What it costs to buy property in Lebanon
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 6.8%–7.8% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. No licence or permit is required.
What you pay
- Registration fees5.8% of the price$29,000
- Legal and notarial fees1.0%–2.0% of the price$5,000–$10,000
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration fees | $14,500 | $29,000 | $58,000 |
| Legal and notarial fees | $2,500 – $5,000 | $5,000 – $10,000 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 6.8%–7.8% | 6.8%–7.8% | 6.8%–7.8% |
Can you buy as a foreigner?
No licence required
A foreign individual may acquire up to 3,000 m² in aggregate, built property included, with no permit at all — which covers essentially any apartment. Beyond that threshold a decree of the Council of Ministers is required, and that route has been slow or unavailable for long stretches. A spouse and minor children count as one person for the threshold, and national ceilings cap total foreign ownership by district. Since Law 296 of 2001, foreign and Lebanese buyers pay the same registration fees.
No approval to wait for
With no permission to obtain, the timeline is set by conveyancing rather than by a government queue.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
An estimate for budgeting, not legal or tax advice. These rates are traced to published sources but have not been reviewed by a practitioner in this jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with an attorney before you commit.
The 3,000 m² threshold and the fee composition come from the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon's own published material, which is as authoritative as this file gets. What it cannot tell you is the practical position: since 2019 the gap between official and market exchange rates, restrictions on moving money through Lebanese banks, and the intermittent functioning of the Council of Ministers have all mattered more to completing a Lebanese purchase than any rate above. Take current local advice on payment mechanics specifically. Agency commission is not modelled.