Foreign Firms Enter Reconstruction Market
Five major foreign engineering consulting firms have registered to operate in Syria, the first entrants under a framework that opens the country's reconstruction market to outside expertise. The Engineers Syndicate, which oversees the registrations, said it expects at least ten firms to complete the process by the end of 2026.
The firms are expected to work on engineering and investment projects tied to Syria's reconstruction, and the syndicate indicated the number of registered firms could rise further as additional applications are processed before the end of the year.
A New Licensing Decree
The registrations fall under Decision No. 3 of 2026, issued by the Engineers Syndicate in August and approved by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. The decision sets out how foreign consulting firms may enter the Syrian market and how their work is supervised.
It complements the Companies Law and Legislative Decree No. 29 of 2011, which governs the licensing of foreign company branches.
Partnership and Fee Requirements
Under the rules, a foreign firm must partner or contract with a licensed Syrian consulting office, with the agreement formally documented. Each firm must maintain a real physical office in Syria and name an authorized signatory, while individual engineers need personal licenses and registration with the Syrian syndicate.
The syndicate charges a one-time registration fee of $3,000 and an annual renewal fee of $1,000 (USD). Plans and contracts are to be filed with the syndicate, a step officials describe as a safeguard for intellectual property.
Protecting Local Expertise
The framework is designed to channel foreign participation without displacing Syrian engineers, requiring local partnership on documented terms. Officials pointed to Article 651 of the Civil Code, which imposes ten-year joint liability on designers for structural errors, as part of the accountability attached to the new entrants.
The syndicate framed the measure as a way to combine international technical capacity with national oversight as reconstruction work expands.