How do I get a Lebanese power of attorney in the USA?

Also asked as: “Lebanese embassy New York power of attorney” · “Lebanese consulate Detroit power of attorney” · “Lebanese consulate Los Angeles power of attorney” · “Lebanese consulate New York power of attorney”

Two routes: at the mission or before a US notary#

You can sign a power of attorney for Lebanon in person at a Lebanese embassy or consulate. Or you can sign it before a local notary, have it authenticated by US authorities and then legalised by the Lebanese mission^[1,2,3,4]. For a purchase, the person you name signs the notarial deed and registers the sale at the Land Registry for you, and you become the owner only once the sale is registered^[10]. The general picture for every country is in giving a power of attorney from abroad.

At the embassy in Washington, you start by emailing the POA you want along with your documents. Once everything has arrived, the embassy prepares the POA and contacts you for an appointment, first come, first served^[2]. The embassy publishes no waiting time, so ask when you email.

The New York consulate legalises POAs that were not drafted there without an appointment. It works on a walk-in basis, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00^[1]. Bring a valid passport, a Lebanese ID card, or a family or individual civil-registry extract (ikhraj qayd) issued within the last 10 years, plus a copy of it. The Detroit consulate legalises POAs sent by mail, without an appointment, once they are notarised and authenticated by the Secretary of State^[6]. We did not read the Los Angeles consulate's page. If you deal with it, ask it directly about its documents, witness rule, fees and timing.

The US-notary route, link by link#

The chain is notary, county clerk where required, Secretary of State, then the Lebanese mission^[1,2]. If you mail the POA to the Washington embassy, a State Department step comes before the embassy. An apostille stamp does not replace these steps, because Lebanon is not a member of the Apostille Convention^[5].

Each mission adds its own conditions:

• New York and Detroit: a real-estate POA signed before a US notary needs two witnesses who are not relatives^[1,6].
• Detroit, by mail: if the POA runs to more than one page, every page must carry your signature and the notary's seal and signature^[6]. The file also needs the application form, the Lebanese IDs of the applicant and the person named, and a copy of the applicant's driver's licence.
• Washington, by mail: include copies of your ID, the ID of the person you name and the witness's ID (passport or driving licence)^[2]. The embassy says it rejects incomplete files.

Each mission has its own payment rule. New York takes only money orders payable to the Consulate General. Washington takes a money order or cashier's cheque payable to the Embassy. Detroit takes a bank-issued cashier's cheque or a USPS money order^[1,2,6]. Do not send cash or a personal cheque.

Nobody has settled whether the POA must also be stamped by Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beirut. Kallas Law Firm says documents executed abroad generally pass through the Lebanese mission and then the ministry, but the US mission pages stop at consular legalisation^[11,12]. Ask the notary or the Land Registry office that will use the POA, and see the Beirut foreign ministry step. The New York consulate charges USD 20 per document^[13] for a separate service: legalising documents that have already passed that ministry. That fee is not for your POA.

What the POA has to say about you and the property#

Missions ask for each party's full names, parents' names, date of birth and registry number^[4,6]. They also ask for the property number and location, plus a copy of the deed or a Land Registry extract^[2,3,6]. For any POA that mentions property in Lebanon, the Detroit consulate asks for the original deed or the registry certificate, not a judge's document, although elsewhere the same page accepts a copy^[6]. Before you post an original deed, ask your mission whether a copy is enough.

According to the law firm Legalmondo (June 2025), the official Land Registry extract (ifadeh aqariyeh) is issued only in person at the registry office for the property's area and costs USD 5^[14]. Copies obtained online or through OMT are unofficial and are not accepted for transactions^{[14,15,16,17]}. If you have nobody in Lebanon, a lawyer there can collect it for you. See how to get a Land Registry extract.

Decide what the POA allows. US missions charge USD 50 special, USD 100 general^[1,2,6]. Kallas Law Firm says a general POA is not enough for a sale, which needs an express special mandate to sell^[18]. The difference is explained in general and special powers of attorney.