Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has issued Decree No. 244 for 2025, establishing the “General Authority for Borders and Customs,” a body endowed with legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy, directly linked to the Presidency.
The newly created institution aims to unify the administrative and technical oversight of all land and maritime border crossings, free zones and customs services under a single organizational structure, ensuring functional integration between transit operations, customs clearance, transport, storage, port management and free-zone activities.
It also seeks to modernize logistics and commercial services in line with international standards, strengthen discipline, transparency and independent internal oversight, and enhance operational efficiency and public revenues without raising taxes. The authority will likewise support digital transformation and streamline procedures to serve the interests of the state and the national economy.
The decree outlines the authority’s responsibilities, including the management and organization of operations at all land and maritime border crossings, the development of general policies coordinating customs, port activities, free zones and maritime transport, oversight of fee and revenue collection and the preparation of draft laws and decrees related to border points, ports and customs.
