What are the 3% and 10% limits on foreign ownership in Lebanon?

Key facts#

The law

Legislative Decree 11614 of 1969, as amended by Law 296/2001^[1,3]

Country-wide cap

3% of Lebanon's total surface^[1,2,3]

District and Beirut caps

3% of each district and 10% of Beirut^[1,2,3] (IDAL's FAQ says each province instead of each district^[1,2,4,5,6])

Measured on

The total surface of the country, the district or the city^[1,2,3]

When a cap is reached

No more licences for purchases from Lebanese sellers^[1,2,3]

Your own limit, separate from the caps

3,000 m²^[1,2,3] without a licence

Above your own limit

a Council of Ministers decree^[1,2,3]

Official figures on how full each cap is

None published that we could find

How to check where you stand before you buy#

1. 1
   Get a recent Land Registry extract for the plot. It shows the owner, mortgages and any restrictions^[10,11]. Have the plot number and its real estate district ready, plus the section number if it is a flat; finding a property's number and zone explains where those come from. Then ask the notary which caza that real estate district belongs to. The extract itself is covered in how to check a title deed.
2. 2
   Add up what your family already owns in Lebanon and gather the file. For the 3,000 m²^[1,2,3] limit, you, your spouse and your minor children count as one buyer^[1,3]. The Foreign Ownership Department asks for a family civil extract issued less than a year ago and authenticated by the relevant embassy in Lebanon, your spouse's passport, official certificates of the areas you already own in Lebanon, an affidavit for each property you are buying, and a power of attorney if someone else applies for you^[9]. Its page does not say whether this file is for the licence-free route, the decree route or both, and it gives no processing time, so confirm both with the Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre.
3. 3
   Ask the Foreign Ownership Department about the cap. Ask whether the cap for that district, or for Beirut, affects your purchase, and whether it applies to your route, with or without a licence. No published rule answers this, so get the answer from the department or from a Lebanese property lawyer, ideally in writing.
4. 4
   Apply for the decree if you go above 3,000 m². You need a Council of Ministers decree^[1,2,3], proposed by the Minister of Finance. The licence lapses if the sale is not registered within one year. The steps are in getting the Council of Ministers decree.
5. 5
   Sign at the notary and register. You sign a pledge before a notary that you own only the areas you declare in Lebanon, and a false statement is referred to the Public Prosecution^[9]. Ownership passes only when the sale is registered at the Land Registry^[11]. The registration fee is 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[12].

It depends on#

• Whether you need a licence. The sources tie the caps to licences, which stop once a cap is reached^[1,2,3]. None of the sources we read says whether a full cap also affects purchases under 3,000 m². Ask the Land Registry's Foreign Ownership Department.
• Who the seller is. As published, the rule stops licences for purchases from Lebanese sellers^[1,2,3]. The sources we read do not say how a sale from one foreigner to another is treated. Ask a Lebanese property lawyer.
• District or province. Most sources say the 3% applies per caza, while IDAL's FAQ says per province^[1,2,4,5,6]. A lawyer reading the decree text can settle it.
• Buying through a company. Sources disagree on when a Lebanese company counts as foreign. IDAL says when most of its capital is foreign-held. Mattar Law says unless all shares are Lebanese-held and its articles forbid transfer to foreigners. Choueh says one foreign-owned share is enough^[1,4,6]. See buying through a Lebanese company or friend and ask a company lawyer first.
• Dual nationality. The law treats as foreign anyone who does not hold Lebanese nationality^[1]. No source we found addresses dual nationals, so have the notary confirm how you are treated.

Common questions#