What is the best way to send money to Lebanon to pay for a property?

Also asked as: “How to transfer money to Lebanon to buy property” · “Send money to Lebanon with Whish” · “Send money to Lebanon with Western Union” · “Wire money to Lebanon for a house”

Remittance apps: built for small amounts#

As of October 2026, Taptap Send transfers to Lebanon are paid in USD^[1], through Whish cash pickup, a Whish wallet or MTM cash pickup. A Whish wallet takes USD 5,000 per transfer and per month, and MTM cash pickup takes USD 9,900 per transfer. At the Whish wallet's USD 5,000 monthly limit, a property price would take many months to arrive. Taptap Send says a Whish recipient who needs more than the monthly limit may have to fill in a Whish form and justify the transfer, for example with a sales invoice.

Taptap Send says Whish cash pickups carry no cashout fee^[1]. Only the named recipient can collect, with a government photo ID and the 12-digit pickup code. So the money reaches your recipient, and your recipient then has to pay the seller or the notary.

OMT's Cash Access is a separate service. It lets holders of fresh or international cards withdraw cash at an OMT outlet, up to USD 5,000 per transaction, 4.5% fee^[3] (minimum USD 9). The page is undated, and your card's bank may set lower limits. We found no published OMT inbound transfer fees or Western Union limits. More in OMT, Whish and Western Union limits.

Bank transfers and paying the seller abroad#

One broker, 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 is more likely to close^[4]. The same broker uses fresh dollars to mean cash banknotes or a bank-to-bank transfer outside Lebanon. Assukna, a property venture, wrote in April 2026 that most purchases are funded with dollars moved through exchange houses, trusted couriers or occasionally international wires. It advises planning and documenting the method with a lawyer^[5].

No source we found gives the fees, limits or delays for wiring a full price into a Lebanese fresh-dollar account, or to a seller's account abroad. JSK Real Estate said in 2023 that withdrawing a full price in cash from a Lebanese fresh account carried very high commissions, without giving a figure^[4]. Ask the receiving bank for its current fee schedule in writing before you send. If you are splitting a deposit and a balance, see paying the deposit and balance from abroad.

Carrying cash in#

Under Law 42/2015, anyone carrying cash or negotiable instruments into or out of Lebanon must declare them in writing to customs above USD 15,000^[2]. Customs may fine a missing or false declaration up to LBP 10 million, and criminal prosecution is not excluded. That LBP amount has lost most of its value since 2019, so the bigger risk is the next step: customs can search baggage and hold the cash, and the Public Prosecutor decides within two days whether to keep or release it. Check the rule with Lebanese Customs before you travel, and read how much cash you can bring into Lebanon.

Proof of funds and records#

Under Law 44/2015^[2], brokers must keep records and follow due-diligence duties, and notaries and lawyers apply them when they handle a sale. The law does not list which documents a buyer must show, so practice varies by notary and bank. Covered institutions must identify you from reliable documents and keep copies for at least five years. The Special Investigation Commission can place a note on a property's register that it is under verification and ask the Public Prosecutor to freeze it. Keep bank statements that show where your money came from, and see proof of the source of funds.