What documents do I need for a hasr irth and the estate declaration in Lebanon?

Also asked as: “Documents for hasr irth in Lebanon” · “What papers do heirs need for the Ministry of Finance inheritance declaration?” · “Hasr al-irth required documents” · “Estate declaration documents Lebanon”

Two files, in a fixed order#

You are dealing with two separate files. One is the estate declaration to the Ministry of Finance. The other is the hasr irth (Probate Decision), the court decision that names the heirs and their shares. Until the Probate Decision exists, no property, bank account or shareholding can be moved into the heirs' names^[1,2,3].

The Ministry file comes first. The preliminary declaration produces a licence, and the court asks for that licence. The heirs then complete the Ministry file within six months of the death^[2,4][1,2]. The preliminary declaration itself goes to the competent financial department of the Ministry of Finance within 90 days of the death^[2,4,5]. Kallas says deaths abroad are handled by the Beirut transfer-fee department.

What goes into the Finance Ministry file#

According to Kallas Law Firm, the first declaration is filed on the Ministry's form with these papers^[2]:

• the death certificate and any will;
• the deceased's family extract with the name struck off, and each heir's family extract;
• the mukhtar's statement of heirs;
• real-estate certificates and vehicle papers;
• statements of securities and shares, and bank statements at the date of death;
• a copy of any sale contract between the deceased and an heir in the two years before death.

The real-estate certificates are Land Registry extracts (ifadeh aqariyeh). An extract shows the owner, charges, mortgages and restrictions on the plot^[8,9]. You need one for each plot or apartment the deceased owned. Our sources do not say exactly which details the Land Registry needs to issue each one, so bring the deceased's title deed if you have it and ask the Land Registry office for the plot number, real estate district and, for an apartment, the section. Here is how to get a Land Registry extract and what it costs.

Kallas lists more papers for the file completed within six months^[2]:

• the Probate Decision and any will;
• for unbuilt land: an area statement, a location map and a municipal contents certificate;
• for apartments: an area statement, a municipal certificate and built-property-tax clearance;
• company share documents, bank statements, vehicle papers, treasury bonds and debt documents.

In April 2025 Annahar reported on a memo from the Finance Minister. Under it, heirs may add a valuation by a real estate expert accredited by Banque du Liban within the six months, so the estate can be settled without waiting for the tax unit's own valuation. The heirs and the expert carry full civil and criminal responsibility for that valuation^[4]. The report does not say whether the Ministry must accept the valuation, or what the expert charges.

What the court asks for: two lists#

Kallas gives five documents for the Probate Decision: the death certificate, the deceased's family civil-status extract with the name struck off, the heirs' family extracts, the mukhtar's statement of heirs and the Ministry of Finance declaration licence. PBL Law Group (2025) gives a different list: a family record extract, the death certificate, an inheritance declaration statement, a copy of the deceased's identity card, and a financial and rights declaration form listing all assets^[1,2,3].

Bring everything on both lists. Before you file, ask the registry of the court that will issue the decision which list it applies. That court depends on the deceased's community; see which court issues the hasr irth.

Papers from abroad#

If the death happened abroad, the hospital death certificate first has to be recorded in Lebanon. Kallas says it goes through the Lebanese embassy or consulate, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the Ministry of Interior, which strikes the name from the civil-status records. The whole chain takes about two months^[2]. Until that is done there is no struck-off family extract, and without it you cannot file the declaration or apply for the Probate Decision.

Kallas says documents issued abroad generally pass through the Lebanese mission, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs^[1,6] before they can be used in Lebanon. An apostille does not replace this, because Lebanon is not a member of the Apostille Convention^[7]. We found no published rule on translating foreign documents for the declaration, and no source gives the Arabic names of every document. Ask the Ministry of Finance transfer-fee department, or the lawyer handling the file, before you have anything translated.