Lebanon Income-Based Residency Permit

Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security grants annual residence to foreigners who live on a monthly income or a blocked bank balance and will not work in Lebanon. The category is listed as "Monthly income or bank statement" on its annual residence page (General Security).

• Length: up to 1 year.
• Money: a monthly income of LBP 50,000,000, or a blocked account of LBP 1,000,000,000, or the same value in foreign currency.
• Fee: LBP 18,000,000, the general annual residence fee. General Security confirms the amount at filing.
• Family: spouse and children receive residence on the holder's file, except adult males, whose cases are reviewed.
• Work: applicants sign a notarized undertaking not to work.

A separate, longer option: General Security also issues a three-year permanent residence on a cash guarantee deposited with the Ministry of Finance (General Security). It has its own documents and fee, set out below.

The annual permit is for foreigners who can support themselves without a job in Lebanon (General Security). Applicants qualify with one of these, shown on a bank statement:

• A monthly income of LBP 50,000,000 or a similar value in foreign currency.
• A blocked account in Lebanon of at least LBP 1,000,000,000, held for at least 3 months, or a similar value in foreign currency.
• A joint blocked account of at least LBP 2,000,000,000, or a similar value in foreign currency.

Applicants file a notarized undertaking not to work; those over 64 are exempt from filing it. The family receives residence automatically on the applicant's behalf, except adult males, whose applications are reviewed and who also sign the no-work undertaking. The page sets no nationality limit or minimum age for this category.

For the annual permit, General Security lists (General Security):

• A completed and signed application form.
• A passport valid for at least one year, plus two copies.
• Three ID photos, 4.5 x 3.5 cm.
• A notarized undertaking not to work.
• The bank statement showing the income or blocked account.
• A title deed or lease deed.

For the three-year permanent residence on a cash guarantee, it lists a completed form, a colored copy of a passport valid for at least three years plus two photocopies, three recent passport-size photos, a pledge not to work for applicants under 64, proof of the cash guarantee and a lease or title deed (General Security).

Neither page lists a health insurance, police certificate, translation or apostille rule.

• Annual permit: LBP 18,000,000. This is General Security's fee for an annual residence permit in all other categories; the income category's own row shows no amount, so the fee is confirmed at filing (General Security fee schedule).
• Three-year permanent residence: LBP 54,000,000, which covers the applicant, spouse, minor children and dependent relatives over 64 (General Security).

The money shown for eligibility is not a fee: the blocked account or the cash guarantee stays the applicant's, but it must be in place. US dollar figures quoted elsewhere for this permit are conversions or have no official source.

1. Enter Lebanon: nationals of listed countries, including the EU states, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Japan, get a free visa on arrival for 1 month, extendable to 3 months. Nationals of other countries need a visa from a Lebanese embassy or a prior authorization from General Security (General Security).
2. Prepare the file: the documents above, with the bank statement and the notarized no-work undertaking.
3. File with General Security: its annual residence page names no specific office for this category. General Security runs its Central Direction in Adliyeh, Beirut, and regional centers (General Security).

For the cash-guarantee route, the guarantee is deposited first, in cash or by a fresh cashier's check, with the Treasury Directorate's Accounting and Funds Department at the Ministry of Finance (General Security).

No official processing time is published.

The annual permit runs for up to 1 year, matched to the passport's validity when the passport has more than 6 months left (General Security). No official renewal rule is published for this category.

Does it lead to longer residence? No automatic path; a separate three-year permanent residence is available on a LBP 4,500,000,000 cash guarantee deposited with the Ministry of Finance (General Security). That permit covers three years; its page does not say whether it can be renewed.

A person present in Lebanon for more than 183 days in any 12 consecutive months, continuously or not, is tax resident, as is anyone with a place of business or a permanent home in Lebanon. Days spent only in transit or for medical treatment do not count (Tax Procedure Code article 1, as amended by Law 60/2016, per the Ministry of Finance note to the OECD).

A holder who stays for most of a one-year permit passes that line. No official source sets out a tax rule tied to the permit, so holders should check their position with the Ministry of Finance and their home country.