Can I get a property extract online or through OMT or Whish, and is it official?

Key facts#

OMT copy

Unofficial paper copy, plus an SMS copy and an email copy on request^[1,2]

Where

more than 1,000 OMT outlets^[1,2] across Lebanon, since 13 October 2020

OMT fee

Not shown on OMT's pages; ask at the outlet^[1,2]

Registry website form

USD 4^[3], unofficial (Legalmondo, June 2025; not rechecked)

Official certificate

USD 5^[3], in person at the registry office for the area (Legalmondo, June 2025)

What you must give

The governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, section and block^[2,3], where they apply

Valid for a sale or in court

Only the official certificate^[1,2,3,4]

Whish

Not confirmed as a channel; ask Whish directly

How to check a property from abroad, step by step#

1. 1
   Get the property's identifiers in writing. Ask the seller for a copy of the title deed and note the governorate, district, real estate zone, property number, section and block^[2,3], where they apply. For an apartment, a unit number is added to the plot number^[9]. Here is how to find a property's number and zone.
2. 2
   Look it up yourself at OMT. You, or someone you trust in Lebanon, take those details to an OMT outlet, along with a mobile number and an email address^[2,3]. The unofficial copy comes on paper and by SMS^[1,2]. OMT's pages do not say whether a foreign mobile number works, so ask the agent.
3. 3
   Compare it with what the seller told you. Check the owner's name, the shares out of 2,400 (for an apartment, 2,400 shares is the whole unit^[9]), and every mortgage, seizure or court action listed^[3,4]. Each of these charges passes to the buyer unless it is cleared before the purchase^[12]. More in how to check a title deed.
4. 4
   See where the plot is on the ground. The extract identifies the plot on paper only. Where the boundaries on the cadastral plan differ from those on the ground, the plan prevails^[7,13]. The Cadastre oversees the sworn surveyors the registry treats as its affiliates^[6], and a land sale also needs a location map^[14,15]. How to order a plan or hire a surveyor, and what it costs, is not published. Ask the registry office or a sworn surveyor for the cadastral plan of that plot number in that real estate zone, and see how to get a cadastral map or survey.
5. 5
   Have the official certificate issued before you pay anything. A lawyer or another person you trust in Lebanon requests it in person at the registry office for the property's area^[3,15]. Do not rely on a copy, photo or PDF that the seller sends. See how forged deeds and fake owners work.
6. 6
   Give it to the notary. A purchase starts from a recent registry extract and ends with registration at the Land Registry, and ownership passes only on registration^[12]. No source says how recent the extract must be, so ask the notary handling the sale.

It depends on#

• Whether the land is surveyed. A registry is opened in a region only after the survey works there are completed and certified^[7,8], and a certificate does not show the area of a plot that has not been finally surveyed^[3,4]. The Monthly Magazine wrote in 2015 that never-surveyed land, about 25% of the territory^[16], is recorded only in booklets kept by mukhtars. Annahar reported that Finance Ministry Circular 609/2026 of 25 February 2026^[17] changes how unsurveyed land and mushaa are registered, and the circular was contested as of 30 March 2026^[17,18]. Its effect on private sales is not known, so ask the registry office what the register holds for that plot number, and ask a lawyer before you buy village land.
• Where the property is. The certificate comes from the registry office for the property's area^[3,15]. In late April 2026 the Finance Minister said the Bint Jbeil and Ain Ebel offices could not be reached, and the Nabatieh and Marjayoun offices were keeping minimum work^[10]. The current status is not published, so check with the registry office or a lawyer before anyone travels.
• What you need it for. An OMT or online copy is enough for a first look. A sale, a registration or a court case needs the official certificate^[1,2,3,4].
• Whether you are signing a power of attorney. The Washington, Detroit and The Hague missions ask for a copy of the deed or a Land Registry extract with a property POA^[19,20,21]. For a POA to sell, the Netherlands and Detroit missions ask for the original deed or a registry certificate^[20,21]. Ask your own mission whether an OMT copy is accepted.
• Entries still in process. No certificate is issued while a lien or a registration on the plot is still in process^[3]. Ask the registry office what is pending.

Common questions#