How do I give a power of attorney for property in Lebanon from France?

Also asked as: “Power of attorney for Lebanon from France” · “Procuration pour le Liban depuis la France” · “Lebanese embassy in Paris power of attorney” · “Wakala for Lebanese property from France”

How the power of attorney is used in Lebanon#

A purchase runs in this order: a recent Land Registry extract, an optional promise of sale, a notarial deed, then inscription at the Land Registry. Ownership passes only on inscription^[12]. If you stay in France, the person you name signs before the notary (kateb adel) and handles registration for you. That is why missions ask for the property's number and location and a copy of the deed or extract^[1,3,9].

The wording of the POA decides what your agent can do. Kallas Law Firm says a sale is an act of disposition, so a general power of attorney is not enough and an express special mandate to sell is needed^[11]. See general and special powers of attorney.

The same firm says that, to register a sale, the agent must produce a power of attorney no more than 5 years old^[11,13]. Kallas cites a 2015 Court of Cassation decision treating that limit, for an ordinary POA, as a forfeiture period the registrar can raise on his own. Kallas also says a POA does not lapse with time unless a term is written into it, so the five-year rule limits using an ordinary POA for registration, not the POA itself^[11]. According to the firm, settled case law exempts a truly irrevocable POA from the five-year limit.

What is known for France, and what is not#

Every Lebanese mission page we read offers the same two routes^[1,2,3,4]; the French missions' pages have not been checked. An apostille stamp does not replace legalisation, because Lebanon is not a member of the Apostille Convention^[5]. More in apostille or embassy legalisation. By law, fees at Lebanese embassies and consulates are set and collected in USD or EUR^[10], and that includes the missions in France.

Several French points are missing from our sources. We do not know whether a POA signed before a French notary can be sent by post, or which French authority must certify the notary's signature before the Lebanese mission legalises it. Fees, processing times and the age at which a medical certificate is required are also unknown for France. Missions that ask for a medical certificate set different ages: from 70 (Washington, Dubai) or 80 (Netherlands)^[1,3,14].

The closest model: the Lebanese embassy in Belgium#

The Lebanese embassy in Brussels publishes its route. It legalises POAs signed before a local notary, by registered mail only, once the Belgian or Luxembourg foreign ministry has certified them, and it states that it is not responsible for their content^[4]. In its notice of November 2025, its stated time for mail transactions is 10 working days. You pay postage both ways, and the embassy takes no responsibility for lost mail. For a property POA, it asks for the mother's name, date of birth, registry number and nationality of both parties.

The Lebanese embassy in The Hague works in a similar way. The Dutch foreign ministry legalises Dutch documents first, and the embassy then charges EUR 44 to legalise a special POA and EUR 88 for a general one (page read October 2026)^[15]. These are other missions' rules. France may follow them or not, so use them as questions for the Paris embassy.

Because the Brussels embassy takes no responsibility for content, nobody there checks that the wording does what you want. Have a Lebanese lawyer or notary read the draft before you sign.

Protecting yourself while you are in France#

In July 2026 the Internal Security Forces reported that the Baabda Judicial Detachment had arrested a suspect. He had forged deeds, identity cards and POAs, used them to have notarised POAs executed before notaries, and then mortgaged the properties^[7]. Notaries do flag suspected forgeries: in August 2026 two notary offices reported suspect POAs, a deed and an ID^[23]. Keep a list of every POA you have signed. From time to time, have someone get an official extract of your property, which shows the owner, mortgages and restrictions^[12,24].

You can also end a POA, within limits. Kallas Law Firm says an ordinary power of attorney can in principle be revoked whenever you wish, but one given in the interest of the agent or a third party can be withdrawn only with that party's consent^[11,13]. Read the wording before you sign anything called irrevocable, because you may not be able to take it back alone^[11]. We found no public register of revocations.

Lebanese missions handle revocations: the embassy in the Netherlands arranges them by email, and the consulate in Dubai charges AED 276 per signature (Dubai)^[3,14]. Neither page says how the notary or the Land Registry in Lebanon learns of the revocation, so ask the Paris embassy. See protecting your property from a forged power of attorney.