What is the difference between a provisional and a final occupancy permit in Lebanon?
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Short answer
A provisional occupancy permit lets you live in a flat with temporary water, electricity and phone connections, but is not valid for final subdivision, sale or final registration[1]. Selling parts of a building without a final permit is banned, with one exception. To divide the building into units, the owner needs an occupancy permit plus electricity and water connection certificates[2]. See the final permit before you pay.
Also asked as: “Can I buy a flat with a provisional occupancy permit in Lebanon?” · “Is a temporary occupancy permit enough to register an apartment?” · “Do I need a final occupancy permit to get my own title deed?” · “Provisional vs final rukhsat iskan”
Buying a flat that has only a provisional occupancy permit is risky. Decree 15874/2005 treats that permit as not valid for sale or final registration[1]. We read the decree as amended in 2007 and found no source on later changes. This page covers what was published up to 17 October 2026.
Key facts
- The final document
- The occupancy permit (رخصة الإشغال)[2], applied for once the building and its facades are complete
- Provisional permit allows
- Living in the unit and temporary water, electricity and phone connections[1]
- Provisional permit is not valid for
- Final subdivision, sale or final registration[1]
- Provisional permit lasts
- Renewed yearly until the building permit expires[1]
- To divide the building into units
- an occupancy permit plus electricity and water connection certificates[2]
- Selling parts of a building without a final permit
- Prohibited, except units under Law 539/1996[1]
- Decision on an occupancy application
- within one month[2] of the application
What the two permits are
The document you want to see is the occupancy permit (رخصة الإشغال)[2]. The owner applies for it to the competent technical administration once the permitted building is complete, external facades included, and attaches as-built plans registered with the Order of Engineers. It is granted only after the technical administrations approve it and the owner pays all fees and fines for any extra area built without a permit. The rules also refer to a completion certificate (إفادة إنجاز البناء) alongside the occupancy permit[1,3]. We could not confirm which name each municipality uses.
A final permit can cover the whole works, or one building or block once its common parts are complete. A partial permit can be given for part of a building whose facades and common parts are finished[2]. A provisional permit is renewed every year until the building permit expires[1]. For reference, a building permit lasts six years, renewable once for two years.
| Provisional permit | Final permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Living in the unit | Allowed[1] | Allowed; it is the occupancy permit itself[2] |
| Utilities | Temporary water, electricity and phone[1] | Subdivision also needs certificates of connection to the public electricity and water networks[2] |
| Final subdivision into units | Not valid[1] | Required[2] |
| Selling a unit | Not valid[1] | Needed: selling parts of a building without one is prohibited[1] |
| Own folio for each flat | No: the permit is not valid for subdivision[1] | Each unit gets its own folio once the building is divided[3] |
| How long it lasts | Renewed yearly until the building permit expires[1] | Not stated in the sources we read |
Why it matters when you buy
You own a property in Lebanon only once the sale is registered at the Land Registry[4]. Until then you have a claim against the seller, not ownership[4,5]. For a flat to have its own deed, the building must first be divided into units, and each unit then gets a number added to the plot number and its own folio[3]. That division needs an occupancy permit plus electricity and water connection certificates[2], and a provisional permit is not valid for it[1].
Units can be registered separately only if the construction complies with the building laws[3]. Until your flat has its own folio, no right can be registered on that specific flat; what exists on paper is undivided shares in the whole property[5,6,7]. The decree also prohibits selling, transferring or disposing of parts of a building without a final permit, except units under Law 539/1996, and occupying a building without one more than 3 years after the permit period ends[1].
We found no source on whether that ban reaches a promise of sale for a unit that is not built yet, or on how buyers handle units with only a provisional permit in practice. A property lawyer is the right person to ask, with the permit and the Land Registry extract in front of them. See whether a developer can sell a flat without an occupancy permit and how to get your own deed in a new building.
Do these checks before any money changes hands. In a forgery case in Halat reported by the Internal Security Forces in June 2026, the buyer learned the deed was invalid only when he tried to register, after he had already bought[8].
Who will tell you which permit a building has
We found no published register where you can look up a building's occupancy permit yourself, and no source names the office that keeps occupancy-permit records. The owner applies for the permit to the competent technical administration[2]. One academic review names three bodies involved in building permits: the Order of Engineers, General Directorate of Urban Planning and the municipality[9]. So start with the municipality where the building stands, ask it which technical administration handled the occupancy file, and put the same questions there:
- whether an occupancy permit was issued;
- whether it is provisional or final;
- whether it covers the whole building or only part;
- on what date it was issued.
Bring the property number and real estate zone. The Land Registry is kept by property, not by owner[6].
Ask the municipality as well whether any building violation is recorded. A violation goes on the property's folio only at the request of the municipality or the technical administration, so a clean extract does not prove there is none[2]. The municipality gives no clearance until the fines and fees for unpermitted work are paid. More in how to find violations before you buy.
How to check the occupancy permit before you buy
- Get the property's identifiers from the seller, in writing. An extract request needs the governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, and the section and block where they apply[10,11]. If the seller gives only a street address, see how to find a property's number, zone and section.
- Get an official Land Registry extract. It is requested in person at the Land Registry office for the area where the property lies[11,12]. According to Legalmondo, anyone may request one without showing a legal interest, so a lawyer or someone you trust in Lebanon can go for you; but no certificate is issued while a lien or registration on the plot is still in process[11]. Legalmondo put the fee at USD 5 in June 2025, and Kallas Law Firm gave about 2 business days for a physical certificate in October 2025[13]. An OMT copy is unofficial, so use it for a first look only[10,11,13,14]. Check whether the flat has its own unit number and folio[3], and what mortgages and charges it carries[4,6]. More on getting a Land Registry extract.
- Ask the seller or developer for a copy of the occupancy permit. Check whether it says provisional or final, its date, and whether it covers the whole building, your block or only part of it[2]. If you are told the permit is "in process", ask for the application date: the administration must decide within one month of the application.
- Confirm with the municipality and the technical administration. Ask whether the permit you were shown was issued, and whether any violation is on file. If you are abroad, a lawyer acting for you can ask on your behalf. Keep copies of every answer.
- Have an engineer compare the building with the permit plans. A violation may exist without being on the folio[2], and a final permit is granted only after fines for extra area built without a permit are paid. We found no published engineer's fee, so ask for a written quote.
- Stop if there is only a provisional permit. It is not valid for sale or final registration[1]. Before you pay anything, have a property lawyer read the permit, the extract and the draft contract, and ask them exactly what will be registered in your name, and when.
It depends on
- The size of the flat. For flats over 300 m²[1], the building can count as complete for a final permit without interior painting, joinery, sanitary and electrical fittings or kitchen units, if the sale contract says so. Those works later need a declaration receipt or a renovation permit. See shell flats over 300 m².
- The building's age. For a building completed before 13 September 1971, the law accepts a substitute for the occupancy permit when the building is divided into units: a statement from official records by the municipality head, governor, caimacam or finance department[2].
- A silent administration. If the administration does not decide within one month, the applicant may consider himself licensed at his own responsibility, provided he informs it in writing, the building conforms and fees for any extra area are paid within 2 months[2]. For dividing the building into units, Law 646/2004 Art. 7, as we read it, accepts a statement that the request was not decided in time, together with an engineer's certificate that the building conforms, in place of the permit. How the Land Registry handles this in practice is not published, so ask a lawyer.
- Later changes to the decree. We read Decree 15874/2005 as amended by Decree 617/2007[1] and did not find later amendments. A lawyer or the General Directorate of Urban Planning can confirm the current text.
Common questions
Can I live in a flat that has only a provisional occupancy permit?
Yes. A provisional permit allows living in the unit with temporary water, electricity and phone connections, and it is renewed yearly until the building permit expires[1].
Can I get my own title deed with a provisional occupancy permit?
Can a developer sell me a flat before the final occupancy permit?
Decree 15874/2005 prohibits selling parts of a building without a final occupancy permit, except units under Law 539/1996[1]. We found no source on whether this covers a promise of sale for a unit not yet built, so ask a property lawyer before you sign.
Sources
Checked against these sources. The numbers in the text point here.
- 1.Decree 15874 of 5/12/2005 implementing the Building Law, as amended by Decree 617 of 8/8/2007
General Directorate of Urban Planning (DGU), Ministry of Public Works and Transport · 5 Dec 2005 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 2.Law 646 of 16/12/2004 (Building Law), amending Legislative Decree 148 of 16/09/1983
Lebanese Republic, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Directorate General of Urban Planning (DGU) · 16 Dec 2004 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 3.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
- 4.How to Buy Property in Lebanon: The Legal Steps from Verification to Inscription
Kallas Law Firm · 9 Jun 2026 · read 16 Oct 2026
- 5.Legislative and Administrative Land and Property Rights Framework. Lebanon
GLTN / UN-Habitat · May 2024 · read 16 Oct 2026
- 6.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
- 7.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
- 8.ISF: arrest of suspect forging a property deed in Halat
Internal Security Forces (ISF), Lebanon · 24 Jun 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 9.Building Permit: A Critical Review of the Legal Framework in Lebanon (abstract)
BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing (Beirut Arab University, Digital Commons) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026
- 10.OMT: Viewing Title Registers (Land Registry service page)
OMT (Online Money Transfer S.A.L.) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026
- 11.How to Find Real Estate and Land Register Information in Lebanon
Legalmondo · 17 Jun 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 12.Inheritance in Lebanon: Probate, Estate Declaration and Inheritance Tax (2026)
Kallas Law Firm · 27 Jun 2022 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 13.Lebanon Asset Search: How to Find Real Estate and Company Ownership Records
Kallas Law Firm · 25 Oct 2025 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 14.Viewing Title Registers Electively Through OMT
OMT (Online Money Transfer S.A.L.) · 13 Oct 2020 · read 17 Oct 2026
Related questions
- How do I check that a building has a valid building permit and occupancy permit before I buy or rent?Get copies from the seller, then check them at the municipality, on the Land Registry extract and with an engineer. What each permit proves.
- How do I get my own title deed for an apartment in a new building in Lebanon?Only once the building's owner divides it into units at the Land Registry. What must happen first, what your deed shows, fees and how to protect yourself.
- Can a developer legally sell me an apartment in a building with no occupancy permit?Not as a registered sale: Lebanese law bans selling building parts without a final occupancy permit. What is unclear, what protects you and what to check.
- What is the occupancy permit in Lebanon and how do you get it?The permit to occupy a finished building, applied for by the owner with as-built plans. Steps, the one-month deadline, why flats need it, how to check it.
- How can I find out if a property has building violations or unpaid fines before I buy it?Get an official Land Registry extract, ask the municipality for its clearance, and have an engineer check the permit. What each shows and what it misses.
- How do I get my off-plan apartment registered in my name once the building is finished?The building's owner gets a final occupancy permit, divides the building into units at the Land Registry, then your sale is registered. Steps, fees, checks.
- Can an apartment over 300 m² be sold unfinished and still get an occupancy permit?Yes, if the sale contract lists the exempt works: flats over 300 m² can get a final occupancy permit unfinished inside. What is exempt and what is not.
- How do I check a title deed in Lebanon before buying?Get your own official Land Registry extract and read it before you pay. Where to get it, the cost, red-flag entries and what it does not show.
