What is Finance Ministry Circular 609/2026 and does it affect my land sale?

Key facts#

The circular

Circular 609/2026 of 25 February 2026^[1], signed by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber

What it covers

Unsurveyed land and mushaa^[1]

Registration

First in the State's name, moved later to municipalities where documents exist^[1]

'Ilm wa khabar' (علم وخبر)

Banned for these properties^[1]

The mukhtar

Role limited to identification^[1]

Status

Contested as of 30 March 2026^[1,2]

Our source

A summary of one Annahar report; the circular's own text was not read^[1]

How to check a land sale against Circular 609/2026#

1. 1
   Get the plot's identifiers from the seller in writing. A certificate request needs the governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, section and block^[10,11] (section and block only where they apply). If the seller cannot give you a property number, treat the plot as unsurveyed until an official tells you otherwise. Land that was never surveyed may be recorded only in a mukhtar's booklet^[3], because a registry opens in a region only once the survey works are certified^[5,6]. In that case there may be no certificate to get, so ask the registry office or a lawyer what official record exists for the plot. In regions not yet surveyed, a single land judge rules on certain land matters, such as correcting old tabou entries^[5].
2. 2
   Get an official certificate from the Land Registry office. You request it at the land registry office for the area where the plot lies^[11,12]. No published list shows which office covers which area, so ask the registry office or a lawyer which one is yours. Legalmondo (June 2025) says the official certificate is issued only in person and costs USD 5^[11]. Copies obtained online or through OMT are unofficial^{[10,11,13,14]}.
3. 3
   Have someone on the ground collect it if you are abroad. Legalmondo says anyone may request a certificate, but none is issued while a lien or a registration on the plot is still in process^[11]. So a lawyer you hire can request it for you. One law firm, Kallas, gave about 2 business days for a physical certificate in October 2025^[14]. In April 2025 several Mount Lebanon offices worked only on set days^[15], so check the schedule before anyone travels. Here is how to get a Land Registry extract.
4. 4
   Read the certificate line by line. It lists the owners, their shares, mortgages, seizures, other charges and pending court actions, and it shows no area if the plot has not been finally surveyed^[11,14]. The register records the right according to the land's legal type: on amiri land the State owns the land and the registered person holds a right of use and disposal, not full ownership^[9]. We have not seen how the land type appears on a certificate, so ask the registry office or a lawyer whether the plot is mulk, amiri or another type. More in how to check a title deed.
5. 5
   Ask an official about the circular, for this plot. The registry is run by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, Ministry of Finance^[8,10]. Ask at the registry office or the Directorate General of Land Affairs, or have a lawyer ask for you^[1]. Your questions: is Circular 609/2026 still in force or replaced; does it cover this plot; can the sale be registered, and in whose name; and which document now proves the seller's right. Keep the answers in writing.
6. 6
   Have a lawyer read every paper the seller offers. Be most careful if the only proof is an entry in a mukhtar's booklet or an 'ilm wa khabar', because the circular reportedly bans these certificates for unsurveyed land and mushaa^[1].
7. 7
   Do not pay the full price before inscription. Ownership passes only when the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry^[7]. Until then you hold only a personal claim against the seller^[6,7]. See what a sale contract with nothing registered gives you.
8. 8
   If you own land in an unsurveyed village, watch for survey works. Works are announced at least two months ahead in the Official Gazette and three local newspapers. Oppositions are due within 30 days of the provisional record being posted, and people who do not attend are bound as if they had been present^[4,5].

It depends on#

• Whether the plot is surveyed. The reported terms concern unsurveyed land and mushaa^[1]. The registry office can tell you whether the plot has its own real folio.
• Whether it counts as mushaa. A land-affairs directorate reportedly limited "mushaa" to neglected land outside municipal limits^[1,2]. Ask the registry office or a lawyer how your plot is classed.
• The land type. The register records the right according to the land's type, mulk or amiri^[9], and municipal matrouke murfaka land cannot be sold without prior Council of Ministers approval. We have not seen how the type is shown on a certificate, so ask the registry office or a lawyer which type your plot is.
• The circular's current status. It was contested as of 30 March 2026^[1,2]. Ask the Ministry of Finance or a property lawyer whether it still applies on the day you sign.
• When your deal was signed. Nothing we read says whether deals signed before 25 February 2026 are treated differently. A lawyer should check this against your papers.

Common questions#