How much land can a foreigner buy in Lebanon without a permit?

Also asked as: “Can foreigners own land in Lebanon?” · “3,000 m² limit for foreigners in Lebanon” · “Does my spouse's property count toward the 3,000 m² limit?” · “How many square metres can a foreigner own in Lebanon?”

What the 3,000 m² counts#

The limit counts everything you hold in Lebanon, land and built property together. A second plot or flat adds to the first, so this is a lifetime total and not an allowance per purchase^[1,2,3]. For that total, you, your spouse and your minor children count as one buyer^[1,2].

Some points are not published in any source we read. We found nothing on whether an apartment bought off-plan counts by the unit's own area or by its share of the plot. Before you sign, ask the notary handling the sale how your existing holdings and the new purchase will be measured. The broader rules are in can foreigners buy property in Lebanon.

Any land, or only land to build on?#

IDAL, Lebanon's investment authority, and a 2024 UN-Habitat report describe the allowance as 3,000 m² of land in aggregate, built property included^[1,2,3]. The law firms Choueh and Bijjani (writing for Legal 500) describe it as "built property or property set for building", in near-identical texts^[1,4,5]. We follow IDAL, but we did not read the law text itself.

Farmland is where this matters. No source we read says whether agricultural land falls inside or outside the licence-free allowance^[1,4,5]. A claim also circulates online, from an agency listing we could not open, that the limit is 3,000 m² in Beirut and 5,000 m² elsewhere. It contradicts every other source, and we treat it as unverified. If you are buying land outside a built-up area, have a Lebanese property lawyer read the law's wording against your plot before you pay anything.

How the Land Registry checks your total#

The Land Registry has a Foreign Ownership Department that runs a "negation of ownership" file for non-Lebanese acquiring property. It asks for a family civil extract less than a year old and authenticated by your embassy in Lebanon, your spouse's passport, official certificates of the areas you already own in Lebanon, an affidavit for each property you are buying, and a power of attorney if someone applies for you^[6]. Its page does not say whether this file applies to purchases under 3,000 m², to licensed purchases, or to both, and it gives no processing time.

You also sign a pledge before a notary stating that you own only the areas you declared and naming your spouse and minor children. A false statement is referred to the Public Prosecution^[6]. The department's undated page lists a fee of LBP 31,500,000 for the affidavit and LBP 525,000 for each person in the file, and a Lebanese spouse is not charged unless named in the pledge. You pay these with fiscal stamps, or by invoice at the Ministry of Finance cash registers in Beirut governorate or at any bank in Lebanon. They come on top of the registration fee. The amounts are in lira on an undated page, so check them when you file.

Going over 3,000 m², and the overall caps#

Above the limit you need a Council of Ministers decree^[1,2,3]. The Council decides at its full discretion and there is no appeal. A licence lapses if the sale is not registered within one year. The process is in getting the Council of Ministers decree.

Foreign ownership is also capped at 3% of each district and 10% of Beirut^[1,2,3]. Once a cap is reached, no further licences are granted for purchases from Lebanese sellers. We found no published list of districts at their cap.