Consumer protection in Syria

Legislative Decree 8/2021 is the current reference framework for consumer protection in Syria. Article 82 repealed Law 14/2015. A legislative review was reported in 2025 and 2026, but no replacement framework is established in the available evidence. The decree covers goods and services supplied through shops, professional providers, tourism businesses and electronic means, including food, industrial, agricultural and craft products. Suppliers should display prices and service charges clearly, provide accurate information about type, quality, quantity, origin and barcode, and issue an invoice showing the type of transaction, date and amount paid. Labels use Arabic as the baseline, while additional languages may also appear. Misleading advertising, counterfeit goods, false origin or quality claims, hidden quantities and the sale of spoiled or unknown-origin goods are prohibited. Suppliers also have duties concerning maintenance and warranty, and contract clauses that waive statutory consumer protection are ineffective. For a defective product, the primary remedy is one replacement without cost, generally within three days after delivery. If the defect remains or replacement cannot be made, the consumer may seek a refund. A defect report should normally be made within seven days, and immediately when the product or service creates a health or safety risk. The replacement and refund rules do not cover every case: exclusions include altered goods or packaging, perishables, damage caused by the consumer, conforming custom-made goods, books and magazines, and software. Syrian law does not show a general 14-day withdrawal right for every purchase. The Ministry of Economy and Industry, its General Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, governorate consumer-protection and food-safety directorates, and local directorates handle many retail, price, food and product-safety matters. The Ministry may act against monopoly and price manipulation, while governorate price committees can impose administrative prices or maximum margins for designated goods and services. Withholding or hiding essential goods can also trigger enforcement. Inspections may involve samples, seizure and referral to prosecution. A consumer can submit a complaint through the Ministry of Economy and Industry complaint service, which provides online submission and tracking when accessible. The form requires sufficiently clear and accurate information. Complaints may be excluded when they are unclear, insufficiently supported, malicious or false, already investigated, or outside the authority's jurisdiction. The reviewed Ministry page states that no fee is charged, but it does not publish a general statutory response period. The page and the Ministry homepage show different telephone contacts, so the current number should be checked before use. No separate nationwide small-claims court or consumer ombudsman has been evidenced; individual compensation disputes may require the competent courts. Sector-specific channels supplement the general framework. Tourism complaints can be sent to the Ministry of Tourism complaint centre لبيك by email, WhatsApp, telephone, physical attendance or written submission. The centre accepts Arabic and English and reports ordinary handling in about three days, administrative cases in about seven and a half days, and complex cases in up to fifteen days. Tourism complaints may concern restaurants, tourism establishments and tourism offices, while tourism-law issues may fall outside the general consumer decree. Unrequested or unwanted tourism services are prohibited. For banks and payment providers, the first contact is normally the provider, followed where applicable by the Central Bank of Syria or another sector regulator. No dedicated financial-consumer ombudsman or standard Central Bank complaint deadline has been verified. Licensed payment service providers, electronic-money providers and system operators are subject to Decision 1124/2026, which addresses governance, risk, cybersecurity and user protection. Fraud or restitution disputes may also require the Public Prosecution or a court. Electronic transactions fall within the consumer framework, and Law 3/2014 regulates electronic commerce, but no dedicated cross-sector digital consumer portal has been verified. Telecom and digital-service complaints generally begin with the provider. The Wajeb national complaints application was reported as experimental or still rolling out, so universal access should not be assumed. Electricity, fuel and other utility complaints have no verified nationwide consumer channel or published national deadline; the provider or relevant sector authority is the usual first contact. Ministry complaint services apply only within their competence. Food safety, expiry dates, labels, unknown origin, counterfeit products and unsafe goods can be reported to Economy directorates and food-safety authorities. Health-service and medicine-supply complaints also involve the Ministry of Health or health directorates, which have documented weekly or direct citizen intake, although no verified nationwide medicine-specific portal or hotline was located. A serious safety concern can justify notifying the Ministry of Health, the Economy directorate and the Public Prosecution as applicable. For suspected market fraud, contact the responsible consumer-protection directorate or Ministry and preserve the invoice, advertisement, label, packaging, messages, payment proof and photographs. Electronic fraud or an unknown perpetrator may require the Public Prosecution, Judicial Police or cybercrime investigators. Ministry of Justice Circular 26/2026 directs cyber-fraud cases requiring digital investigation to specialised judicial police. Consumer protection associations are legally permitted to provide education, advice, complaint follow-up, representation and intervention, and may sue for consumer harm, although their practical coverage varies. Access remains uneven across Syria, especially in rural, conflict-affected and cross-provider situations. Complaint fees are not generally published, and no general consumer complaint deadline has been verified beyond the statutory defect-reporting periods. The competent institution, available evidence, sector and governorate determine how effectively a complaint can be pursued.