Buying property in Lebanon as a foreigner or from the diaspora

Who counts as a foreign buyer

• Lebanese nationals, including those living abroad, buy without the limits on foreign ownership.

  Sources · JSK, 18 Nov 2025; IDAL, 12 Mar 2018

• The law treats as foreign any person who does not hold Lebanese nationality.

  Source · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018

• A Lebanese company counts as foreign when most of its capital is owned by foreigners.

  Source · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018

• We found no source that says how the rules apply to someone who holds Lebanese and another nationality. Ask a Lebanese notary before you sign.

  Source · Ahla Beit research, 16 Oct 2026

Limits on foreign buyers

• The rules are in Legislative Decree 11614 of 1969, as amended by Law 296 of 3 April 2001.

  Sources · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018; UN-Habitat (GLTN), 28 May 2024

• Without a permit, a foreign person may own up to 3,000 m² in all, built property included. A spouse and minor children count as one person.

  Sources · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018; UN-Habitat (GLTN), 28 May 2024; IDAL, undated

• Owning more than 3,000 m² needs a decree of the Council of Ministers, on a proposal from the Minister of Finance.

  Sources · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018; UN-Habitat (GLTN), 28 May 2024

• Foreign ownership is capped at 3% of Lebanon's surface, 3% of each district (caza) and 10% of Beirut.

  Sources · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018; IDAL, undated; UN-Habitat (GLTN), 28 May 2024

• A licence lapses if the purchase is not registered within one year. A building or project on the land must be finished within five years of registration, a period that can be renewed once.

  Sources · IDAL, 12 Mar 2018; IDAL, undated; UN-Habitat (GLTN), 28 May 2024

• The law bars anyone without the nationality of a recognised state from acquiring property rights. It is widely read as barring Palestinian refugees; that reading is contested.

  Source · NRC, January 2016

What it costs

• Registration fee: 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers and 5% for non-Lebanese buyers, under Article 92 of the 2022 Budget Law (Law 10/2022).

  Sources · Official Gazette, 15 Nov 2022; ALDIC, 9 Dec 2022; Kallas Law Firm, 24 May 2026

• Older guides give about 5.8% to 6% for everyone, but those figures predate the 2022 Budget Law. We read Article 92 in the Official Gazette text on 17 October 2026, and the later budget laws we checked (2024 to 2026) do not change it. Ask the notary for the amount on the day.

  Sources · Official Gazette, 15 Nov 2022; Kallas Law Firm, 24 May 2026; PwC, 1 Jul 2026; IDAL, 12 Mar 2018

• Stamp duty: 0.4% of the contract value, plus fixed stamps.

  Sources · Kallas Law Firm, 24 May 2026; PwC, 1 Jul 2026

• Notary: a levy of 2 per mille (at least LBP 20,000), a notary fee of 30% of that levy, and a fee of 1 per mille on deeds notarised for the Land Registry.

  Source · Kallas Law Firm, 24 May 2026

• Bar Association levy: 1 per mille on contracts above LBP 2 million. A 5% municipal surcharge applies to some registration items.

  Source · Kallas Law Firm, 24 May 2026

Steps from offer to title

• Get a recent extract from the Land Registry. It shows the owner and any mortgages, charges and restrictions.

  Source · Kallas Law Firm, 25 May 2026

• A promise of sale can be provisionally inscribed at the Land Registry. Only then can it be enforced against third parties.

  Source · Kallas Law Firm, 25 May 2026

• The sale is signed before a notary. The registry file needs a Ministry of Finance clearance for built property, and a municipal statement and cadastral map for land.

  Sources · Kallas Law Firm, 9 Jun 2026; Obeid & Medawar, 25 Jan 2024

• You become the owner when the sale is inscribed at the Land Registry. Until then, an unregistered sale gives only a personal claim against the seller.

  Sources · Kallas Law Firm, 9 Jun 2026; UN-Habitat (GLTN), 28 May 2024

Signing from abroad: power of attorney

• Lebanon is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a power of attorney signed abroad is legalised by a Lebanese embassy or consulate, not apostilled.

  Source · HCCH, 30 Jun 2026

• Washington: the Lebanese embassy asks for a notarised power of attorney, authenticated by the Secretary of State, then legalised at the embassy. It must give the property number and location. Fee: $50 per signature.

  Source · Embassy of Lebanon in Washington, undated

• New York: notary, then the county clerk where required, the Secretary of State, then the consulate, with two witnesses for real estate. Fees: $100 for a general and $50 for a special power of attorney.

  Source · Consulate General of Lebanon in New York, undated

• The Netherlands: you sign in person at the embassy. Fees: EUR 44 for a special and EUR 88 for a general power of attorney.

  Source · Embassy of Lebanon in the Netherlands, undated

• Our advice

  Rules and fees differ by country. Check with the Lebanese embassy or consulate where you live before you sign.

Paying

• By the end of 2022 the vast majority of sellers asked to be paid in fresh dollars rather than bank cheques, a broker's year-end review said. We found no newer source.

  Source · JSK, 30 Dec 2022

• Our advice

  Do not pay a deposit until you have seen the registry extract and the papers match the seller.

Questions people ask