Syrian Arab Republic

Prime Ministry

Decision No. / 5055 /
Prime Minister

Based on the provisions of Decree No. 50 of 2006

And on the provisions of Legislative Decree No. 9 of 2007
And on the proposal of the Syrian Investment Agency Board in its meeting No. / 14 / held on 31/8/2008
And what were approved by the Supreme Council for Investment in his meeting No. / 3 / dated 10/11/2008.
 
We decide as follows:

Article 1 - For the purposes of applying the provisions of this regulation the following terms are defined below:
Decree: Decree of Investment Promotion No.8 of 2007.
Agency: The Syrian Investment Agency formed by Decree No. 9 of 2007.
Board: Governing Council of the Syrian Investment Agency.
General Director: General Director of the Syrian Investment Agency.
One Stop Shop (Investment Services Center): One of the agency's departments that represents the ministries and other bodies concerned in investment.
The competent authority: Ministry or the relevant government body.
Project: Any economic activity carried out by the investor in accordance with Syrian law and Investment legislation.
Investor: Every Syrian national or legal person whether Syrian, Arab or foreigner who wishes to invest in or carry out a project or contribute to it in accordance with the investment encouragement laws.
File Holder: The employee who is charged by the agency to complete specific tasks for investment projects at the competent authorities.
Regulation: The mechanism of the One Stop Shop (Investment Services Center) at the Syrian Investment Agency, in accordance with Article (10) of Legislative Decree No. 9 of 2007.
 
Article 2 –
A – One Stop Shop (Investment Services Center) consists of the following sectors:
1 - Agriculture and Irrigation sector.
2 – Industry sector.
3 - Transport sector.
4 - Telecommunications and Technology sector.
5 - Health Services sector.
6 - Electricity and Energy sector.
7 - Oil and Mineral Wealth sector.
8 - Tourism sector.
9 - Banking and Insurance sector.
10 - Housing and Real Estate sector.
11 - Education sector.
12 - Free Zones sector.
B - A decision by the Board may amend or add other sectors for the projects as it sees fit.
C - The rest of the competent authorities shall delegate a commissioned representative to provide investors with the necessary information, and to introduce investment legislation and provide all necessary application forms and services to the investment projects.
 
Article 3 –

A - Each sector consists of the following:
1 - Head of the sector.
2 - Assistant Head of Sector.
3 – A representative of the shareholders in the sector.
4 - File holder (one or more).
B - The head of the sector supervises the work and functions of that sector's file holders. 
 
Article 4 –

 The sector's tasks of are as follows:
- Suggest a mechanism of appropriate actions for the sector.
- Identify and secure the required documents and papers and all that is necessary for dealing with investors.
- Open a special register for requests received.
- Express an opinion on requests received from investors in the sector.
- Follow-up requests referred to him by the competent authorities and do everything necessary to help investors.
- Ensure investors receive the right information, and answer all their questions.
- Grant the approvals, leaves, certificates and records which the investor requires for his project.
- Follow up the implementation of the project in coordination with the competent body and the Agency.
- Publish the sector guide, which contains information, data and operational phases of investment projects.
- Complete the transaction within the scheduled time set out in coordination with the SIA.
- Provide quarterly statistical reports on the work of the sector to the Agency with a copy to the appropriate ministries.
- Coordinate and cooperate with the Agency's directorates and all other sectors and raise the necessary proposals for the development of the working mechanism and simplify procedures in the service of the investors.
 
Article 5 –
A – In the Investor Service Centers, the following services are provided:
- Customs Service: to grant due tax exemptions to investment projects in accordance with the provisions of investment laws.

accordance with the provisions of the investment laws.
- Financial Services: to collect the fees and to pay due allowances during the various phases of the project.
- Administration License follow-up Service: to follow-up administrative licensing procedures in coordination with the agency's branches and offices of investor services in the governorates.
- Labor Affairs Services: providing business cards and granting approval of entry for Non-Syrian workers.
- Domestic and Foreign Trade Services: granting of import and export licenses and the establishment of companies and granting business records.
- Immigration and Passport Services: granting of residence permits and visas to non-Syrians.
B – Any new service approved by the Board.
C - The competent body shall set up procedures to provide services in coordination with the Agency.
 
Article 6 -

 the competent authorities are committed to the following:
- Assigning their representatives to the sectors mentioned in the list of positive experiences and competences in the field of investment and provide them with the necessary authority to carry out their duties in the various operational phases of the investment project.
- The completion of the investment map, which includes investment opportunities and the priority projects for the national economy, also to locate the project, in addition to the promotion of its annual investment plan.
- Delegation of representatives in the sector to receive all requests from investors to establish investment projects, and to develop them or to expand them in accordance with the investment laws in force and the Agency.
- Providing representatives at the agency with data, information, brochures and application forms related to its work.
- Granting the emergency status in the follow-up and completion of the (file holder) business and in all letters sent to the concerned parties.
- Providing the Agency with necessary proposals for the work of their representatives at the Agency and assisting in providing solutions to all problems and difficulties encountered by the investors.
- Follow up the implementation of projects in coordination with the Board and their representatives in the sector.
 
Article 7 –

A follow-up office to shall be formed at the Agency and the General Director is to follow-up all investment projects and to submit proposals of the difficulties and obstacles of the implementation of investment projects to the Prime Minister.
 
Article 8 –

 A comprehensive statistical software program must be established for the investment projects, where all data and key information shall be recorded, particularly the following information:
- Number and date of the License resolution.
- The Reference (competent sector).
- The project purpose and the home address (in detail).
- The investor's name, address and telephone number.
- Legal form of the project.
- The investing costs of the project (in local and foreign currencies).
- The value of the assets.
- The proportion of foreign direct investment to the value of the project.
- All changes to the previous data or amendments in the future.
 
Article 9 -

The statistical software program shall record all the data and information on the project and any changes made, and the date it was issued.  Each project should be given a specific number in the program which cannot be given to another project.  No project may be given more than one number in the register of the Licensed Investment Projects.
 
Article 10 -

The Agency shall prepare tracking periodic reports of implementation of the investment.

Article 11-

The following data of the project must be confidential, and the sectors' and the Agency's members must maintain the confidentiality and never be used except in the application of the provisions of the Law and this Regulation, specifically:
- Information of the production technology and project activity.
- The budgets of the project.
- Special accounts and the production costs and the project activities.
- Project contracts.
- Any personal information about the investor and his partners.
- Any further information the investor requests not to be published.
 
Article 12 -

The procedures, rules and conditions contained in this Regulation are to be applied in the Agency, its branches in the governorates and within its terms of reference specified in the resolutions of the Board.
 
Article 13 –

The rules of this Regulation may be amended by a decision of the Board.
 
Article 14 -

 Any dispute over the interpretation of the provisions of this Regulation between the Agency and any of the competent authorities is to be resolved by the Board.
 
Article 15 -

 All kinds of fees and due allowances during the period of the establishment of investment projects are collected within the Agency and its subsidiaries in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the received amounts are to be sent to the accounts of the competent authorities.

Article 16 -

This decision shall be informed to he who must implement it.  
Damascus in the / / H 1429, corresponding to 12/11/2008.

Chairman of the Supreme Council for Investment
Prime Minister
Engineer Mohammad Naji al-Otari