Hire Employees in Syria

Start with the sanctions position. It changed materially following the political transition, and what was accurate a year ago may not be now. Obtain current legal review before any commitment, this guide does not address it.

Where an engagement is viable, two routes exist. Registering a Syrian entity gives direct employment with enrolment for social insurance. An Employer of Record removes that setup and acts as legal employer.

A second verification applies throughout. The transition may have affected how social insurance is administered, and whether pre-2024 tax law still applies under the transitional government is an open question. Treat every figure here as a starting point to confirm, not a settled rate.

The employer contributes 14.1% of monthly payroll. That figure comes from the SSA programme description; the government contributes nothing except as an employer in its own right.

An employee share also applies, but it is not confirmed in the sources used for this guide. Verify it before making any deduction rather than adopting a figure from a secondary source.

The contribution does not cover wage replacement. The system is universal for medical benefits and employer liability for cash benefits in the private sector, so sickness and maternity pay come out of the employer’s own funds.

Break-even rule of thumb: EOR fees begin to exceed the running cost of a Syrian entity somewhere between 12 and 20 employees, though the transitional position usually dominates the decision. See EOR vs Entity.

Exclusion from the scheme does not remove employer liability, it converts it.

For employees not covered by the social security law, the employer must pay compensation of one month’s salary for every year of service, calculated on the last wage. So the choice is between funding a contribution and carrying an accruing end-of-service obligation.

Law 17/2010 does not cover everyone. Agricultural employment is regulated separately under Agricultural Relations Law 56/2004, and foreign domestic workers fall under their own regime. Establish which framework applies before drafting.

The published statutory figures in international sources are badly out of date, a legal monthly minimum wage of 9,765 pounds and a maximum funeral grant of 100 pounds both date from 2013 and bear no relation to current values, particularly after the 2025 salary decrees.

Maximum old-age and disability pensions are each 80% of the base figure.

Benchmarks are omitted. Presidential decrees raised public and private sector salaries by 200% in July 2025, and the pound has moved sharply since, so any converted figure dates within weeks.

Benchmarks are omitted here. Presidential decrees raised public and private sector salaries by 200% in July 2025 and the pound has moved sharply, so any converted figure dates within weeks. Model in local currency against a current rate.

Payroll runs monthly, with income tax withheld on salaries and wages.

Whether pre-2024 tax law still applies under the transitional government is an open question. Verify the current position with the tax authority before configuring payroll rather than carrying forward a published schedule.

Syria does not operate a value added tax. Instead, consumption taxes are imposed on some services at rates ranging from 1.5% to 40%, so the applicable rate depends entirely on what is being supplied.

There is no statutory requirement to pay a 13th month salary.

Income tax is withheld on salaries. Confirm whether the pre-2024 schedule still applies before configuring payroll.

The private sector is governed by Employment Law 17/2010, which replaced Law 91/1959. The earlier law dated from the United Arab Republic era and laid down extensive employee protections; employers responded by avoiding written contracts altogether, which drove informal employment up sharply.

Law 17/2010 was enacted to encourage domestic and foreign investment and is generally regarded as friendlier to employers than its predecessor. That history matters when interpreting older commentary, which often describes the 1959 position.

A written employment contract in Arabic is mandatory. The standard working week is 48 hours across 8-hour days.

Presidential decrees in July 2025 increased public and private sector salaries by 200%, which resets any historic pay benchmark.

The contract must be written and in Arabic. A translation for the employer’s own use is fine, but the Arabic text is the operative document.

Probation may not exceed three months.

Establish before drafting whether the role falls under Law 17/2010 at all, or under the agricultural or domestic worker regimes.

Record whether the employee is covered by social security, because that determines whether the end-of-service obligation applies.

The standard week is 48 hours over 8-hour days.

Because the contribution is a straight percentage of payroll, additional pay raises it proportionally.

Sick pay is employer-borne, so absence carries a direct cost that the contribution does not offset.

Syria observes national holidays alongside Islamic and Christian dates. The calendar may be revised under the transitional government, so confirm it before publishing a payroll year.

Syria observes national holidays alongside Islamic and Christian dates. The calendar may be revised under the transitional government, confirm before publishing a payroll year.

Medical benefits are universal; cash benefits are employer liability. That single distinction drives most of the employer’s exposure.

Old-age and disability pensions are capped at 80% of the base figure, and a disability may arise from a work injury.

A survivor pension is payable where the deceased received, or was entitled to receive, an old-age or disability pension.

For a commercial employer the practical point is narrow: budget wage replacement for sickness and maternity separately, and treat the published benefit figures in international sources as historic rather than current.

Fixed-term contracts carry an unusual termination cost. An employer may end one at any time, but must pay the salary for the whole remaining contract period. An employee, by contrast, may terminate with two months’ notice.

That asymmetry makes contract length a real commercial decision rather than an administrative one, a two-year term signed in month one is a two-year liability.

For employees not covered by social security, one month’s salary per year of service is payable on the last wage.

Final pay including accrued leave is due on separation.

A work permit is required for any foreign employee. There is no informal route.

Foreign domestic workers fall under a separate regime from Law 17/2010, so the permit path depends on the category of work.

The sanctions position has changed materially since the transition and requires current legal review. Nothing in this guide addresses it, and any summary would date quickly.

Relying on pre-transition rules is the central risk. Both the administration of social insurance and the applicability of pre-2024 tax law should be verified before payroll is configured.

Treating sick pay as insured is the second. Cash benefits are employer liability in the private sector.

Assuming exclusion from the scheme reduces cost is the third. Uncovered employees attract one month per year of service instead.

Note also that a contract not in Arabic is exposed; that ending a fixed-term contract means paying it out in full; and that published statutory figures from international sources are years out of date.

Obtain current sanctions advice, then verify the social insurance administration and the tax position with the relevant authorities.

Draft in Arabic, keep probation within three months, confirm whether Law 17/2010 applies to the role, record social security coverage status, and provision sick pay separately from the contribution.

Choose fixed-term lengths deliberately, early termination means paying the balance.