Syria

Identity Verification & KYC For Syria

Q: What are the KYC requirements for Syria under Legislative Decree 33?

Legislative Decree No. 33 of 2005 requires financial institutions to collect customer identity data, verify beneficial owners above 25 per cent ownership, and file suspicious transaction reports with the CCMLFT. Shufti automates these obligations through document verification, business registry lookups and AML screening.

Q: Is Syria on the FATF grey list, and what does this mean for compliance?

Syria has been on the FATF grey list since February 2010 due to AML/CFT deficiencies. Grey list status requires enhanced due diligence, frequent compliance audits and elevated customer screening thresholds. Shufti's EDD and transaction monitoring tools support grey list compliance burdens.

Q: What documents are accepted for identity verification in Syria?

Shufti accepts the national ID card (hawillya), biometric passport, driving licence, family booklet, birth certificate, marriage certificate and UNHCR registration documents for displaced persons. New Hawillya edition planned for 2026 with enhanced biometric features.

Q: How does OFAC General License 25 affect Syria compliance?

OFAC General License 25, effective July 2025, authorises limited Syrian transactions for humanitarian, civil aviation and trade purposes. Compliance teams must verify transaction eligibility against GL 25 criteria and exclude SDN-designated entities. Shufti screens counterparties against OFAC lists in real-time.

Q: When is Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) required for Syria transactions?

EDD applies to all customer relationships involving Syria due to grey list status; transactions with sanctioned entities, PEPs, or Adverse Media matches; beneficial ownership structures above 25 per cent undisclosed. Shufti flags EDD triggers automatically at onboarding and transaction stages.

Q: What are Syria's AML regulations and who enforces them?

Legislative Decree No. 33 of 2005 establishes Syria's primary AML framework. The CCMLFT within the Central Bank of Syria functions as the Financial Intelligence Unit and receives suspicious transaction reports. Shufti's screening and reporting tools support CCMLFT filing obligations.

Q: What are the document fraud and forgery risks in Syrian identity verification?

Syria has a significant underground market for forged national IDs and passports costing USD 200-400, replicating security features including holograms and biometric elements. Shufti detects forgery through document forensics, liveness verification and anomaly scoring on extracted fields.

Shufti delivers KYC, KYB and AML Screening Syria solutions for identity verification Syria Online. Aligned to Legislative Decree 33, CCMLFT and Syria OFAC General License 25.

Operational performance for Syria KYC

Our Numbers Speak Volumes

98.84%

Pass Rates

<5 sec

Verification Time

100%

Omni-format Document Recognition

Evidence-Ready Checks Across People & Businesses

Individual Documents We Verify

Shufti supports 11 Syrian document types. View All Supported Documents

View All Supported Documents

National ID Card (Hawillya)

Primary Syrian identity document; biometric security features; new edition planned for 2026; front and back presentation required; accepted for KYC workflows.

Passport (Jawwaz al-Safar)

Biometric passport redesigned July 2025 with MRZ encoding; English transliteration for name fields; internationally recognised identity document for KYC.

Driving Licence (Rukhsat al-Qiada)

Government-issued identifier with name, date of birth and address fields; accepted as an alternative document for identity verification in compliance contexts.

Family Booklet (Deftar Ayli)

Secondary identification document; suspended December 2024 and being reformed; contains biographical data and family relationships for household onboarding.

Birth Certificate

Civil registry document issued by municipality; establishes date of birth and parental identity; supporting document for identity verification, KYC processes.

Marriage Certificate

Civil registry document establishing spousal relationship and current name status; secondary evidence for residential and family structure verification.

UNHCR Registration Document

Travel document for displaced persons and refugees; biometric security; accepted by UNHCR-partnered financial institutions for vulnerable population KYC.

Business Entity Identity

Commercial Registration Certificate

Issued by the Ministry of Economy and Industry; establishes legal entity status and official business identity for KYB verification.

Articles of Association

Details ownership structure, directors and governance; legal foundation document for beneficial owner identification and control verification.

Business Tax Identity

Tax Identification Number

Assigned by Syria's tax authority, confirms business is registered for tax compliance and active filing obligations.

Tax Registration Certificate

Confirms active tax filing status and legitimate business operations; required for KYB and business due diligence workflows.

Ownership & Control (UBO)

Beneficial Ownership Declaration

List the ultimate beneficial owners above the 25 per cent threshold; legal declaration of control and ownership for compliance documentation.

Ownership Structure Documentation

Establishes control chains and ownership percentages; supports beneficial owner verification and UBO identification requirements.

Languages We Cover

Arabic Script Handling

Shufti processes Arabic text in document fields; supports right-to-left text alignment and recognises script variations common in Syrian identity documents.

Name Matching Controls

Transliteration matching from Arabic to Latin; variant name recognition for common prefixes (Abu, Al-, Um); detects name changes through marriage decree.

Evidence Consistency

Cross-field validation ensuring name, date of birth and address align across documents; detects contradictions between biography sections in audit trails.

GOVERNANCE & CONTROLS

Audit-Ready Decisions, Lower Operational Drag

Fewer avoidable re-submissions

Templates adapted for Hawillya and passport formats; guides past defects such as glare on holographic security; reduces drop-off and re-verification costs.

Cleaner audit trails

Shufti records decision rationale, image quality, field extraction confidence and rule triggers; supports CCMLFT reporting and FATF grey list compliance.

Better name matching outcomes

Arabic-to-Latin transliteration; variant name recognition for prefixes (Abu, Al-, Um); handles spousal name changes in documents; reduces false rejections.

One workflow, one back office

KYC, KYB and AML in a unified view; single interface for individuals, businesses and beneficial owners; reduces training burden and decision fragmentation.

National ID-first flow design

Onboarding defaults to Hawillya, then Passport; supports legacy non-MRZ IDs from pre-2025 editions; detects document type; faster for standard formats.

Enterprise-grade compliance infrastructure

Syria IDV/KYC Challenges

Document Forgery Risks

Widespread underground market for forged Syrian IDs and passports; counterfeits cost USD 200-400; detection requires document forensics and liveness checks.

Displaced Person Verification

An estimated 70 per cent of Syrian refugees lack national IDs; UNHCR documents are the primary fallback; family booklet suspension creates documentation gaps.

FATF Grey List Compliance

Syria has been on the FATF grey list since February 2010; AML/CFT deficiencies require enhanced due diligence for all customers; elevated screening thresholds apply.

Sanctions Monitoring Burden

OFAC, EU and UN designation shifts require continuous screening; Syria OFAC General License 25 covers limited transactions; list updates occur weekly.

Shufti’s IDV/KYC Solutions for Syria

KYC Solutions

Face Verification

Liveness-verified selfie capture and biometric matching against Hawillya and passport MRZ; detects spoofing and document presentation fraud for onboarding.

Age Verification

Selfie-based facial age estimation cross-referenced with date of birth from national ID or passport; document verification fallback for age-gated compliance.

Address Verification

Shufti can verify any address-bearing document; it accepts bills from Syrian Telecom (STE), Syriatel, MTN Syria, Bank of Syria and Overseas statements are accepted.

Document Verification

Extracts and validates Hawillya, passport, driving licence and family booklet for KYC Syria compliance; supports Arabic script OCR and legacy ID detection.

KYB Solutions

Business Verification

Verifies Syrian commercial entities via Ministry of Economy and Industry registration; extracts directors and beneficial owners; validates Tax Identification.

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)

EDD Syria screening for high-risk customers on the FATF grey list; screens PEP databases for government-affiliated and politically exposed individuals.

AML Screening

Business AML Screening

Screens businesses and beneficial owners against OFAC SDN, EU consolidated lists, UN designations and PEP registers; detects matches at sanctions list updates.

Transaction Screening

Ongoing transaction monitoring for Syria high-risk jurisdiction; screens counterparties and beneficiaries for each payment flow with live match result updates.

REGULATORY ALIGNMENT

Built to Fit Syria's Compliance Landscape

Central Bank of Syria (CBS)

The Central Bank of Syria supervises banking, monetary policy and foreign exchange. Shufti delivers customer identification and audit-ready KYC documentation.

Syrian Commission on Financial Markets and Securities (SCFMS)

SCFMS regulates Syria's securities markets and stock exchange operations. Shufti enables investor KYC verification and beneficial ownership identification.

Commission for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (CCMLFT)

CCMLFT is Syria's Financial Intelligence Unit under Legislative Decree 33/2005. Shufti's AML screening and monitoring support CCMLFT STR filing obligations.

Ministry of Economy and Industry

The Ministry manages commercial registration, licensing and trade policy. Shufti retrieves and validates commercial certificates and Tax Identification Numbers.

Syrian Insurance Supervisory Commission (SISC)

SISC regulates insurance market operations, product compliance and risk management. Shufti enables policyholder identification and beneficial owner checks.

Deployment Choice

No AWS, Azure or GCP regions operate in Syria; on-premise deployment is required for regulated entities to meet Syrian enterprise data sovereignty obligations.

Regulatory Alignment

Aligned to Electronic Personal Data Protection Law No. 12 of 2024 and recordkeeping obligations under Syria's transitional financial regulatory authority.

Retention Controls

Configurable retention and purge settings aligned to Legislative Decree No. 33's five-year minimum recordkeeping obligation; automated deletion on schedule.

Encryption Posture

Strong encryption is applied to personal and financial data in transit and at rest; key management follows enterprise custody protocols and industry standards.

Data Controls & Privacy for Syria

BUILT FOR COMPLIANCE TEAMS

Syria AML Sources That Strengthen Decision

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

The Syrian Observer

SANA

Al-Watan

Syria Times

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the KYC requirements for Syria under Legislative Decree 33?

Legislative Decree No. 33 of 2005 requires financial institutions to collect customer identity data, verify beneficial owners above 25 per cent ownership, and file suspicious transaction reports with the CCMLFT. Shufti automates these obligations through document verification, business registry lookups and AML screening.

Is Syria on the FATF grey list, and what does this mean for compliance?

Syria has been on the FATF grey list since February 2010 due to AML/CFT deficiencies. Grey list status requires enhanced due diligence, frequent compliance audits and elevated customer screening thresholds. Shufti's EDD and transaction monitoring tools support grey list compliance burdens.

What documents are accepted for identity verification in Syria?

Shufti accepts the national ID card (hawillya), biometric passport, driving licence, family booklet, birth certificate, marriage certificate and UNHCR registration documents for displaced persons. New Hawillya edition planned for 2026 with enhanced biometric features.

How does OFAC General License 25 affect Syria compliance?

OFAC General License 25, effective July 2025, authorises limited Syrian transactions for humanitarian, civil aviation and trade purposes. Compliance teams must verify transaction eligibility against GL 25 criteria and exclude SDN-designated entities. Shufti screens counterparties against OFAC lists in real-time.

When is Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) required for Syria transactions?

EDD applies to all customer relationships involving Syria due to grey list status; transactions with sanctioned entities, PEPs, or Adverse Media matches; beneficial ownership structures above 25 per cent undisclosed. Shufti flags EDD triggers automatically at onboarding and transaction stages.

What are Syria's AML regulations and who enforces them?

Legislative Decree No. 33 of 2005 establishes Syria's primary AML framework. The CCMLFT within the Central Bank of Syria functions as the Financial Intelligence Unit and receives suspicious transaction reports. Shufti's screening and reporting tools support CCMLFT filing obligations.

What are the document fraud and forgery risks in Syrian identity verification?

Syria has a significant underground market for forged national IDs and passports costing USD 200-400, replicating security features including holograms and biometric elements. Shufti detects forgery through document forensics, liveness verification and anomaly scoring on extracted fields.

Build a Syria-ready KYC, KYB & AML programme with Shufti

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Certified to Global Standards

PROVEN WORKFLOWS

Use Cases for Regulated Growth in Syria

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

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