The Syrian Ministry of Transport announces new regulations for importing cars.

The Ministry of Transport in the Syrian caretaker government announced its intention to impose new regulations on car imports, in an attempt to regulate the market after a wave of heavy imports that followed the reopening of this process at the end of last year.

Transport Minister Engineer "Yarob Badr" stated to the official "SANA" agency that the decision comes after noting "the market being flooded with unprecedented quantities of vehicles" since the lifting of the import ban in December 2024, after a 12-year hiatus.

He explained that government facilitations, including reducing customs duties and simplifying procedures, contributed to the influx of a large number of cars to address the shortage resulting from the aging of most vehicles in the country, many of which exceed 24 years.

The minister emphasized that the new measures will not apply to cars that have already been imported, confirming that the goal is to "regulate the import process in line with the economic reality, infrastructure capacity, and safety standards," without reversing the decision to open the market.

On the other hand, the Director of the Car Import Directorate, "Abdul Latif Shartah," revealed that more than 100,000 cars have entered the country since the decision to open imports, as a result of the incentive measures that included significant customs reductions and granting buyers a trial period of three months.

According to official data, these steps have led to a 75% decrease in car prices compared to the period before the decision, where previous customs duties reached up to 400% of the car's value. New fees have been set based on the manufacturing year, ranging from $1500 for older models to $2500 for newer ones.