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2,400 shares: how many square metres or dunums is that?

8 min read19 sourcesReviewed by Tatyana Alwan, lawyer, 18 Oct 2026
On this page
  1. Key facts
  2. What 2,400 shares means
  3. Turning shares into square metres or dunums
  4. Why your share is not a piece of land
  5. When the extract shows no area
  6. How to work out what your shares come to
  7. It depends on
  8. Common questions
  9. Sources

Short answer

None by itself. Shares measure how much of a property you own, and 2,400 shares[1,2,3] is the whole of it. The area in square metres is a separate entry on the Land Registry extract[2,4]. Your shares ÷ 2,400 × that area gives your proportional size, by simple arithmetic, though it is no specific piece of ground[3,5,6]. For dunums, 1 dunum = 1,600 m²[1].

Also asked as: “How many square metres is 2,400 shares in Lebanon?” · “What does 1,200 shares mean on a Lebanese title deed?” · “How do I convert shares to dunums?” · “How much land do I own with 600 shares?”

Holding shares in a plot does not give you any particular corner of it. Until the plot is partitioned and that part gets its own folio, no right can be registered on a specific section[3,5,6]. Be wary of any seller who walks you to a spot on the ground and sells you "shares". This page covers what was published up to 17 October 2026.

Key facts

The whole property
2,400 shares[1,2,3]
An apartment in a divided building
2,400 parts per unit[7]
What a share is
An undivided fraction of the whole, with no marked-out piece attached[3,5,6]
Where the area is written
A separate entry on the Land Registry extract, next to the owners and their shares[2,4]
Dunum
1 dunum = 1,600 m²[1]
Official area units
Hectare, are and centiare[1]
Plot not finally surveyed
The extract may show no area at all[2,4]

What 2,400 shares means

Lebanon writes ownership of a property as a fraction with 2,400 as the denominator. Heirs' and co-owners' shares are written this way, so 2,400 shares is the whole property[1,2,3]. If you hold 1,200 shares you own half, 600 shares is a quarter and 800 shares is a third, whatever the size of the plot.

Apartments use the same denominator. In a building divided into units, the ownership of each unit is itself made up of 2,400 parts per unit[7]. So an apartment owner with 2,400 shares owns the whole flat, and the building as a whole is a different matter. Your share in the building's common parts is counted separately, out of 1,000, and it sets your votes in the owners' association[8].

Turning shares into square metres or dunums

The extract describes the plot, gives its total and cadastral area, and then lists each owner and the shares they hold[2,4]. No source we found converts shares into square metres. The sum here is our own arithmetic, and no law sets it out: your shares ÷ 2,400 × the registered area. With 600 shares in a plot registered at 4,000 m², that comes to 1,000 m² as a proportion of the whole.

For dunums, divide square metres by 1,600, because 1 dunum = 1,600 m²[1] under Decree 186/1926. In the example, 1,000 m² is 0.625 dunum. We did not check the dunum used in other countries, so do not apply a figure from elsewhere. Older papers or village talk may use other local units, and we found no official conversion for them. Ask a sworn surveyor or the Land Registry office to state the area in square metres (see translating a Lebanese title deed into English).

Why your share is not a piece of land

Shares are undivided. A co-owner cannot exercise rights over a specific part of the plot without the other co-owners' consent[3,5,6]. According to Kallas Law Firm, you may sell or mortgage your own share but you cannot pledge it[6]. To turn a share into your own marked-out piece, the plot has to be partitioned, and any co-owner may demand that[9]. See how co-ownership is ended.

If you buy shares from one co-owner as an outsider, the other co-owners have a right of pre-emption[10]. It works after the sale is registered: a co-owner who claims it takes your place on the same terms. Per Kallas, they must claim within 10 days of being notified of the registered sale, plus a distance delay for anyone far away, or within one year of registration if no notice was given. Only filing a court action stops the clock, and letters between the parties do not. Notice goes through a notary for people living in Lebanon, and under Article 362 of the Code of Civil Procedure for people living abroad.

When the extract shows no area

Legalmondo, a law-firm network, notes that the area is not shown if the plot has not been finally surveyed[2,4]. Estimates of how much of Lebanon is fully surveyed differ. LIBC (2021) says 50% is delineated and surveyed, UN-Habitat/GLTN (2024) says 65%, and The Monthly Magazine (2015) says about 54% has final cadastral surveys[3,11,12].

The Monthly Magazine also reported in 2015 that land never surveyed, including most of Baabda, Matn, Chouf, Aley and Keserwan, was recorded only in booklets kept by mukhtars, with estimated plot areas[12]. Annahar reported on 30 March 2026 that Finance Ministry Circular 609/2026 limits the mukhtar's role for such land to identification[13]. The circular was contested at that date, and we have not checked whether it was later amended or suspended[13,14], so ask a lawyer about its current status. More on Circular 609/2026. Estimated areas are not measurements, so read surveyed versus unsurveyed land before you rely on one.

How to work out what your shares come to

  1. Collect the plot's identifiers. Take them from the deed, an old extract or family papers. The registry asks for the governorate (muhafaza), district (caza), real estate zone, property number, and the section and block where they apply[2,15]. Here is how to find the property number and zone.
  2. Ask for an official extract (ifadeh aqariyeh) at the right office. Official certificates are requested in person at the land registry office for the area where the property lies[2,16]. According to Legalmondo, certificates are public and anyone may request one without showing a legal interest, so a lawyer or a person you trust can go for you. Legalmondo also says no certificate is issued while a lien or a registration on the plot is still in process, which may explain a refusal[2].
  3. Plan for the cost and the wait. Legalmondo put the fee at USD 5[2] in June 2025; we could not check the official fee table, and the fee may be collected in LBP. Kallas Law Firm gave about 2 business days for a physical certificate in October 2025, and times vary with the office's opening days[4]. In April 2025 several Mount Lebanon offices worked only on set days[17], so call the office before anyone travels. More in how to get a Land Registry extract.
  4. Use an online or OMT copy only as a first look. Legalmondo said in June 2025 that an unofficial information form costs USD 4[2] on the Land Registry's website; we could not reach the site to check that the service still runs. OMT outlets give an unofficial copy of the title register, and OMT does not publish a fee, so ask at the outlet[15,18]. An official certificate from the registry is needed for any transaction or court use[2,4,15,18].
  5. Read three parts of the extract. These are the area, the list of owners with their shares, and the charges: mortgages, seizures and pending court actions[2,4]. Add up the shares listed. If they do not total 2,400, ask the registry office or a lawyer why before you go further.
  6. Do the sum yourself. Divide your shares by 2,400 and multiply by the registered area. Divide the result by 1,600 for dunums. Keep the extract with your workings.
  7. Match the plot to the ground. Where the boundaries on the cadastral plan differ from those on the ground, the plan prevails[1,5]. The Cadastre oversees the sworn surveyors linked to the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre[11]. We found no published procedure or fee for ordering a plan. Ask the Cadastre office or a sworn surveyor for the plan of that property number, and ask them to mark its boundaries on site. See cadastral maps and surveys.
  8. Have a lawyer read it before you pay for shares. Ask who the other co-owners are, whether a pre-emption claim is likely, and whether partition is realistic. Pay only once you understand the answers.

It depends on

  • Surveyed or not. On a plot that is not finally surveyed, the extract may give no area[2,4]. Ask a sworn surveyor for the measured area, and ask the registry office which procedure applies in that region.
  • Plot or apartment. In a divided building, your 2,400 parts are of the unit, not of the land[7]. Ask the registry office for the unit's own extract, not the parent plot's.
  • Land type. On amiri land the registered person holds a right of use and disposal (tasarruf) rather than full ownership[6]. Ask the registry office or a lawyer what the extract records.
  • Split rights. Legalmondo notes that ownership may be split between a usage right and bare ownership[2,4]. Shares in one are not shares in the other, so have a lawyer read the entry.
  • Undefined shares. Where a property was registered to several co-owners without fixed share sizes, that share cannot be sold or partitioned until the sizes are fixed. If the co-owners do not agree, the additional land judge can fix them[9,19].

Common questions

Is 2,400 shares the same as 2,400 square metres?

No. 2,400 shares[1,2,3] means the whole property, whatever its size. The area is a separate entry on the Land Registry extract[2,4].

Does 1,200 shares mean I own half the land?

You own half of the whole property as an undivided share, and no particular half is yours to fence off. No right can be registered on a specific section until the plot is partitioned[3,5,6].

How many dunums is my plot?

Divide the area in square metres on the extract by 1,600, because 1 dunum = 1,600 m²[1] in Lebanon. For your own share, first multiply the area by your shares ÷ 2,400. That step is simple arithmetic, and no law sets it.

What does "green tapu, 2,400 shares" mean?

The "2,400 shares" part means the whole property[1,2,3]. We found no Lebanese source that explains the phrase "green tapu", so ask the notary or the registry office what the document in front of you actually is.

Sources

Checked against these sources. The numbers in the text point here.

  1. 1.
    Land Delimitation and Registration Works in Lebanese Law — Part Seven of the Practical Guide to the Code of Real Property

    Kallas Law Firm · 25 May 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  2. 2.
    How to Find Real Estate and Land Register Information in Lebanon

    Legalmondo · 17 Jun 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026

  3. 3.
    Legislative and Administrative Land and Property Rights Framework. Lebanon

    GLTN / UN-Habitat · May 2024 · read 16 Oct 2026

  4. 4.
    Lebanon Asset Search: How to Find Real Estate and Company Ownership Records

    Kallas Law Firm · 25 Oct 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026

  5. 5.
    The Land Registry in Lebanese Law — Part Six of the Practical Guide to the Code of Real Property

    Kallas Law Firm · 25 May 2026 · read 16 Oct 2026

  6. 6.
    Definition of Real Property and Types of Ownership in Lebanese Law (Part One of the Practical Guide to the Code of Real Property)

    Kallas Law Firm · 25 May 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  7. 7.
    Condominium Ownership of Built Immovables in Lebanese Law — Eighth and Final Part of the Practical Guide to the Lebanese Code of Real Property

    Kallas Law Firm · 25 May 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  8. 8.
    Legislative Decree No. 88 of 16/9/1983 on co-ownership of built property

    Joseph Wanis Official Site (lawyer Joseph Wanis) · 22 Mar 2019 · read 17 Oct 2026

  9. 9.
    Forcing the Partition or Sale of Co-Owned Property in Lebanon: The Judicial Exit from Indivision

    Kallas Law Firm · 29 Aug 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  10. 10.
    The Promise of Sale, the Right of Pre-emption, and Acquisitive Prescription in Lebanese Real-Property Law (Part Five of the Practical Guide to the Code of Real Property)

    Kallas Law Firm · 25 May 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  11. 11.
    LIBC: How GDLRC is implementing the Roadmap to Build Land Industry in Lebanon

    LIBC (Lebanese International Business Council) · 21 Jan 2021 · read 17 Oct 2026

  12. 12.
    Decrees Reinforce Urban Chaos

    The Monthly Magazine · 5 Jan 2015 · read 17 Oct 2026

  13. 13.
    Annahar (Arabic): Finance Ministry circular sets off the mushaa crisis in Mount Lebanon

    annahar.com · 30 Mar 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  14. 14.
    L'Orient Today: Outrage as Ministry of Finance issues controversial decision on common lands

    today.lorientlejour.com · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  15. 15.
    OMT: Viewing Title Registers (Land Registry service page)

    OMT (Online Money Transfer S.A.L.) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  16. 16.
    Inheritance in Lebanon: Probate, Estate Declaration and Inheritance Tax (2026)

    Kallas Law Firm · 27 Jun 2022 · read 17 Oct 2026

  17. 17.
    Work programme at the land registry offices for the current week

    Annahar · 1 Apr 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026

  18. 18.
    Viewing Title Registers Electively Through OMT

    OMT (Online Money Transfer S.A.L.) · 13 Oct 2020 · read 17 Oct 2026

  19. 19.
    Undefined share in surveyed properties: the additional land judge's jurisdiction after Law 98/1999

    Kallas Law Firm · 3 Jun 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026

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