Lebanon business visa: invitations, short assignments and documents

The fourth article of General Security's visa rules covers investors, businesspeople, bankers, directors, employers and traders. Arab investors coming for the first time can receive a six-month visa with an attestation from their home authorities or an invitation from IDAL, Lebanon's investment development authority. Investors and traders of any nationality can receive the same six-month visa with an official invitation from a Lebanese businessperson.

Separate rules apply to executives, doctors, engineers and lawyers who hold a residence permit in a GCC country: they receive an 11-month visa at the airport, but their spouses and children follow their own nationality rules unless they also hold GCC residence.

A business visit visa for commercial work, consultation or training is requested at the General Security public relations bureau. It needs a document stating the length, reason and address of the visit, proof of the commercial relationship and proof of the visitor's solvency. It is granted for one month and can be renewed once.

Foreign experts brought in for technical or administrative work for up to one month get a one-month, non-renewable visa at the port of entry, requested by the Lebanese company through the public relations bureau. If the assignment is longer than one month, the rules for a first-category worker apply and the expert needs a work visa.

The company submits a certified copy of the expert's passport valid for at least six months, certified copies of the company's official documents such as the commercial register, a certified copy of the ID or civil status extract of the director or owner, a document showing the expert's profession, insurance bought by the company for the stay, a residence permit if the expert lives outside their home country, and the company ledger entry describing the work.

The General Security fee table lists LBP 2,000,000 for work or entry visas, visit visas, visa conversion and renewal. Nationalities that receive a free entry visa at the border pay nothing for the entry stamp itself.

The inviting businessperson sends a formal request to General Security with proof of the guest's accommodation, a certified copy of the company's commercial register, a certified copy of the guest's passport and a document showing the guest's profession. General Security processes the request within 72 hours at most, and the six-month visa is then granted at the airport or border post.

Travellers who receive the free visa on arrival can in practice use it for meetings; General Security nonetheless says that non-tourist entry requires a prior authorization, so a company invitation is the documented route for a business trip.