Enab Baladi – Marina Merhej
The Director of the Transport Directorate in Damascus, Mamoun Abdel Nabi, stated to Enab Baladi that work on the vehicle plate replacement project in Syria is still ongoing, with the aim of unifying the plates across all provinces under one model.
Various models of vehicle plates are spread across different regions of Syria, some carrying the old six-digit model along with the province name, and others issued by the transport ministry of the previous regime, which replaced the province name with seven digits, two of which indicate the province and carry the old Syrian flag. Currently, the plates are being replaced with the same model but relying on the new flag.
In September 2024, the transport ministry of the previous regime issued a new model for vehicle plates in Syria, which began to be implemented in the governorates of Damascus and its countryside in October 2024.
Enab Baladi monitored the procedures for renewing vehicle registration at the transport directorates in Damascus and spoke with several officials and reviewers within the directorate.
Priority for replacement and facilitation
Director Mamoun Abdel Nabi called on drivers and owners who need to register their vehicles in the first four months of this year to visit the transport directorates to obtain new licenses and plates.
All transport directorates in Syria are connected through a central network, which makes it easier for citizens to renew their papers in any province they are in. Efforts are currently underway to integrate the Idlib network and northern regions with the central network, as the mechanisms and software used in the directorates in these areas differ from those in other provinces. The integration process and software adjustments are expected to be completed soon, according to Abdel Nabi.
Samir Jaghsi, the Director of the Tourism Vehicles Hall in the Damascus Transport Directorate, stated that priority for plate replacement is given to those whose vehicle plates are lost or damaged, or to individuals who have lost their vehicle registration or mechanic license, followed by owners of vehicles due for license renewal. The replacement of the vehicle plate according to the new model is one of the procedures for renewing the license.
Regarding fees, they have been “significantly” reduced. The registration of a vehicle that previously required about 500,000 Syrian pounds now costs around 50,000 for renewal. Additionally, the fees for obtaining the plate have decreased by about 50%, positively impacting citizens by easing their financial burdens, as explained by Jaghsi to Enab Baladi.
Two stages for renewal and plates
Vehicle licensing and issuance of new plates occur in two stages: the first involves checking the vehicle’s safety level, and the second pertains to administrative procedures and fee payment.
The Damascus Transport Directorate consists of five halls divided by vehicle types, in addition to a special hall for women to alleviate congestion and expedite transactions.
Security and technical inspection
Vehicles in the transport directorates are subjected to two types of inspections to ensure their safety from both a security and technical perspective before the vehicle owner can proceed with their transactions to obtain the new license and plate.
In the vehicle’s security inspection, the type of vehicle, the chassis number (a unique identifier for each vehicle), and the engine number are checked. Some vehicles are accompanied by “customs” numbers if they entered through customs and had some issues. These can be found on the vehicle’s underside or depending on where the modification occurred.
These numbers are also added to vehicles by the transport directorates if there are cuts or technical modifications to ensure the vehicle’s safety, according to Yasser Abdullah Abdul Wahab, head of the technical inspection department at the Damascus Transport Directorate.
Some vehicles may not pass this phase, either because they are stolen, or the owner has tampered with their vehicle’s numbers to match the numbers of another vehicle they owned that was damaged, in order to avoid paying fees on a new vehicle, especially given that these were very high during the previous regime, as Abdul Wahab stated. The relevant security authority within the directorate will be notified to take appropriate action based on each situation.
Phase of security inspection of vehicles at the Damascus Transport Directorate – April 16, 2025 (Enab Baladi)
Regarding the second phase of vehicle inspection (the technical inspection), Somer Hatem, the director of the Zablatani Center for Doroob Company, contracted with the Damascus Transport Directorate, mentioned that it starts with checking the exhaust gases from the vehicle’s engine using a specific device to obtain the ratios and compare them to international environmentally-friendly standards. This is followed by a visual inspection of the vehicle and checking its alignment, while the final stage involves a complete inspection of the vehicle’s underside, including the condition of the oils and fuel system.
Hatem confirmed that the inspection is carried out automatically using specific devices, adhering to standards set by the transportation ministry, without human intervention to prevent any manipulation by staff within the center. If a vehicle fails to pass any stage of inspection, the failure will be accurately identified, and the vehicle owner will be asked to make the necessary repairs and return for re-testing.
Positive reactions
Reviewers met by Enab Baladi during its tour of the halls at the Damascus Transport Directorate expressed their satisfaction with the speed of vehicle license renewal transactions and obtaining new plates, which they estimated to take less than an hour.
Reviewer Abdul Rahman al-Hamrawi noted that all procedures now take place within the directorate, which was not the case previously. Reviewers used to be forced to go to the traffic department in the Bab Musalla area to obtain a “clearance” document. However, now there are representatives from the traffic intelligence branch within the directorate to provide this document.
The cancellation of the mandatory vehicle insurance requirement has also expedited the process and reduced costs, in addition to the fees that have significantly decreased compared to previous rates, as noted by reviewer Mohammed al-Taieh.
The transport ministry of the interim government in Damascus had canceled the mandatory status of “compulsory insurance” for vehicles, making it optional based on the vehicle owner’s preference.
Regarding the allocation of a hall for women, reviewer Fatoum Boutia stated that it is an important measure, especially since the number of male vehicle owners in Syria exceeds the number of females, which previously forced her to wait behind at least ten men before she could get her turn to renew her papers.
Damascus Transport Directorate clarifies new procedures for replacing vehicle plates Enab Baladi.
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