How do I pay the deposit and the balance on a Lebanese property from abroad?

Key facts#

You own it

Only once the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry^[1]

Money paid before then

Gives you a claim against the seller, not ownership^[1,3]

Deposit size and timing

Not fixed by any rule we found; agreed in writing with the seller

Keeping your rank before the deed

Provisional inscription of the promise of sale on the folio^[1,4]

Two buyers, one property

The first entry in the registry's daily journal ranks first^[5]

Signing from abroad

At a Lebanese mission, or before a local notary and then legalised^[6,7,8,9]

Cash brought into Lebanon

Declared in writing to customs when above USD 15,000^[10]

Land Registry fee

3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[11]

How to pay the deposit and the balance from abroad#

1. 1
   Get an official Land Registry extract (ifadeh aqariyeh) for the exact property. Your lawyer, or someone you trust in Lebanon, requests it at the land registry office for the area where the property lies^[24,25]. They need the property's governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, section and block^[25,26] (the last two where they apply). For a flat, the unit has its own number added to the plot number, with its own folio^[27]. According to one law firm, certificates are public and anyone may request one without showing a legal interest, but none is issued while a lien or a registration on the plot is still in process^[25]. That same firm put the fee at USD 5 in June 2025, and Kallas Law Firm gives about 2 business days for a physical certificate^[28]. Copies from OMT or online are unofficial and for reference only^{[25,26,28,29]}. More in how to check a title deed.
2. 2
   Read the extract before any money moves. It lists the owners and their shares, mortgages, seizures and pending court actions^[25,28]. Every charge on it passes to you unless it is cleared before the purchase^[1]. The person you will pay must be the registered owner, or must act for that owner.
3. 3
   See the property on the ground. For land, where the cadastral plan and the boundaries on the ground differ, the plan prevails^[5,30]. Have a surveyor or engineer you hire yourself show you the plot against the plan. We found no published fee for this. See getting a cadastral map or survey.
4. 4
   Check the seller's power of attorney, if there is one. Kallas Law Firm says an agent who registers a sale must produce a power of attorney no more than 5 years old^[31,32], and that an ordinary POA can be revoked at any time. Forged POAs and IDs have been used to try to sell property and to mortgage it^[33,34,35]. See checking that a power of attorney is genuine, and ask the notary to confirm the POA before you pay.
5. 5
   Name your own agent. Sign a POA in person at a Lebanese embassy or consulate, or before a local notary, then have it authenticated locally and legalised by the Lebanese mission^[6,7,8,9]. Missions ask for the property number and location, plus a copy of the deed or a Land Registry extract^[6,8,36], so bring the extract from step 1. Details are in giving a power of attorney from abroad.
6. 6
   Put the deposit in a signed promise of sale. Write in the amount, the currency, where and how it is paid, the date set for the notarial deed, and what happens to the deposit if either side pulls out. Ask the notary whether the promise can be provisionally inscribed on the folio^[1,4].
7. 7
   Pay the deposit by a route that leaves a record, and get a receipt. A transfer to an account in the registered owner's name leaves a trail. For cash, get a signed receipt that names the property number and the amount; see proof when you pay a seller in cash. If a broker is involved, the broker must record the transaction and give a certified copy to any party who asks^[37].
8. 8
   Pay the balance at the notarial deed and file it at once. Your agent signs the sale before a notary, or before the competent assistant head of the Land Registry office^[23,31]. Release the balance only at that signing. Have the deed filed at the registry as soon as you can, because rank goes by entry in the daily journal^[5].
9. 9
   Get a fresh extract in your name. You own the property once the sale is inscribed^[1]. Ask your agent for a new extract showing you as owner, and keep copies of every receipt and contract.

It depends on#

• Where the seller wants the money. JSK Real Estate, a broker, wrote in 2023 that deals close more easily when the seller accepts payment either abroad or in Lebanon^[16]. Settle where the money goes before the promise of sale, and ask your lawyer how to document it.
• Who signs for the seller. If an agent sells under a POA, you carry the risk that it was revoked or forged. Have the notary check it before you pay anything.
• Your nationality. The Land Registry fee is 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[11], and foreigners can own up to 3,000 m²^[3,38,39] in total without a licence. We found no official text on dual nationals, so ask the notary how you will be treated.
• How the money travels. Cash worth more than USD 15,000 brought into Lebanon must be declared in writing to customs^[10], and transfer apps have caps (Taptap Send via Whish: USD 5,000 per transfer and per month^[40] as of October 2026). Ask your bank abroad and Lebanese Customs before you move large sums.
• Where the property is. In September 2026 the Cabinet approved a draft law that would bar sales of property in Israeli-occupied towns of the south until the occupation ends, and it still needs Parliament's approval^[41,42]. As LBCI reported the draft, promises and notarised contracts there made since 8 October 2023 could not be completed without a committee's approval^[41]. Take legal advice before paying a deposit on property in the south.

Common questions#