Are there areas of Lebanon where foreigners cannot buy?

Key facts#

Named no-go areas for foreigners

None found in any law, decree or official list we read

The law

Legislative Decree 11614 of 1969, as amended by Law 296/2001^[1,3]

Without a licence

Up to 3,000 m²^[1,2,3] in total, built property included

Caps on foreign ownership

3% of each district and 10% of Beirut^[1,2,3]; most sources say each caza, IDAL's FAQ says each province^[1,2,4,5,6]

Border zones

One agency mentions unspecified restrictions^[7]

Occupied southern towns

Draft would bar all owners from selling until the occupation ends^[8,9]

Who to ask

A Lebanese property lawyer, or the Land Registry's Foreign Ownership Department, which handles non-Lebanese acquisition files^[10]

How to check a specific plot before you commit#

1. 1
   Get the plot's identity on paper. Ask the seller for the plot number and real estate district (and the section for a flat), then get a recent Land Registry extract for that plot. It shows the owner and any recorded restrictions^[11,12]. To see where the plot sits on the ground, see getting a cadastral map or survey.
2. 2
   Ask about zones in writing. Send the plot details to a Lebanese property lawyer and ask whether any border, military or other restriction on non-Lebanese buyers applies. The lawyer can also put the question to the Foreign Ownership Department, which handles non-Lebanese acquisition files^[10]. Keep the written answer.
3. 3
   Check your total and prepare the file. Add the new area to what you, your spouse and your minor children own, since you, your spouse and your minor children count as one buyer^[1,3]. The buyer declares these holdings in a pledge signed before a notary, and a false statement goes to the Public Prosecution^[10]. The Foreign Ownership Department lists these documents: a family civil extract less than one year old, authenticated by the relevant embassy in Lebanon; your spouse's passport; official certificates of areas you already own in Lebanon; an affidavit for each property; and a power of attorney if someone else applies. Its page gives no processing time, so ask your lawyer how long the file usually takes.
4. 4
   For the south, check the draft's status. Ask the lawyer whether the town counts as occupied and whether the draft has passed, since it would block sales until the occupation ends^[8,9].
5. 5
   Sign at the notary and register. Ownership passes only when the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry^[12]. Until then you hold only a claim against the seller^[3,12].

It depends on#

• Your nationality. The law treats as foreign anyone who does not hold Lebanese nationality^[1]. No source addresses dual nationals, so ask the notary how you will be treated before you sign.
• The district. Where a district or Beirut has reached its cap, no further licences are granted for purchases from Lebanese sellers^[1,2,3]. The Foreign Ownership Department handles non-Lebanese acquisitions^[10], so it is the office to ask whether your district is near its cap; we found no published statement of what it will tell you, so ask through a lawyer.
• Whether the plot is in an occupied southern town. The Cabinet-approved draft would freeze sales there for all owners^[8,9]. A lawyer can tell you its current stage.
• The size of the purchase. Above 3,000 m²^[1,2,3] you need a Council of Ministers decree, which is discretionary.
• Statelessness. Article 1(2) bars any real right for a person without citizenship of a recognised state. GLTN/UN-Habitat reads it as barring Palestinian refugees from acquiring by sale or inheritance; the Norwegian Refugee Council argues inheritance is exempt under Art. 3(4) and notes Lebanon recognised Palestine in 2008^[3,13]. See property rights of Palestinians.

Common questions#