Syria

Business Environment

General information: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Closed hours and days: Government: 8 am to 3 pm.
Private sector: 9 am to 2 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm (during Ramadan opening hours for the private sector are from 9 am to 3 pm).
Friday and Saturday are the official closing days.

New Year's Day	1 January
Revolution of 8 May	8 May
Mothers' Day	21 March
Independence Day	17 April
Labor Day	1 May
Martyrs' Day	6 May
Liberation Day	6 October
Islamic New Year	Variable
Christmas Day	25 December
Aïd el Adha	Variable
Aïd el Fitr	Variable
Al Maulid anabaoui	Variable
Orthodox Easter	Variable
Birth of the Prophet (Sufi Islam)	Variable

During the lunar month of Ramadan, office opening hours are: 9 am to 2 pm. Many restaurants are closed during the day.

Variable

Tax year: The fiscal year begins on 1 January and ends on 31 December of the same year.
Accounting standards: Syria is a member of the International Accounting Standards Board.
Accounting regulation bodies: Syrian Certified Accountants Association.
Professional accountancy bodies: Syrian Certified Accountants Association.
Certification and auditing: Saba and Co (Deloitte), Damascus;
Arthur Andersen and Co;
KPMG Mejjani, Damas.
Accounting news: Syrian Arab news agency
Syria report

Nature of the tax: A system of VAT set up at 10 % based on the European model should be introduced in 2009.
Tax rate: Between 5 and 15%.
Reduced tax rate: No reduced rate.
Other consumption taxes: There is a war effort tax and a tax on luxury products which varies between 6 and 33%.

Corporate income tax for resident companies

progressive. between 10 and 45% of net profit.

Tax rate for foreign companies: The consumer tax system is not yet set up.
Capital gains taxation: Companies' capital gains are included in their taxable income and are taxed at the normal rate of between 10 and 45%.
Main allowable deductions and tax credit: Special rates are applied for joint stock companies, insurance companies, companies whose capital is mostly public and for private banks.
Other corporate taxes: Social security, stamp duty, property tax, other local taxes.

Allowable deductions and tax credit
Special expatriate tax regime: Non residents are subject to the same tax regime as residents. There are bilateral non double taxation agreements between Syria and different countries.

Countries with whom a double taxation treaty have been signed: See the list of the conventions signed on the website of the Ministry of Finance.
Whithholding taxes: Dividends: 0, Interest: 7.5%, Royalties: 5%

National organizations: Syria's legal system recognises and facilitates the transfer of property rights, including the rights of intellectual property. Syria is one of the member countries of Paris Convention. A previous registration of intellectual property rights is required in order to follow up any infringement. .
Patents are valid for a 15-year period (renewable) if the invention has been used for two years.
As far as copyright is concerned, most of the books published in Syria are written in the Arabic language and are written by Syrian authors. There is a legal vacuum in this field and the country's authorities seldom punish possible counterfeiting. There are counterfeiters who record CDs, videos, etc. Video cassettes are 100% copied but there are few repercussions on the economy as such. However, it is advised that the persons victimised by this kind of phenomenon should avoid legal pursuit of the authors of frauds, since the cost of legal action is often higher than the possible compensation delivered in a legal suit. As for trademarks, they are registered for a period of 10 years and the first applicant is the proprietor of the trademark.
International membership: Member of the la WIPO
Signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property

Type of property	Law	Validity	International agreements signed
Patent	Law n°47 of 1946, amended by legislative decree n°28 of 1980.	15 years (renewable).	Patent Cooperation Treaty
Trademark	Legislative decree n°28 of 1980.	10 years.	Nice agreement concerning the International classification of goods and Services for the Purposes of the registration of Marks Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registration of Marks
Design	The Implementing Regulation of Trademarks, Geographical Indications and Industrial Drawings and Designs Protection Law	Indefinite.
Copyright	There is no official system of copyright protection in Syria.		Berne convention for the protection of Literary and Artistic Works WIPO copyright treaty
Industrial Models	Law /8/ 2007 on Trademarks, Geographical Signs and Industrial Drawings & Models	5 years.

Independence of justice: The judiciary is controlled by the ruling party.
Equal treatment of nationals and foreigners: Foreign nationals cannot expect an impartial trial from the country’s judicial system.
The language of justice: Arabic is the judicial language used in the country and the laws are only drawn up in Classical Arabic.
Having recourse to an interpreter: Having an interpreter is possible.
Sources of the law and legal similarities: The main source of law in Syria is the constitution of 1973. The country’s legal system is based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law, religious law being used in the family courts. Syria has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
Checking national laws online: This website provides information on the legal aspects that govern the Internet domain in Syria.
A very rich website on all the laws concerning the business and trade world in Syria.

National standards organizations: Syrian Arab Standards and Metrology Organization (SASMO)
Integration in the international standards network: Syria is a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and of the CODEX Alimentarius Commission.
Classification of standards: There is an organization which is in charge of drawing up standards (450 of them). Current standards are close to French norms and those of the United Nations Organization. The ISO 9000 norm corresponds to Syrian standards: 1147, 1148, 1149, 1150, 1151 and to a large number of instructions relative to quality.
Online consultation of standards: Syrian Standards on line.
Certification organizations: Syrian Arab Standards and Metrology Organization (SASMO)