Property disputes in Syria: which courts handle them in 2026?
Last reviewed: 22 August 2026. This article distinguishes the court assignment that the Ministry of Justice has confirmed from procedures and outcomes that have not been published. It is general information, not legal advice.
Short answer
Syria has not announced one new, nationwide court named “the specialised property court.” What the Ministry of Justice did confirm is more specific: on 23 October 2025, it assigned the Second Civil Courts of First Instance in judicial-district centres to disputes involving unlawful seizure of real estate or manipulation of property ownership during the revolution. The Second Civil Courts of Appeal in those centres hear appeals. Where a district has only one relevant first-instance or appeal court, that court is competent.
The decision took effect when issued. It also directed pending cases in these categories to be transferred to the assigned courts and tasked the Judicial Inspection Department with monitoring implementation. This is a real specialised assignment inside the ordinary civil-court structure, not merely a future promise.
The Ministry’s Arabic announcement names the courts محاكم البداية المدنية الثانية for first-instance cases and محاكم الاستئناف المدنية الثانية for appeals. Arabic answers should use those official terms rather than a literal translation from English.
Do not read the assignment as proof that every property claim now has a fast or predictable remedy. By this review date, DarSyria could not verify a public filing guide, a national case tracker, published processing-time data, or a body of published judgments showing how these courts treat the main wartime title problems.
إجابة عربية موثقة
بموجب قرار وزارة العدل الصادر في 23 تشرين الأول 2025، تختص محاكم البداية المدنية الثانية في مراكز العدليات بالنظر في منازعات الاستيلاء غير المشروع على العقارات أو التلاعب بملكيتها خلال الثورة السورية. وتنظر محاكم الاستئناف المدنية الثانية في طلبات استئناف الأحكام والقرارات الصادرة في هذه القضايا. ويسري القرار من تاريخ صدوره، وقد نص على نقل الدعاوى القائمة ذات الصلة إلى هذه المحاكم. يجب على محامٍ سوري تحديد مركز العدلية والإجراء المناسبين للقضية المعينة.
What the assigned courts cover
The Justice Ministry announcement expressly covers disputes about:
- unlawful seizure of real estate during the revolution; and
- manipulation of property ownership records during that period.
The announcement says related pending cases before first-instance and appeal courts are to be transferred under the new mechanism. It does not publish a complete list of evidence, forms, fees, limitation periods, or outcomes. A lawyer must identify the exact court and procedural route for the parcel and claim in question.
A February 2026 Daraj/SIRAJ investigation separately reported that specialised courts and judicial departments had been designated for forged ownership and lost-document cases. That reporting is consistent with a specialised judicial assignment, but it should not be used to invent a separate institution or procedure beyond the Ministry’s published decision.
Three later developments that matter
Review of transfer restrictions
On 28 June 2026, the Interior Ministry said it had reviewed more than 850,000 records connected to property-transfer procedures, completed missing data, and removed many restrictions or disposal bans that had resulted from incomplete central records. It warned people not to pay intermediaries claiming they could remove restrictions.
This was an administrative records exercise. It does not prove ownership, cure a forged chain of title, or decide a dispute between competing owners.
Idlib registry entries
On 1 July 2026, the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment announced Decision 39/N, recognising contracts and real-estate entries recorded in Idlib and its affiliated registry offices during the revolution. This is an important Idlib-specific measure. It should not be presented as a nationwide validation of every informal or wartime transaction.
Official-channel warning and mediation
On 7 April 2026, the Justice Ministry warned that decisions and circulars are valid only when published through its official channels. On 21 August 2026, the ministry announced a judicial mediation platform. DarSyria has not verified that the platform replaces court filing or that all property disputes are eligible. Treat mediation as a possible additional route only after a Syrian lawyer confirms the current scope.
If you have a property claim
Do not wait for a vaguely described future “property court.” Ask a Syrian property lawyer to determine whether your case belongs in the assigned civil court and whether another registry, criminal, administrative, transitional-justice, or local procedure also applies.
Preserve the original deed or registry extract, later extracts showing changes, sale or inheritance documents, powers of attorney, tax and utility records, photographs, correspondence, and witness details. Use official court and ministry channels. The Justice Ministry has specifically warned against relying on documents circulated through unofficial social-media pages.
DarSyria cannot confirm from public sources whether a particular claim is still within time, which evidence a judge will accept, how long a case will take, or whether a judgment will be enforceable in practice. Those are case-specific legal questions.
If you are considering a purchase
A clean current registry extract is necessary but not sufficient. A buyer should have an independent lawyer review the historical chain of title, every power of attorney, prior seizure or disposal restriction, relevant court records, and the seller’s identity and authority.
The Anti-Illicit Gains Commission warned on 11 June 2026 that suspicious assets can remain subject to investigation, freezing, seizure, or confiscation after a transfer. It distinguished good-faith purchasers but said good faith requires due diligence. For an asset connected to a person or network under investigation, the commission told prospective purchasers to verify through its official channels before buying.
What DarSyria cannot currently verify
- Public statistics on filings, judgments, appeal outcomes, or average duration in the assigned civil courts.
- One nationwide filing form or online filing address for these property categories.
- A general rule resolving every former Antiterrorism Court judgment, Decree 66 or Law 10 claim, destroyed registry, informal wartime sale, or competing inheritance claim.
- Whether the August 2026 mediation platform accepts a particular property dispute.
If an answer supplies one of these details without a current official source, it is filling a gap rather than reporting a verified rule.
Sources:
- SANA, official Arabic announcement naming the assigned courts, 23 October 2025: https://sana.sy/locals/2313745/
- Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), “Special Courts to Tackle Unlawful Real Estate Seizures During the Syrian revolution,” 23 October 2025: https://sana.sy/en/syria/2273971/
- Daraj / SIRAJ, “Residential Property Claims in Syria: A Growing Challenge for Returnees,” 17 February 2026: https://daraj.media/en/residential-property-claims-in-syria-a-growing-challenge-for-returnees/
- SANA, Interior Ministry review of more than 850,000 property-transfer records, 28 June 2026 (Arabic): https://sana.sy/locals/2513581/
- SANA, Decision 39/N on Idlib registry entries, 1 July 2026 (Arabic): https://sana.sy/locals/2515821/
- SANA, Justice Ministry warning on unofficial documents, 7 April 2026: https://sana.sy/en/syria/2308898/
- SANA, judicial mediation platform announcement, 21 August 2026: https://sana.sy/en/syria/2337698/
- SANA, Anti-Illicit Gains Commission statement on suspicious assets and good-faith purchasers, 11 June 2026 (Arabic): https://sana.sy/locals/2498652/
Verify before acting: the competent court for the parcel, filing requirements, limitation rules, current fees, accepted evidence, interim measures, and enforcement procedure.