The Syrian Ministry of Transport has denied reports circulating on social media that vehicles with expired registration licenses would be impounded, stressing that no official decision has been issued to impose such a measure on vehicle owners.
In a statement published on its Facebook page on Sunday evening, November 8, the ministry said the information circulating on the matter was “false.”
The ministry urged citizens to verify information before sharing it and to rely on its official platforms for announcements concerning its decisions and procedures.
The denial followed the spread of rumors suggesting that the relevant authorities were planning to impound vehicles whose registration licenses had expired. The reports raised concerns among vehicle owners that their cars could be impounded if they failed to renew their official documents within a specified period.
Social media users circulated warnings against continuing to drive vehicles with expired registrations, linking the expiration of registration licenses to immediate impoundment measures. This prompted some vehicle owners to visit transport directorates to inquire about their vehicles’ status and begin renewing their registrations to avoid potential penalties.
However, the Ministry of Transport confirmed that the information was not based on any official decision it had issued and that it had not announced any measure requiring vehicles to be impounded solely because their registrations had expired. The ministry emphasized that citizens should not rely on circulating social media posts or information from unidentified sources when seeking information about legal and administrative procedures.
Last May, the ministry launched the “Daqiq” electronic platform to organize vehicle transactions and facilitate public access to services provided by transport directorates. The platform allows citizens to book appointments online in advance rather than visiting directorates directly and waiting for hours to complete their transactions.
The platform enables users to schedule appointments for vehicle-related procedures, including registration, renewal and ownership transfers. It also allows them to review the documents required for each transaction before visiting the directorate. Appointments can be booked through the platform’s website or by scanning a QR code available at transport centers.
Procedures for Resolving Duplicate Vehicle Registrations
On October 28, the Ministry of Transport announced legal and technical procedures to regularize the status of vehicles placed under administrative holds because of duplicate registration records in the centralized vehicle transaction system. The measures aim to verify ownership, consolidate information, and eliminate duplicate records.
The procedures involve two main options: transferring ownership of the affected vehicle or relinquishing one of its two registration records. Each option is subject to specific conditions and documentation requirements intended to protect citizens’ rights and correct vehicle registration records.
Imad al-Din al-Qash, director of the ministry’s Road Transport Directorate, explained that vehicles subject to administrative holds are those with two registration records or license plates issued by different transport directorates, such as Idlib and Azaz, Idlib and Damascus, or Damascus and Raqqa.
He said the vehicles had been placed under administrative holds to verify their records and regularize their status in accordance with approved legal and technical procedures, particularly after transport directorate records were merged into a centralized database following the country’s liberation.
In remarks to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) at the time, al-Qash said the ministry had issued a series of circulars regulating how such cases should be handled.
The procedures begin with comparing the vehicle’s physical condition against its paper and electronic records, verifying the chassis number, vehicle specifications, the legality of its license plates and registration documents, and reviewing the chain of ownership in both registration records. They also require obtaining traffic clearance certificates and ensuring there are no legal restrictions or outstanding requests preventing completion of the transaction.
Al-Qash explained that settlement procedures vary according to each vehicle’s legal status and the available documents. This includes whether the same person is listed as the owner in both records, whether the ownership transfer history is consistent between them, or whether the case requires the presence of the parties concerned or a final court ruling establishing ownership.
Two Procedures for Regularizing Vehicle Registrations
Al-Qash said the status of vehicles placed under administrative holds can be resolved through two main procedures:
- Transferring ownership of a vehicle subject to an administrative hold.
- Relinquishing one of the two registration records.
Both procedures must be completed in accordance with the conditions and documentation requirements applicable to each case.
He explained that the ownership transfer procedure requires the relevant owners to appear in person with identification documents, submit traffic clearance certificates for both registration records and undergo a technical vehicle inspection to verify that the vehicle matches its registered details. An appointment must also be booked through the designated platform to complete the process and formally lift the administrative hold.
The relinquishment procedure, meanwhile, allows a vehicle’s status to be regularized with only one of the owners present, provided that the person relinquishing the registration matches the owner listed in the record to be canceled.
This procedure requires a formal written declaration of relinquishment before the head of the Legal Department, including the individual’s identification details, signature and fingerprint, along with a copy of the identification document.
The declaration must then be registered with the records office of the relevant transport directorate and archived under both vehicle registration identifiers. The remaining requirements, including traffic clearance and appointment booking, must also be completed in accordance with the approved procedures.
Al-Qash stressed that the head of the Legal Department is personally responsible for verifying that the details of the person relinquishing the registration match those of the owner recorded in the centralized system before allowing the vehicle’s transactions to proceed under the remaining registration record, while ensuring compliance with the legal and technical conditions set out in the ministry’s circulars.