Syria: Legal limbo leaves millions without proof of identity or property rights

An assessment of 1,200 Syrian households across nine governorates has found that the majority of conflict-affected Syrians surveyed are living without the basic legal documentation needed to access services, secure housing, or assert their rights. Women and displaced populations among the worst affected.

The report reveals that 62 per cent of Syria families surveyed have incomplete legal identity documents for at least one member, potentially leaving millions without basic proof of identity. The number of families with missing documents rises further among those who have returned since the 2024 transition. Prolonged displacement, destruction of the civil registry, and repeated administrative disruptions are among the chief reasons for this gap.

"The chronic lack of civil documentation among millions of Syrians create a ripple effect in every aspect of their lives. During a recent visit to northern Aleppo, I met with countless families who had no record of their own existence, because neither their parents nor grandparents ever had documentation,” said Federico Jachetti, NRC’s Syria country director.

"Without proof of identity or ownership, people cannot prove who they or their children are, or what they own, making it harder to access medical care or school. This is not just about bureaucratic challenges, but also about being able to access basic rights."

When it comes to housing, 61 per cent of families owning or renting property said they lack any formal documentation of their housing rights, leaving tenure deeply precarious and triggering disputes that could end up in eviction. Among women, that figure rises to 70 per cent, placing them in prolonged legal limbo.

Access to legal assistance remains limited and uneven, mainly due to high costs and procedural complexity.

The report recommends simpler civil documentation procedures with standardised requirements to helping people obtain much-needed documents, as well as more affordable legal fees associated with obtaining documentation.

NRC calls on international donors to scale up critical funding for access to justice in Syria to help address civil documentation and ownership disputes through aid programmes, particularly for women, displaced populations, people with disabilities, and families of missing persons.

Notes to Editors

• The Information, Counselling, and Legal Assistance (ICLA) programme Legal Needs Assessment is available for download here.
• The Legal Needs Assessment was across Aleppo, Idleb, Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa, Daraa, Damascus, Rural Damascus, Hama, and Homs, reflecting diverse displacement, return, and host community contexts across the country.
• The assessment, completed in December 2025, combined 1,200 household surveys across nine governorates, with 28 focus group discussions, 36 key informant interviews, and on-site institutional observations
• NRC has worked across Syria since 2013 delivering a combination of ICLA, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), shelter, protection from violence and livelihoods and food security assistance.
• In 2025, NRC reached over 31,000 people through access to justice programming, of whom 60 per cent were women.

Main findings of the assessment:

• 62 per cent of households have at least one member lacking civil documentation. 38 per cent are fully documented.
• 80 per cent of those who have returned since December 2024 have documentation gaps.
• 61 per cent of households lack formal housing documentation, despite 70 per cent reporting they own or rent a home.
• 21 per cent of households face eviction risk. 69 per cent of those at risk received no eviction notice at all.
• 87 per cent of women with a missing husband cannot access the missing person's property or legal rights, with inheritance legally frozen without a death certificate.
• 24 per cent of women seeking a legal declaration of death or absence have succeeded. 66 per cent remain pending.
• 70 per cent of women lack formal property documentation, compared to just over 50 per cent of men.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

• NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329