Syria
Civil law
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Syria's private law is a civil-law code system: its Civil Code of 1949 was drafted by the Egyptian jurist Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri. Islamic law and the rules of recognised religious communities govern family matters. Its institutions have been in upheaval, so this profile describes only the long-standing structure.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Civil Code (1949) and other codes and statutes in the French and Egyptian style
- Islamic law and the personal-status rules of the recognised religious communities, for family matters
- Decisions of the Court of Cassation
- The constitution in force, which has changed; check current developments
The main courts
- The Court of Cassation at the top of the ordinary courts
- Courts of appeal and first-instance courts
- Personal-status courts and a State Council for administrative disputes
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and a period of training, then registration with the Syrian Bar Association.
What may surprise you
- The Civil Code of 1949 was written by the same jurist who drafted the codes of Egypt, Iraq and Libya.
- Personal-status law depends on a person's religious community.
- The country's legal and political institutions have changed profoundly in recent years, so check current developments.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Syria as: Civil law, Muslim. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Syria, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
