Lebanon work visa: approvals, work permit and work residence

General Security lists foreigners who want to work among those who always need a prior authorization, whatever their nationality. No one can therefore start a job on a free tourist entry visa. Work residence is organised in four categories; General Security publishes separate fees for each, and nationals of some labour-sending countries face additional conditions.

Foreign experts on technical assignments of up to one month can use the foreign expert visa instead. Artists, models and domestic workers follow their own General Security procedures.

The current General Security fee table sets the annual work residence fee at LBP 108,000,000 for the first category and LBP 72,000,000 for the second, both including family members, LBP 24,000,000 for the third category and LBP 18,000,000 for the fourth. A three-year residence costs three times the annual fee. Urgent handling by the public relations department adds LBP 4,900,000 per permit, and a sponsor (kafala) transfer costs LBP 2,000,000. The entry or work visa itself is listed at LBP 2,000,000.

General Security grants a three-month work entry visa once both it and the Ministry of Labour have issued a prior authorization. The sequence General Security publishes for sponsored workers runs in four stages: prior authorization from the Ministry of Labour, the entry visa requested at a General Security bureau, the work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour, and finally the residence permit from General Security.

For the work permit, General Security's published sequence lists a copy of the passport and visa, insurance from an insurance company, medical laboratory tests and a work contract signed before a notary. The residence permit is then issued on the basis of a work permit valid for at least six months and a certified copy of the contract.

First- and second-category work residence can be renewed and also collected through Liban Post. Holders of a three-year work permit in the first or second category, with at least two and a half years left, can apply for a three-year residence; holders of a two-year first-category permit receive residence one year at a time.

Since 1 November 2024, foreigners whose work visa or residence has expired must present a clearance certificate from the Ministry of Labour, paid online, before leaving through a border crossing.

The spouse and children of a second-category worker can receive an annual residence at the same fee as the worker, with a marriage document, a passport valid for at least one year, three photos, a copy of the worker's residence permit and a notarised statement that the spouse and children do not work. General Security's Liban Post service table also lists annual residence codes for the spouse and children of first- and second-category work visa holders.