Can a foreigner get a housing loan in Lebanon?

Also asked as: “Can foreigners get a mortgage in Lebanon?” · “Can a non-Lebanese get a BDH loan?” · “Do Lebanese banks lend to foreigners to buy property?” · “Housing loan in Lebanon without Lebanese nationality”

Why Banque de l'Habitat is closed to foreigners#

BDH is the one housing lender whose loan rules we found published. It is a bank in its own right, 80% owned by private banks and insurers and 20% by the state^[3]. Its purchase, renovation and construction loans all require Lebanese citizenship for at least 10 years^[1,2] and full legal capacity. Someone without Lebanese nationality does not qualify, and neither does someone who became Lebanese less than 10 years ago.

BDH lends to Lebanese expatriates as well as residents^[1,2,7], so a Lebanese abroad has an option a foreigner does not. If you also hold Lebanese nationality, the full rules are in BDH loan conditions. BDH says it works with no brokers or intermediaries^[1,8], so anyone offering to get a foreigner a BDH loan for a fee is not acting for the bank.

Commercial banks: no mortgages, and no published rule for foreigners#

Trade and news press in September and October 2026 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 states that position, and exceptions such as staff loans or private arrangements are not documented.

We could not confirm whether any Lebanese bank would lend to a non-Lebanese buyer, on what terms or against what guarantee. Only the bank itself can tell you, so ask for its answer in writing. Assukna, a property venture whose founder wrote on this in April 2026, advises diaspora buyers not to rely on a Lebanese bank mortgage and says real deals are all-cash in USD^[9]. That is the view of a business that sells property. More on the banks in do Lebanese banks give mortgages.

PCH loans stopped in 2018 or 2019 and have not restarted#

The Public Corporation for Housing (PCH) is a state body that subsidises housing loans written by commercial banks^[3]. Sources differ on when it stopped: Enterprise says PCH stopped taking applications in 2019, while LCPS dates the end of subsidised housing loans to 2018.

As of September 2026, the PCH director and the Social Affairs Minister had asked for USD 100 million in the draft 2027 budget to fund loans at 3.5%^[3]. The Finance Minister sent the draft to the Cabinet on 31 August 2026, and as of early September 2026 it still needed Cabinet review and a vote in Parliament. No source we read says whether foreigners would be eligible if the programme restarts. See PCH and BDH compared.

How foreigners pay instead#

In 2025 and 2026 the market ran largely on cash. The president of R.E.A.L told The Beiruter that buying was concentrated among Lebanese expatriates, some local investors and people holding cash^[4,10]. JSK Real Estate, a broker, says that with no loans available, purchases in 2025 were paid in full in cash or by bank transfer, mostly in USD^[11,12]. The options and their limits are in how to send money to Lebanon for a property.

When you pay the full price without a bank, the paperwork carries all the protection. Ownership passes only when the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry^[13]. Until then, money you have paid gives you only a personal claim against the seller^[13,14]. As a non-Lebanese buyer you also face ownership limits, explained in can foreigners buy property in Lebanon.