diff --git a/src/compiler/checker.ts b/src/compiler/checker.ts
index fa2a56e2fdfa6..8f420077f27ac 100644
--- a/src/compiler/checker.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/checker.ts
@@ -3869,7 +3869,13 @@ export function createTypeChecker(host: TypeCheckerHost): TypeChecker {
             return exportDefaultSymbol;
         }
         const hasDefaultOnly = isOnlyImportableAsDefault(specifier, moduleSymbol);
-        const hasSyntheticDefault = canHaveSyntheticDefault(file, moduleSymbol, dontResolveAlias, specifier);
+        let hasSyntheticDefault = canHaveSyntheticDefault(file, moduleSymbol, dontResolveAlias, specifier);
+        // For export specifiers re-exporting 'default' from declaration files, when allowSyntheticDefaultImports
+        // is enabled, allow synthetic default. Declaration files may correspond to CommonJS modules at runtime,
+        // where a default import is allowed to reference the whole module.exports symbol.
+        if (!hasSyntheticDefault && isExportSpecifier(node) && allowSyntheticDefaultImports && (!file || file.isDeclarationFile)) {
+            hasSyntheticDefault = true;
+        }
         if (!exportDefaultSymbol && !hasSyntheticDefault && !hasDefaultOnly) {
             if (hasExportAssignmentSymbol(moduleSymbol) && !allowSyntheticDefaultImports) {
                 const compilerOptionName = moduleKind >= ModuleKind.ES2015 ? "allowSyntheticDefaultImports" : "esModuleInterop";