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Foreign and dual-national buyers: who needs Interior Ministry approval?

Last reviewed: 22 August 2026. Syrian property law is changing and no public source can confirm a person’s citizenship or approve a transaction. Confirm the current law and your status with a qualified Syrian property lawyer before signing or paying.

Short answer

  • A person who holds Syrian citizenship, including a Syrian-German dual citizen, is not a “non-Syrian” under the published text of Law 11 of 2011 as amended by Law 12 of 2021. On that text, the foreign-buyer licence in this law does not apply when that person buys and registers as a Syrian citizen.
  • A person who does not hold Syrian citizenship is within the foreign-ownership framework. A direct residential purchase requires legal residence in Syria, one qualifying built residential unit, and a prior licence issued by decision of the Minister of Interior.
  • The reviewed sources do not support treating that licence as automatic. DarSyria cannot verify a current Interior Ministry form, approval criteria, or 2026 application workflow.
  • Holding German citizenship, having Syrian parents, or having been born in Syria does not by itself prove current Syrian citizenship. Confirm the civil-status record and usable Syrian identity documents first.

Why dual citizenship changes the answer

The amended law defines a “non-Syrian” as a natural or legal person who does not hold the nationality of the Syrian Arab Republic. That definition is the key distinction. A Syrian-German dual citizen still holds Syrian nationality and therefore does not become a foreign buyer merely because they also hold a German passport.

The German Federal Foreign Office’s current Syria guidance is consistent with this reading. It says that people with Syrian and German nationality are subject, while in Syria, exclusively to the rules that apply to Syrian nationals. Combining that guidance with the statutory definition means a confirmed Syrian-German dual national ordinarily uses the Syrian-citizen route, not the Law 11 foreign-buyer route.

This does not prove that every registry formality is complete. A buyer may still need current Syrian civil-status documents, registry documents, tax clearance, or other transaction-specific records. DarSyria cannot verify a person’s nationality, and a German passport is not evidence that Syrian nationality was retained or lost.

Difficulty proving status does not itself change a person’s nationality or automatically turn a Syrian citizen into a foreign buyer. It means the buyer should pause until the civil-status record and the registry route are confirmed in writing.

What the published foreign-buyer law says

Law 12 of 2021 amended Law 11 of 2011. The published consolidated Arabic text says a non-Syrian may acquire one built property intended for housing when, among other conditions:

  • the person’s residence in Syria is lawful;
  • the property is one independent, complete residential unit;
  • it is licensed under the applicable building rules; and
  • prior permission is issued by decision of the Minister of Interior.

The amended text defines qualifying legal residence in more detail. It refers to one year of continuous permanent residence or residence across five non-continuous years totalling at least one year, and includes a separate rule for a non-Syrian born to a Syrian mother. It excludes students relying only on study residence. These details should be checked against the official Arabic text and current implementing practice for the individual file.

The public sources reviewed by DarSyria do not provide current 2026 processing times, fees, approval rates, or a reliable online application workflow. The assistant must not invent any of those details.

Where reciprocity does and does not appear

The amended conditions for an individual’s direct residential purchase do not list reciprocity as a separate condition. Reciprocity does appear expressly for diplomatic and consular missions and cultural centres. Separate rules also govern property received by inheritance or testamentary transfer.

DarSyria has not found a current official Syrian country list stating how reciprocity is administered in every inheritance or institutional case. It is therefore unsafe to tell a German-only buyer that “reciprocity approval” is guaranteed, refused, or processed through a particular form. Ask counsel to address the exact acquisition route in writing.

Ordinary home purchase is not an investment project

In March 2026, the Syrian Investment Authority described reforms allowing 100 percent foreign ownership of the capital of qualifying investment projects. That is a project-investment framework. It should not be used as proof that a foreign individual can bypass Law 11 to buy an ordinary family apartment.

Practical decision path

If you are Syrian-German: first obtain written confirmation that your Syrian nationality and civil-status record are current and that the registry will process you as Syrian. On the published definition, the Law 11 Interior Ministry licence is not the route for a Syrian citizen.

If you are German only: assume the foreign-buyer rules apply. Before paying a deposit, have a Syrian property lawyer confirm lawful-residence eligibility, the current Interior Ministry licensing procedure, the property’s eligibility, and any inheritance or resale restriction.

If your status is unclear: do not let an agent choose the more convenient nationality informally. The identity used in the contract, tax file, power of attorney, and land registry must be legally consistent.

What DarSyria cannot currently verify

  • Whether a later unpublished or poorly indexed measure changes the individual foreign-buyer framework.
  • Current Interior Ministry forms, fees, processing times, or approval criteria.
  • A current official Syrian reciprocity list by country.
  • The citizenship status of a user or whether particular identity documents are sufficient.
  • The outcome of an inheritance, border-area, agricultural-land, redevelopment-zone, or investment-project case.

Sources:

Verify before acting: current Syrian nationality, the operative Arabic law, the acquisition category, Interior Ministry procedure where applicable, and the property’s registry and dispute history.

Dieser Artikel dient nur zu Informationszwecken und stellt keine Rechtsberatung dar. Konsultieren Sie immer einen qualifizierten Anwalt.