The Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry has issued a decree to unify operational procedures across corporate departments and Commercial Registry offices in various governorates. The move aims to streamline processes and regulate the commercial objectives of companies.
اضافة اعلان
The decree allows individual and corporate commercial registries to include up to five non-homogeneous activities. Each activity—whether primary, secondary, or supportive—must align with the Unified Industrial Classification Guide for all economic activities in Syria.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the decree mandates that the phrase "Import and Export" be explicitly stated in the commercial objective for those interested, specifying the types of imported materials across no more than five sectors. Furthermore, the phrase "Participating in Tenders and Auctions" may only be included if it pertains directly to the company’s core objective.
The decree further clarified that commercial registries registered in industrial cities may add commercial activities homogeneous with their primary activity, provided there is an administrative office within the licensed facility and that it does not violate laws governing industrial zone investments.
The Ministry emphasized that activities listed in commercial registries must be amended according to the Unified Industrial Classification when applying for a change in commercial objective. Necessary approvals and licenses must be provided when establishing or amending the objectives of joint-stock companies (capital companies), excluding activities regulated by specialized entities such as banking, insurance, and exchange.
Foreign Companies
The decree noted that granting individual commercial registries to foreigners does not include import activities, except for cases related to investment projects covered by the Investment Law, provided that imports are restricted to project equipment and operations.
The Ministry of Economy and Industry has prohibited the activity of representing foreign companies or Arab and foreign commercial agencies for registries where the owners or any of the partners are non-Syrian.
Regarding company headquarters, the decree permits capital companies to adopt a temporary headquarters for six months upon incorporation, provided a permanent location is established later. Procedures for amending headquarters and branches must be organized according to official letters issued by the competent authorities.
The Ministry stressed the necessity of submitting official requests for any amendments to the commercial registry or its documents, stipulating that the duration of lease, investment, or loan-for-use contracts be set at one calendar year, with clearly defined start and end dates.
