What is Lebanon's Work permit and annual residence (employer-sponsored)?

Foreign nationals employed by a Lebanese entity. Two documents from two bodies: a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and a residence permit from General Security, obtained in that order. It lasts work permits are issued for one year and renewed annually; residence is matched to the permit. Not automatic. Lebanon does issue a longer-term residence — commonly described as three years and renewable — but it is a separate application, not a consequence of years worked.

What is Lebanon's Courtesy residence (residence of courtesy)?

The route most foreigners in Lebanon actually use, and the one least discussed abroad: people with a Lebanese connection. General Security grants it free of charge. It lasts temporary residence, renewable. General Security states it is granted free of charge. Does not itself confer permanence, but for people of Lebanese descent it is the practical way to live in Lebanon indefinitely without an employer.

What is Lebanon's Family residence (dependants of a work-permit holder)?

The spouse and children of a foreigner holding a Lebanese annual work permit. It lasts annual, matched to the sponsor's permit; fees are stated as the same as the sponsor's. None on its own. Dependants follow the sponsor.

GlobeQuest

Moving from Eritrea to Lebanon

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

Eritrea

LebanonShort stay

Visa required

Eritrea passport holders need a visa arranged in advance to enter Lebanon, usually through an embassy, consulate or accredited visa centre.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in Lebanon — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026Lebanon's official immigration service

Long stay

How you actually move to Lebanon

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Work permit and annual residence (employer-sponsored)

Foreign nationals employed by a Lebanese entity. Two documents from two bodies: a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and a residence permit from General Security, obtained in that order.

What you need

Job offer from a Lebanese employer, who applies for prior authorisation and then the work permit
The employer must show the role cannot be filled by a Lebanese national — the preference principle in Decree No. 17561 of 1964, the Foreign Workers Regulation
The occupation must not be one reserved to Lebanese nationals
Medical tests and a bank deposit attestation, depending on category
Application to General Security for temporary residence, normally within three months of arrival

How long it lasts: Work permits are issued for one year and renewed annually; residence is matched to the permit.
Path to permanent residence: Not automatic. Lebanon does issue a longer-term residence — commonly described as three years and renewable — but it is a separate application, not a consequence of years worked.
Cost: Ministry of Labour prior-authorisation and work-permit fees are set in Lebanese pounds and have been revised repeatedly since 2019; General Security charges a separate residence fee. Ask the employer for the current figures rather than relying on any published table.
Processing time: Commonly one to three months once documents are complete.

Worth knowing

Around seventy professions are reserved for Lebanese nationals by ministerial decree, covering broad areas including administrative, banking, insurance and educational work. The list is reissued and can change; check the current decree against your actual job description, not your job title.
Work permits are graded into classes, and the class you hold affects downstream rights — notably whether your spouse and children can obtain residence on your permit. Establish which class your employer is applying for before you accept.
Lebanon has no digital-nomad or remote-work visa. Remote workers use short-stay entry, which is not a residence route.
Salaries are taxable in Lebanon. Payroll tax is progressive from 2% to 25%, and the brackets are set in Lebanese pounds and have been re-based by successive budget laws, most consequentially in 2024. How a salary actually paid in US dollars is converted for payroll tax has itself been the subject of specific ministerial rules. Do not model a Lebanese salary without an accountant.

Sources:Lebanon Ministry of Labour General Directorate of General Security (Sûreté Générale)PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lebanon, taxes on personal income

FamilyMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Courtesy residence (residence of courtesy)

The route most foreigners in Lebanon actually use, and the one least discussed abroad: people with a Lebanese connection. General Security grants it free of charge.

What you need

One of the qualifying connections listed by General Security — dual nationals; people of Lebanese origin born abroad but not registered; children of a Lebanese parent, biological or adopted; the husband of a Lebanese woman where the marriage is more than a year old; the non-working wife of a Lebanese man; foreign minors born in Lebanon and studying there; retired diplomats who previously served in Lebanon
Application form signed in person
Passport valid at least three years, plus photocopies
Three recent passport photographs (3.5 × 4.5 cm)
Category-specific civil documents — marriage and birth certificates, proof of Lebanese nationality, civil status records

How long it lasts: Temporary residence, renewable. General Security states it is granted free of charge.
Path to permanent residence: Does not itself confer permanence, but for people of Lebanese descent it is the practical way to live in Lebanon indefinitely without an employer.
Cost: Free, per General Security's own published conditions. Document attestation abroad is your cost.
Processing time: Weeks, dependent on the completeness of the civil documents.

Worth knowing

The three-year passport validity requirement is unusually long and catches people whose passport has two years left. Renew before you apply, not after you are refused.
The categories are specific and gendered — the husband of a Lebanese woman and the wife of a Lebanese man are treated under different conditions. Read the category that matches your own situation.
Courtesy residence does not by itself carry the right to work. If you intend to be employed, you still need a Ministry of Labour work permit.

Sources:General Security — courtesy residence General Directorate of General Security (Sûreté Générale)

RetirementLow confidenceVerified August 2026

Annual residence for holders of independent income

People who can support themselves without Lebanese employment — retirees, people living on income from abroad, and applicants over 64, whom General Security exempts from the work attestation requirement.

What you need

Evidence of independent means: General Security's annual-residence conditions state either a blocked bank account or a monthly income, each at a threshold set in Lebanese pounds
Passport with adequate validity, photographs and the standard application
Proof of accommodation

How long it lasts: Annual, renewable.
Path to permanent residence: None directly; it renews rather than accumulates.
Cost: General Security residence fee, set in Lebanese pounds.
Processing time: Weeks.

Worth knowing

The thresholds are denominated in Lebanese pounds and were set against a currency that has since collapsed and been administratively re-based more than once. Their real value in dollars is therefore not stable, and the figure General Security applies at the counter is the one that matters. Confirm the current number directly before relying on it.
A 'blocked account' test interacts badly with Lebanon's banking crisis: money placed in a Lebanese bank since 2019 has not been freely withdrawable in the ordinary way, and pre-crisis deposits are subject to informal restrictions. Understand exactly what kind of account and what kind of dollars are being required before you transfer anything into Lebanon.
Separate annual-residence categories exist for religious students and clergy, and for investors — the investor category, as published, is framed around applicants resident in Arab countries with accreditation from their home country.

Sources:General Security — residence types and annual residence categories General Directorate of General Security (Sûreté Générale)

FamilyLow confidenceVerified August 2026

Family residence (dependants of a work-permit holder)

The spouse and children of a foreigner holding a Lebanese annual work permit.

What you need

The sponsor's valid annual work permit — General Security's published condition refers specifically to second-class work permits
Marriage certificate and passports valid at least a year
Notarised work attestation for the sponsor
Proof that the sponsor supports the family financially

How long it lasts: Annual, matched to the sponsor's permit; fees are stated as the same as the sponsor's.
Path to permanent residence: None on its own. Dependants follow the sponsor.
Cost: The same residence fee as the principal applicant, per General Security. Minors are exempt from the fee.
Processing time: Weeks after the sponsor's permit and residence exist.

Worth knowing

Because the condition is written against a specific work-permit class, a sponsor on a different class may not be able to bring family at all. This is the single most important thing to confirm before moving a family to Lebanon.
A family residence does not carry work rights; a working spouse needs their own work permit and faces the same reserved-professions list.

Sources:General Security — residence types and annual residence categories General Directorate of General Security (Sûreté Générale)

On the ground