For much of the past decade, doing business between the UAE and Syria has meant navigating a dense and shifting web of sanctions, licensing restrictions, and banking limitations. That picture is changing. As restrictions ease and Syria re-engages with regional and international markets, UAE-based investors and businesses are beginning to ask a practical question: what does re-entry actually look like, and what should be in place before capital moves?
Start with entity structure, not opportunity
The instinct is often to move quickly on a specific deal. The more durable approach is to first decide how you want to hold and operate in Syria at all, branch, subsidiary, joint venture, or contractual partnership, since each carries different licensing timelines, tax exposure, and repatriation mechanics.
Banking and payment channels remain the practical bottleneck
Legal permissibility and banking practicality are two different questions. Even where a transaction is legally sound, correspondent banking relationships and compliance appetite at UAE banks are still catching up to the pace of regulatory change. Structuring payment flows early avoids a signed deal with no way to fund it.
What we are advising clients to do now
- Confirm current sanctions status for the specific counterparties and sectors involved, this is still assessed deal-by-deal.
- Build compliance documentation (KYC, source of funds, UBO) in anticipation of heightened bank scrutiny.
- Choose a structure that keeps optionality if the regulatory environment continues to shift.
- Work with counsel who can advise on both sides of the transaction, UAE and Syrian law, rather than coordinating two separate firms.
Jabbour Law Firm advises clients on both sides of this market, with offices in Dubai and Damascus and direct experience structuring cross-border transactions through periods of regulatory change. If you are evaluating an opportunity in Syria, we are glad to talk through what a compliant structure could look like.