I live abroad: how do I pay for a Lebanese apartment when there is no mortgage?

Also asked as: “How do Lebanese abroad pay for an apartment in Lebanon without a loan?” · “Buying in Lebanon from abroad with no mortgage” · “How to pay cash for property in Lebanon from abroad” · “Can expats get a home loan in Lebanon?”

Why there is no mortgage to lean on#

As of autumn 2026, trade and news press report that Lebanese commercial banks are still not writing home mortgages and that long-term mortgage credit is largely absent^[3,4]. No bank product page or Banque du Liban circular sets this out, and exceptions such as staff loans are not documented. Assukna, a property venture with an interest in selling, advises diaspora buyers not to rely on a Lebanese bank mortgage and says real deals are all-cash USD^[11].

The exception is Banque de l'Habitat (BDH), which is open to residents and expatriates^[1,2,9]. It lends up to USD 100,000 (minimum USD 20,000)^[1,2]. As of October 2026 its rate is 5.75% a year (APR 6.33%)^[1,3,12], and BDH says that rate is subject to amendment. Foreigners cannot borrow from BDH, because it requires Lebanese citizenship for at least 10 years.

A BDH loan still leaves you paying a large share yourself. The down payment is at least 20% of the value set by the bank's own valuation, not the agreed price, and if the bank values the flat below the price, you pay the difference in cash on top^[1,2]. The loan money is paid to the seller after the title is in your name, and no source explains how buyer and seller bridge the time before BDH pays. A BDH-financed home is for family housing only, so a summer or investment flat does not qualify (see What is the PCH rent-to-own scheme and how do I apply?). The rules for borrowers abroad are in BDH loans for Lebanese living abroad.

How buyers abroad move the money#

No neutral or official source describes how buyers abroad pay. What exists comes from people who sell property. Assukna says most purchases are funded with USD moved through exchange houses, trusted couriers or occasionally international wires, rather than through Lebanese bank accounts, and advises planning and documenting the method with a lawyer^[11]. JSK Real Estate wrote in 2023 that some sellers want payment to an account outside Lebanon while buyers hold cash in Lebanon, or the reverse, and that a seller who accepts either method is much more likely to close^[13].

Remittance apps are built for small sums. As of October 2026, Taptap Send's limit for transfers via Whish is USD 5,000 per transfer and per month^[14], and its limit for MTM cash pickup is USD 9,900 per transfer. At those limits a property price would take many months. We did not find OMT's inbound limits. The options are compared in sending money to Lebanon for a property.

If you carry cash, Law 42/2015 requires a written declaration to customs above USD 15,000^[10]. Customs may hold undeclared or suspect cash and notify the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, who decides within two days whether to keep or release it. The fine for failing to declare is up to LBP 10 million, and criminal prosecution is not excluded. That fine was set in Lebanese pounds in 2015 and has lost most of its value since 2019, so the bigger risks are having the cash held and being prosecuted.

What protects your money#

Ownership passes through the authentic deed signed before a notary and inscribed at the Land Registry. A power of attorney or a private agreement does not transfer it^[7].

If you pay a deposit on a promise of sale, the promise can be provisionally inscribed on the property's folio, which keeps your rank against a later sale or mortgage. Without that inscription, it cannot be relied on against third parties acting in good faith^[7,15]. Between competing rights on the same property, priority goes by the date of entry in the registry's daily journal, not the date the deed was signed^[16]. So have the deed filed as soon as it is signed.

Expect questions about where the money came from. Under Law 44/2015^[10], brokers must keep records and carry out due-diligence checks, and notaries and lawyers must do the same when they handle a sale for you. The law does not list which documents you must show, and practice varies by notary and bank. Keep every transfer record and receipt.

We found no neutral source on escrow, notary-held funds or a standard payment order for buyers abroad. Ask a Lebanese lawyer whether the money can be held until registration, how each payment will be receipted, and when the balance is released relative to inscription. Fees come on top of the price: the registration fee is 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[17], and stamp duty is 0.4%^[18,19]. See the total cost of buying.