Practical Guide  | Export Procedure   See also      Saudi Arabia      Bahrain      Egypt      United Arab Emirates      Kuwait      Oman      Qatar      Jordan      Lebanon      Syria      Yemen           Syria Regulations 1. Labelling and packaging regulations 2. Exchange controls 3. Import controls 4. Export Controls 5. Documentation 6. Customs duties   1. Labelling and packaging regulations   Products must be clearly marked, stamped, branded or labelled, to indicate the country of origin.   Use of English is acceptable.   bilingual language (Arabic and English) labelling is advisable, particularly if the product is aimed at the mass market.   Information on country of origin.   Information : placement of identification data identification of the manufacturer product information the name of the producer/exporter, ingredients, date of manufacturing and date of expiry.   Medicines should be labelled with a batch number. Certain chemicals may require a certificate of analysis.   2. Exchange controls   As a general rule, the Official rate is used for business transactions and transactions are authorised and controlled by the Commercial Bank of Syria. Remittance of profits is permitted for companies formed under Investment Law No. 10.   3. Import controls   Two copies of the Custom's Authority's registration forms must be filled out when products arrive in Syria.   Payment of duties is due within 14 days.   Additional stamp duties and port fees may be incurred.   Some public sectors imports require pre-shipmant inspection. When required the tender will specify the names of the companies who has been nominated to carry out the inspection.   4. Export Controls   The Europeans Governments maintains export controls to prevent the export of goods, including technology, for a variety of reasons including: the collective security of the EU and its allies in NATO national security and foreign policy requirements international legal obligations and commitments non-proliferation policy concerns about terrorism internal repression ther human rights violations If goods or technologies are subject to your state export controls, a licence is required to gain the legal authority to export them.   5. Documentation   When exporting to Syria the following documentation is required: A valid export licence (if required). Two original copies of the commercial invoice plus six copies. All eight must be signed and stamped by the exporter. The two original copies must be certified by the appropriate foreign chamber of commerce. The originals should be checked by the Syrian Embassy in the country of export. Invoices should also declarations of legitimacy and authenticity of goods, lack of raw materials of Israeli origin and details (including registration number) of agent. A set of clean bills of lading plus one non-negotiable copy issued to the Commercial Bank of Syria (including Branch number) and marked "In order to (as applicable to)" and "Freight prepaid". Five copies of the certificate of origin, certified by the Syrian Embassy in the country of export and the exporting firm's Chamber of Commerce. An Arab Boycott Compliance Certificate may be required for certain imports. Three copies of a certificate of analysis is required for some chemical products showing manufacturing and expiry dates. Six copies of a packing list including gross and net weights, contract number and batch number. These documents should be given to the exporting firms bank to transfer to the Commercial Bank of Syria by registered mail. No demand for payment should be made to the Commercial Bank.   6. Customs duties   Syria is not a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and import duties are generally high.   Products from the Arab Economic Union are subject to preferential rates.   Import duties are based on a basic duty plus a unified tax surcharge. The cost, insurance, freight (cif) value of raw materials and foodstuffs is usually calculated at the Promotions Rate, while luxury goods are calculated at the Neighbouring Country Rate. Duty rates are progressive and range from 1%-200%, depending on the Government's view of the necessity of a product. Food and industrial raw materials carry relatively low rates, while rates between 150%-200% are imposed on luxury items such as automobiles.   Commercial samples and Temporary Imports All temporary imports and commercial samples (apart from those used for the Damascus International Trade Fair) require import licences. Temporary imports are permitted for firms undertaking construction projects and international organisations. Participants in trade shows are permitted to import temporarily for display purposes, provided the goods are re-exported after the event has concluded.