What is the occupancy permit in Lebanon and how do you get it?

Also asked as: “What is the occupancy permit in Lebanon (رخصة إسكان) and how is it obtained?” · “How does a developer get the occupancy permit for a new building in Lebanon?” · “What is a completion certificate (إفادة إنجاز البناء) in Lebanon?” · “Can a building be divided into flats without an occupancy permit?”

What the occupancy permit is and why it matters#

Under the Building Law, Law 646 of 2004, the occupancy permit comes after the permitted building is finished, outer facades included. The owner applies for it with as-built plans^[1]. A final permit can cover the whole project, or one building or block at a time once its common parts are complete. A partial permit can also be given for part of a building whose facades and common parts are finished.

The permit matters most when you buy a flat. The Land Registry and survey departments may not finally divide a building into separate units unless the owner shows a duly issued occupancy permit, plus certificates that the building is connected to the public electricity and water networks^[1]. Without that division the flat has no real folio (its own page in the Land Registry) and cannot be registered in your name as a separate apartment. Decree 15874/2005 also bars occupying a building more than 3 years after the permit period ends without a final permit^[2].

The permit's plans stay in use later. In a divided building, a declaration for outside maintenance or cosmetic works needs approval of the owners' association or 75% of the owners^[2,3], and the building is checked against the plans of the occupancy permit or completion certificate.

What must be done before it is granted#

The permit is given only after the competent technical administrations approve it and after all fees and fines due for any extra area built without a permit are paid. Any part that does not comply must first be brought into conformity^[1]. For a final permit, the decree counts a building as complete when its facades and interior works are done. Flats over 300 m² are exempt from interior painting, joinery, sanitary and electrical fittings and kitchen units if the sale contracts say so^[2]. See unfinished apartments over 300 m².

The facades have their own deadline. A building permit is valid for six years, renewable once for two years^[1]. If the facades are still unfinished when it expires, the owner has one year to finish them; otherwise a yearly fine of 15% of the permit fees per year is imposed on the unfinished facade works and registered on the property's real folio as a privileged debt.

The administration must grant or refuse the permit within one month^[1] of the application. If no decision comes, the applicant may consider himself licensed to occupy, at his own responsibility, and must inform the administration in writing. This only works if the building conforms and the fees for any extra area are paid within 2 months. For dividing the building into flats, Article 7 of the law accepts, among other substitutes for the permit, a statement that the occupancy request was not decided in time plus an engineer's certificate that the building conforms. The sources we read do not cover how this route holds up in a sale, so ask a lawyer before relying on it.

How to check a building's permit yourself#

Ask the seller or developer for a copy of the occupancy permit and the as-built plans, and check that the plot number and address on them match the flat you are buying. Then ask the municipality where the building stands whether the permit is on its file and whether it has reported any violation. Have a registered engineer compare the building with the plans.

Next, get an official Land Registry extract (ifadeh aqariyeh) for the flat. The request needs the governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, and the section and block where they apply^[4,5]. In a divided building, each unit gets its own number added to the plot number, with its own folio, and private units are numbered from 4^[3]. If the extract covers only the whole plot, with no unit number, the building has not been divided and the flat has no folio of its own yet.

The extract also shows charges. A building violation is recorded on the folio at the request of the municipality or the technical administration, and it is struck off only once it is settled or removed^[1]. Recording is not automatic, so a clean extract does not prove there is no violation. More in how to find violations before you buy.

Copies obtained online or through OMT are unofficial, and any transaction needs the official certificate from the Land Registry^[4,5,6,7]. According to the law firm Legalmondo (June 2025), that certificate can only be requested in person at the competent land registry office, and it cost USD 5^[5]. The same firm says anyone may request one without showing a legal interest, so if you live abroad, someone in Lebanon can go for you. Another law firm, Kallas, put the wait for a physical certificate at about 2 business days in October 2025^[7]. More in how to get a Land Registry extract.