Guidance

Lebanon: Knowledge Base profile

Published 4 September 2025

About: Lebanon

This document contains useful information about Lebanon which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors then email HM Passport Office’s Guidance team.

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 2 September 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Lebanon: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Lebanon.

Names in Lebanon consist of:

• a personal forename
• father’s personal forename
• a family surname

Lebanon nationals who do not have family name are able to obtain a Lebanon passport through:

• an investigation conducted by the interior security forces
• official documents
• an attestation (statement) from the adoptive family, orphanage, or a spiritual religious court

Where a woman is married, their spouse’s name may be shown on their Lebanon passport.

Change of name

Change of name is only allowed in Lebanon where an error has been made on an official document or a change of name is ordered by a court

Name alignment

Lebanon passports do not show the father’s personal forename. Customers cannot align the passport to show the father’s personal forename.

Where a customer’s surname is different on the Lebanon passport, the Lebanon passport can only be changed if an error was made by the issuing authority. 

If a court orders a change to a name, the Office of the Registrar will add a marginal note and strike out the old data on the birth certificate. 

Lebanon passports can be applied for outside of Lebanon.

Lebanon: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Lebanon.

Dual nationality is allowed in Lebanon.

Lebanon: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Lebanon.

Legitimacy

Lebanon recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate if:
  • the parents were married at the time of the birth
  • born to unmarried Christian parents who marry after the birth
• illegitimate if:
  • the parents never marry
  • born to unmarried Muslim parents who marry after the birth

Lebanon: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Lebanon.

Adoption is legal in Lebanon.

Lebanon: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Lebanon.

Surrogacy is not recognised in Lebanon.

Lebanon: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Lebanon.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Lebanon.

Lebanon: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Lebanon.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are illegal in Lebanon.

Civil and religious marriages are recognised in Lebanon.

Polygamous and proxy marriages are recognised in Lebanon for Muslims under Sharia law.

Lebanon: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Lebanon.

The Lebanese authorities do not laminate documents.

Birth certificates

Births in Lebanon must be registered within 1 year with the civil registry authorities.  Late registration is allowed and involves procedures to establish birth and family lineage including DNA testing.

A birth certificate is issued at the time of registration. Unmarried mothers can only register a birth if the father declares paternity, or if they obtain a court order naming the father.

Clerical errors on birth certificates will be corrected by the Office of the Registrar who will issue a new certificate.

If a court orders a change to a name, date, or place of birth in a record, the Office of the Registrar will add a marginal note and strike out the old data on the birth certificate. 

Marriage certificates

Civil marriages that take place outside of Lebanon are recognised and can be registered with the Lebanon authorities.

Marriages in Lebanon must be registered with the civil registry. The registrar will issue a marriage certificate.

There is one type of marriage certificate issued in Lebanon.

Death certificates

Deaths in Lebanon must be registered with the local civil registry office within 45 days of the date of death. Late registration is possible through a court order filed by the next of kin. 

There is one type of death certificate issued in Lebanon.

Identity documents

Identity cards are compulsory identity documents for all Lebanon citizens aged 15 years or older that are habitually resident in Lebanon. The identity card is issued to Lebanon citizens by the police on behalf of the Lebanon Ministry of Interior or in Lebanon embassies and consulates abroad.

The identity cards are valid for travel to:

• Syria
• Jordan
• Iraq

The ID card is proof of a citizen’s:

• identity
• citizenship
• residence

The Lebanon authorities issue two types of passports:

• an electronic passport, which:
  • has the passport holder’s personal details on page 3 of the passport
  • may include their spouse’s name on page 3 if they have decided to add it to their name after marriage
  • can be manually renewed by the Lebanon authorities for a period of 1 or 2 years
• a biometric passport, which:
  • has the passport holder’s personal details divided between page 3 and 4 of the passport
  • may include their spouse’s name on page 4 if they have decided to add it to their name after marriage

The Lebanon authorities issue travel documents to refugees from Palestine who are present in Lebanon.

The document is valid for 5 years where they are registered with:

• the Directorate of Political Affairs and Refugees; and,
• the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA); and,
• the General Directorate of the General Security

The document is valid for 3 years where they are registered with the Directorate of Political Affairs and Refugees only.

A Lebanon passport can be applied for:

• in Lebanon
• at a consulate or embassy in the country where the passport holder is resident