Can I settle fees on a pre-2020 property contract at the 1,500 LBP/USD rate?
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Short answer
Yes, if your contract was entered in the Land Registry's daily register before 1 January 2020 and its fees are still unpaid[1,2]. Under Article 48 of Law 40/2026, those fees are calculated at LBP 1,500 per USD until 31/12/2026. Any balance paid after that date follows the Banque du Liban rate on the day you pay. New purchases do not get this rate.
Also asked as: “Law 40/2026 Article 48 old contracts” · “1,500 lira rate for old property contracts” · “Pay old Land Registry fees at the 1,500 rate” · “Unpaid registration fees on a contract from before 2020”
Key facts
Who this rule covers
Article 48 covers only contracts that were entered in the daily register before 1 January 2020 and whose fees were never paid[1,2]. As published, it does not reach a private agreement or a promise of sale that was never entered there.
A sale in Lebanon starts with a recent Land Registry extract, goes through an optional promise of sale and a notarial deed, and ends with inscription at the Land Registry. Ownership passes only on inscription[5]. So check whether the property was ever registered in the buyer's name. If it was not, read what an unregistered sale contract gives you.
Why the exchange rate matters
State taxes and fees are collected in Lebanese pounds[3,4], and when an amount has to be converted from a foreign currency, the Banque du Liban rate applies. For these old contracts, Article 48 sets LBP 1,500 per US dollar instead, for fees paid by 31 December 2026[1,2]. For comparison, a July 2025 BLOMINVEST Bank report converted Land Registry transaction values at USD/LBP 89,500 (from 1 February 2024)[6]. That was a statistical conversion in a bank report, not the rate used to collect fees.
New purchases pay the ordinary transfer fee: 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese[7]. For built property, the Land Registry charges that fee on the rental value × 30 as estimated by the finance office, whenever that estimate is higher than the price declared in the deed[2,3]. See the registration fee and which exchange rate the registry uses.
What is not published
We found no published guidance on how to apply Article 48: which office handles it, which documents to bring, or how to confirm that a contract is in the daily register. Nothing we read explains what a "balance" paid after 31 December 2026 means in practice either, for example whether paying part before the deadline locks in the rate for that part. Our sources were the Ministry of Finance's 2026 budget documents and one law firm's summary. We did not read the Official Gazette text.
The Land Registry office (السجل العقاري) that holds the daily-register entry for your property can answer these points. A lawyer can also read the contract and the entry for you. Ask either of them:
- Was this contract entered in the daily register, and on what date?
- What fees are still unpaid?
- What do those fees come to at LBP 1,500 per dollar?
- Which documents do you need, and who may pay?
How to check and settle an old contract before the deadline
- Gather your papers. Find the contract, any receipts, the property's number and real estate zone, and for a flat its section. If you do not have these, see how to find a property's number and zone.
- Get a recent Land Registry extract. It is the first document in any sale file[5]. With it you can see what is registered today without taking the other party's word for it. Here is how to get an extract and what it costs.
- If you live abroad, appoint someone. Buyers abroad usually act in Lebanon through a power of attorney, according to Kallas Law Firm[8,9]. Here is how to give a power of attorney from abroad. Leave enough time for the signed power of attorney to reach Lebanon well before 31 December 2026.
- Follow through to registration. Ownership passes only when the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry[5]. Afterwards, get a new extract to confirm the property is in your name.
It depends on
- Whether part of the fees was already paid. The law covers fees not yet paid. How earlier part-payments are treated is not published, so ask the Land Registry office.
- The buyer's nationality. New purchases pay 3% for Lebanese buyers and 5% for non-Lebanese buyers[7]. Whether the same split applies to these old fees is not published, so ask the registry or a lawyer.
Common questions
Does the 1,500 rate apply to a property I buy in 2026?
What happens if I pay the old fees after 31 December 2026?
Sources
Checked against these sources. The numbers in the text point here.
- 1.Annual Budget Documents and Process (Budget Law 2026 index page)
Lebanese Ministry of Finance · 10 Feb 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 2.Real estate fees calculator
Kallas Law Firm · 24 May 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 3.Law 10/2022 (General Budget Law for 2022), consolidated text with amendments
Lebanese University Legal Informatics Center (legallaw.ul.edu.lb) · 15 Nov 2022 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 4.Summary of the Budget Law 2022 (Law #10)
ALDIC (Arab Lebanese Diplomatic and International Consulting?) · 15 Nov 2022 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 5.How to Buy Property in Lebanon: The Legal Steps from Verification to Inscription
Kallas Law Firm · 9 Jun 2026 · read 16 Oct 2026
- 6.Real Estate Transactions Hit $498.6M by May 2025
BLOMINVEST Bank SAL (Research Department) · 15 Jul 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 7.قانون الموازنة العامة لعام 2022 (القانون 10/2022) المنشور في الجريدة الرسمية
Lebanese Ministry of Finance · 15 Nov 2022 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 8.Ministry of Finance circular 4835 of 13/11/2017 applying Art. 14 of Law 64/2017 (2% advance on the real estate transfer fee)
Lebanese University Legal Informatics Center (legallaw.ul.edu.lb) · 13 Nov 2017 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 9.Real estate sale in Lebanon: ordinary sale contract, irrevocable power of attorney and registration in the land registry
Kallas Law Firm (klfi.net) · 12 Apr 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026
Related questions
- Do I pay Lebanese property fees and stamp duty in LBP or USD, and at which exchange rate?Lebanese state property fees are collected in pounds. The rate for converting a USD price is disputed or unpublished. What is known and whom to ask.
- I bought with a sale contract but nothing is registered. Am I the owner?No. Until the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry you hold only a claim against the seller. The risks, time limits, fees and how to register.
- How much is the property registration fee in Lebanon?3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for foreigners; for built property, the estimated value or the price if higher. Other charges and the 2% advance.
- Are Lebanese registration fees charged on the contract price or on an estimated value?For built property, on the higher of rental value × 30 and the declared price. Where the estimate comes from, the 2% advance, and what is not known.
- How do I give a power of attorney for property in Lebanon from abroad?Sign at a Lebanese embassy or consulate, or before a local notary and then have it legalised. An apostille alone is not enough. Documents, fees, fraud risks.
- How do I get a land registry extract in Lebanon and what does it cost?Ask in person at the land registry office for the property's area; one law firm says USD 5. The numbers you need, OMT and online copies, and what to check.
- What does it cost on top of the price to buy an apartment in Lebanon?About 4% of the value for Lebanese buyers and 6% for foreigners, by one law firm's count: transfer, stamp, notary, Bar and municipal fees, and who pays.
