How much is the property registration fee in Lebanon?

Also asked as: “How much are the fees to buy a house in Lebanon?” · “Property registration fees for foreigners in Lebanon” · “Is the transfer fee 3% and 5%, or 5.8% and 6%?” · “What is the 2% advance on the transfer fee?”

3% or 5%: what decides the rate#

Article 92 of Law 10/2022, the 2022 Budget Law, sets the fee at 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers and 5% for non-Lebanese buyers^[1]. According to Kallas Law Firm, the only test is the buyer's nationality. The use of the property does not matter, and the older graduated scheme for homes under Article 28 of Law 144/2019 no longer applies^[3].

Lebanese law on foreign ownership defines a foreigner as anyone who does not hold Lebanese nationality^[4]. No source says the fee law uses a different test, and none says how a dual national or the foreign spouse of a Lebanese citizen is charged. Ask the notary before you sign, and read whether dual nationals buy as Lebanese or as foreigners.

A foreign buyer's request also carries a Land Registry statement fee. The consolidated Art. 81 of Law 10/2022, as amended by decree 56/2025, lists it at LBP 30,000,000^[2]. It is a registry fee for the statement on the acquisition request, and it is separate from the transfer fee. Confirm the current amount with the Land Registry office.

None of our sources says whether the buyer or the seller pays the transfer fee. Agree on it in writing in the promise of sale or the deed.

What value the fee is charged on#

For built property, the regional finance office estimates the value as the built rental value multiplied by 30. In Beirut, the built-property tax department makes this estimate. If the estimate is higher than the price written in the deed, the Land Registry must apply it unchanged^[2,3]. Kallas reads the rule the same way: the fee uses the estimated value unless the contract price is higher. More in the estimated value versus the price in the deed.

Our sources do not confirm the base for unbuilt land, and we found no published way to challenge an estimate. Ask the Land Registry office about both points. Fees are collected in Lebanese pounds^[2,7]. We did not find which exchange rate the registry uses when the declared price is in dollars and is higher than the estimate. See which currency and rate the fees use.

The 2% advance within 15 days#

Law 64/2017 introduced an advance on the transfer fee, and Ministry of Finance circular 4835 of 13/11/2017 applies it. When a contract for the sale of surveyed property is drawn up, 2% of the contract price plus the municipal fee is paid to the Treasury within 15 days. The balance is paid at registration. If the sale is not registered on the property's folio within one year, the advance is not refunded^[5,6].

We could not confirm whether the advance is still collected this way after Law 10/2022. Ask the notary or the Land Registry office when you sign. If you pay it, keep the receipt with your contract.

The other charges on a purchase#

Several other charges are added to the transfer fee, and some of the amounts differ between sources.

In a May 2026 worked example on a home with an estimated value of LBP 1,000,000,000, Kallas Law Firm puts the total charges at LBP 40,820,000 (Lebanese) or LBP 61,820,000 (non-Lebanese) on LBP 1bn^[3]. At Kallas's illustrative rate of LBP 90,000 per USD, that is about USD 453 and USD 687. The estimated value is often far below the market price, so your own fees follow your property's estimate, or the price if it is higher. Kallas's totals leave out broker commission, lawyer fees and the Land Registry extract.

A sale contract can also be drawn up before the assistant head of the Land Registry office instead of a notary, and on that route there are no notary charges^[5,9]. Both parties, or their attorneys, appear before the assistant head of the Land Registry office for the property's area. The full list of costs is in the total cost of buying property.