months earlier. He added that Syria could not continue this openness to such large numbers of vehicles.
As the deadline approached, the Ministry of Economy and Industry granted used car importers registered on the used car registration platform, affiliated with the General Authority for Land and Maritime Transport, an additional period to settle their status.
The ministry said in its decision at the time that the deadline would end on December 31, 2025, and that registrants must bring in imported cars before the specified date. Violators would be subject to the laws and regulations in force.
After the deadline ended, the National Committee for Import and Export issued Decision No. 4 of 2025, according to SANA, allowing the “settlement of the status” of cars stuck inside free zones and border crossings, provided they were there before the date of the decision, with 30 days granted to pay fees and fines and bring the cars in legally.
Enab Baladi had revealed in a previous report how “cut-up” cars invaded Syrian markets. These are cars that were involved in accidents abroad and imported as “spare parts,” then reassembled and sold at low prices in operations that traders described as involving “fraud.”
Experts told Enab Baladi that Syria had turned into a “dump for the world’s car waste” amid the absence of regulation.
Economic experts stressed at the time that successful import activity depended on effective oversight, warning of the consequences of weak monitoring and the possible entry of cars that do not meet specifications, as well as worsening traffic congestion due to the excessive increase in vehicle numbers. The number of cars in Damascus alone rose from around 250,000 to 600,000 during 2025.
What Is the National Committee for Import and Export?
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued Decree No. 263, which established the “National Committee for Import and Export.”
The committee is responsible for the following mandates:
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