Enab Baladi , Rakan al-Khadr
With the deadline for bringing used cars into Syria ending on 31 December 2025, the National Committee for Import and Export decided to allow the entry of cars currently located in free zones, border crossings, and ports whose chassis numbers were not matched on the electronic platform, in an effort to regularize the status of vehicles already present in Syria.
In its decision, published on 29 December 2025, the committee set the following conditions for admitting the cars covered by the measure:
The car must have been physically present before the decision was issued. The chassis number must be properly verified and show no signs of erasure or tampering. An entry application must be submitted with complete legal and technical documents. The car must not be linked to any smuggling case, final court ruling, or enforceable legal ban.The decision also covers cars that entered under the temporary admission system and have incurred delay fines for overstaying, provided that:
All customs duties and due fines are paid in full. The car is not linked to any smuggling case or final court ruling.According to the decision, owners have 30 days to complete the procedures for paying the required duties and fines and to finalize the legal entry process.
The General Directorate of Customs was tasked with implementing the decision and taking all necessary legal and administrative measures, including processing customs transactions, verifying data, and collecting duties and fines.
Previously, the Ministry of Economy and Industry granted an additional grace period to used-car importers registered on the used-car registration platform at the General Authority for Land and Sea Transport to settle their status.
In a decision issued on 19 November 2025, the ministry said the grace period would end on 31 December 2025, and registrants must bring in imported cars before the deadline.
Violators are subject to applicable laws and regulations.
Implications of the decision
Economic expert Dr. Fadi Ayash told Enab Baladi that cars intended for personal and family use are considered durable consumer goods from an economic perspective, and some are classified as luxury items.
He added that cars are not production tools and are not a driver of development, especially in countries facing crises, war, and destruction, meaning they are not a development priority.
Ayash pointed to Syrian official sources suggesting that around $5 billion was spent on car imports after the regime’s fall, an amount equivalent to roughly 20 to 25% of GDP. From a development economics standpoint, he said, car imports are unlikely to have any positive impact at this stage, as recovery requires prioritizing production tools, productive capacity, and exports.
Ayash said the only tangible effect of the decision would be lower car prices, making vehicles available to a wider segment of citizens after prices had surged before the regime’s fall.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohammed al-Jishi, head of the Finance and Banking Department at the Syrian International Arab University, argued that the decision’s importance lies in giving traders who still have cars stuck at crossings, or who registered cars on the platform but did not bring them in within the permitted period, a chance to regularize their situation.
Al-Jishi told Enab Baladi that the decision does not allow the entry of newly imported used cars, and is limited to vehicles already at crossings, which makes its impact on lowering prices limited.
He added that the government should inspect these cars before allowing them into the country to ensure they meet minimum standards, to avoid problems that emerged when used cars were permitted in early 2025.
During 2025, the Syrian market saw a noticeable drop in car prices due to increased imports and the lack of customs restrictions, alongside customer complaints that some imported cars were not actually new and had defects.
Economic expert and analyst Abu Atta Shamiya said used-car prices rose immediately after the decision to halt used-car imports in July 2025, making them likely to fall after the latest decision, depending on demand. He added that new-car prices remained stable because sanctions were lifted only at the end of 2025, hindering the entry of agencies and branches of global brands. This limited supply and competition, leaving new-car prices largely unaffected.
Shamiya expected inflation to slow as cars at crossings enter the market during the first quarter of the current year, which could lead to used-car prices stabilizing, then falling by 5 to 10% by next summer if oversight is enforced.
He also warned the decision could worsen traffic congestion, including on side streets, given the presence of an old, worn-out vehicle fleet, alongside another fleet that entered after imports were opened without sufficient controls.
Pros and cons
Shamiya cited several potential positives, including saving foreign currency by reducing the annual import bill and easing pressure on the Syrian pound.
He added that restricting imports to new cars or those no more than two years old could improve the quality of the transport fleet and reduce harmful exhaust emissions, by lowering the average vehicle age from 17 years to 10 years.
He also said the decision could encourage local manufacturing and assembly, as some companies may consider assembling components in Syrian industrial zones.
A fourth potential benefit, in his view, would be revitalizing the financing market if private banks adopt financing programs for the automotive sector.
On the negative side, Shamiya said older models would be out of reach for middle and low-income groups. Most Syrians rely on used cars aged 10 to 15 years, and car ownership had long been a dream for many Syrian families before the regime’s fall, pushing many toward motorcycles as an alternative.
He added that the decision could fuel smuggling and black-market activity, especially since car prices in northern Syria, including Manbij (eastern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria) and Qamishli (al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria), are around 25% cheaper. This could encourage smuggling across the borders with Iraq and Turkey and reduce customs revenues.
He also warned of a potential decline in private transport, creating difficulties for taxi drivers trying to renew their fleets.
Ayash said banning car imports is not economically necessary, and lowering prices is not, in itself, a policy goal. However, he argued it would be useful to restrict imports according to priorities that allow replacing dilapidated cars that impose economic and environmental burdens, while doubling customs duties on cars, especially higher-end models, and limiting imports to new vehicles.
These steps, Ayash said, could help support the public budget, reduce environmental harm, and ease traffic congestion in most Syrian cities, where the number of cars has increased sharply compared with limited infrastructure and road readiness. He pointed to Damascus Governorate data showing that the number of cars on Damascus streets rose from about 250,000 to about 600,000 in 2025, making rationalizing car imports a necessity.
Renewing the Entry of Free Zone Cars, Who Benefits? Enab Baladi.
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