🇱🇧Lebanon

The visa is issued at the border, free, and there is no online route

• Most visitors get a free single entry tourist visa on arrival at Beirut airport. It is valid one month from the date of entry and can be extended to three months at a General Security office.
• The list is General Security's own. Its published rules grant a cost-free one month visa, extendable to three, to nationals of a named list that includes the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Russia and most of Europe.
• Gulf Cooperation Council nationals are exempt from the visa entirely and get six months stamped in the passport, extendable to a year free of charge. Jordanian nationals get three months.
• Everyone not on those lists needs prior authorisation from General Security or a visa from a Lebanese embassy. That includes nationals of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, whom General Security handles under a separate set of rules, and every country its lists do not name.
• There is no Lebanese e-visa. General Security's electronic services do not include a tourist visa application, so anyone selling you one online is not selling you a government product.
• You can also get the visa from a Lebanese embassy before you fly, and the FCDO notes an embassy visa may run for a different period than the one issued at the border. Check which you have.

The stamp that stops you at the desk

• An Israeli stamp in the passport can get you refused entry to Lebanon even with a valid visa. That is the FCDO's wording.
• Global Affairs Canada goes further and names the near misses: an Israeli visa, an Israeli border stamp, or an Egyptian or Jordanian border stamp issued at a crossing on the Israeli border, because such a stamp suggests you were in Israel. Travel to or from Israel is illegal under Lebanese law.
• The land border with Israel cannot be crossed in either direction. Canada's advice describes it as impossible; the area either side is heavily mined.

The stamp you must not lose

• You cannot leave Lebanon without a Lebanese entry stamp in your passport. Check it is there before you leave the desk.
• If you get a replacement passport while in Lebanon, carry the old one to the airport so you can show the entry stamp. Global Affairs Canada is explicit about this.

Passport validity: two governments, two numbers

• The FCDO tells British citizens the passport should be valid at least 3 months from the date of entry.
• Global Affairs Canada tells Canadians it must be valid at least 6 months beyond the date they expect to leave.
• They are not contradicting each other about Lebanese law so much as advising their own nationals differently. Six months clear of your departure date satisfies both, and your airline may apply the stricter rule anyway.

Two things that catch people on the way out

• Overstaying means a fine paid at the airport, in Lebanese pounds only, at departures before you go through security. In a country that otherwise runs on US dollars, this is the one bill you have to find pounds for.
• An expired entry visa has to be extended before you can leave. Canada's advice states it plainly: you will not be allowed out until it is regularised.

The name check

• Lebanese immigration checks every visitor's name against a database of people wanted or convicted in Lebanon. A match can mean detention, or entry granted only by surrendering your passport, until they are satisfied the record is not you.
• The FCDO's suggested defence is documentary: carry a copy of your birth certificate or another official document showing your parents' names, which is what the check is resolved against.

Travel bans

• A travel ban imposed in Lebanon applies whatever passport you hold and can stop you entering or leaving. They are most often used in family disputes, and a father or husband can have one placed on a wife or child.

The deposit is the thing to prepare for

• Most medical providers and hospitals insist on significant cash deposits before admitting patients, including in emergencies. That is the FCDO's wording, and Canada's is that payment in advance is almost always required in private facilities.
• You need travel insurance covering treatment, medical evacuation and repatriation, and you need funds you can actually reach on the day. A policy that reimburses in six weeks does not get you through the admissions desk.
• Call your insurer as soon as you are referred anywhere, before treatment starts.

The state of the system

• Availability and quality have been affected by the economic crisis and fuel shortages, though the FCDO says the situation has stabilised for private healthcare and hospitals in Beirut.
• Canada's list of what the crisis does is more specific: air conditioning and electricity turned off, non-essential treatment cancelled, sections of hospitals closed or at reduced capacity, and admissions refused for lack of space or supplies.
• Doctors are generally well qualified and most medical staff speak French and English. Nursing standards vary.
• The airport has first aid and emergency services staffed by licensed doctors, 24 hours a day, in the east and west sides of both the arrival and departure halls.

Medicines

• Medical supplies can occasionally be hard to find. Take what you need with you rather than expecting to buy it here.
• Carry a medical certificate for prescription medication, confirming it was prescribed for a condition. The legal status of a UK or Canadian prescription drug can differ in Lebanon.

Before you go

• Check the vaccine recommendations at least 8 weeks ahead.
• There have been reported cases of cholera in Lebanon. Follow food and water precautions, and read the current guidance rather than assuming it is historical.

Buying a line

• Alfa and touch are the only two mobile operators, and both are state-owned and managed on behalf of the ministry, so shopping around gets you less than it would elsewhere.
• A new Alfa prepaid line costs 7 US dollars excluding VAT and comes with 1 dollar of credit and an initial validity of 10 days, within which you recharge to keep the number alive.
• The tariffs are published in dollars, which tells you most of what the Money section says: Alfa's own bundles run from about 4 dollars to 17 dollars a month depending on the data allowance.
• A foreigner must present a valid passport showing the entry visa, or a valid residence permit, to subscribe. That is Alfa's published requirement, and it is another reason to make sure you actually received the entry stamp at the airport.

Before you have a local number

• Airport wifi is free for one hour within any 72 hours, so set up anything that needs a login before you fly rather than at the kerb.
• Save your embassy's number, your insurer's line and your accommodation's address offline. A contact that lives in the cloud is not a contact during a power cut.

The thing that actually breaks your connection

• The grid does not carry the country. Power cuts are routine, most businesses run on generators, and Canada's advice notes that outages can affect telecommunications as well as banking. A charged phone and a power bank matter more here than the speed of the network.
• Keep the phone charged deliberately, not incidentally. Both governments make the same point about being able to call for help after dark.

Power is the daily fact

• Lebanon's power plants produce only limited electricity for the national grid, so power cuts are routine and many businesses run on their own generators. Provision varies from street to street.
• Have a torch to hand at night, and work out how you would leave your accommodation in the dark before you need to. That is the FCDO's own advice and it is unusually specific.
• Streetlights often do not work, which is why both governments treat walking at night as a judgement call rather than a default.
• Traffic lights fail with the grid, including at major intersections in the city centre. Cross carefully.

Power sockets

• Type C and type F, at 230 V and 50 Hz. Most sockets in Lebanon are hybrid and will also take a type A flat-pin plug.
• A UK plug needs an adapter; most of Europe does not.

Custom and courtesy

• Lebanon is religiously diverse, with many Muslim and Christian communities. Respect local traditions and take your cue from the neighbourhood you are in rather than from the country as a whole.
• Dress codes are more relaxed than in most of the region, but dress modestly at religious sites.
• During Ramadan, be discreet about eating, drinking, smoking and chewing gum in public during daylight, including in a car, and check opening hours before you set out.
• Avoid photographing people without asking.

The dollar is the working currency

• US dollars are the main cash currency, accepted in most supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets. That is the FCDO's description, and the state's own price lists agree with it: the airport publishes its taxi tariff and its car park in dollars, and the state-owned mobile operator sells its prepaid line in dollars.
• Bring enough cash for the whole trip. The FCDO's instruction is to plan for it, because getting hold of US dollars locally can be difficult or expensive.
• Bring clean, ordinary notes and a spread of denominations. Change for a hundred is not a given in a cash economy.

The pound has one published rate, and it has not moved

• Banque du Liban's own daily file has quoted the US dollar at 89,500 LBP on every publication day of 2025 and 2026. It moved once, from 15,000 to 89,500, on 28 March 2024, and has been flat since.
• No primary publisher we could reach quotes a separate street rate. The banking collapse is real and the FCDO describes the economy as in prolonged crisis, but the gap between an official and a parallel rate that defined the early crisis years is not something the central bank, the FCDO or Global Affairs Canada currently publish. Do not plan around a number nobody stands behind.
• In practice the rate rarely decides anything for a visitor, because the prices you are quoted are mostly in dollars already.

Cards: the two governments disagree, so plan for the worse case

• The FCDO says the crisis may affect your ability to pay by credit or debit card and that many companies do not accept them.
• Global Affairs Canada says many stores and companies do accept credit and debit cards.
• They are describing the same country and they do not agree. Carry enough cash that a refused card is an inconvenience, not a problem, and treat any card acceptance you find as a bonus.

Exchange and ATMs

• Foreign currency is exchanged at licensed exchange bureaus, not at banks. That is Canada's advice and it is the practical route.
• ATMs are generally stocked with both Lebanese pounds and US dollars, but individual banks impose daily withdrawal limits. An ATM is a top-up here, not a plan.
• Be aware of your surroundings when using an ATM and avoid carrying large amounts of cash in public, which is the FCDO's standard crime advice and worth more than usual in a cash economy.

The declaration threshold

• Carrying more than USD 15,000, or the equivalent in any other currency, across the Lebanese border means a written declaration to customs. That is Law 42 of 24 November 2015, and it covers cash, negotiable instruments, accompanied luggage, cargo and post.
• Customs may search you, inspect your luggage, and seize undeclared money pending a decision by the public prosecutor. Declare it and keep the form.

The one bill that must be paid in pounds

• An overstay fine is payable at the airport in Lebanese currency only. If you have spent the whole trip in dollars, this is the moment you have to go and find pounds, before security, on the day you fly.

The two advisories, stated in full

Global Affairs Canada, last updated 9 September 2026: avoid all travel to Lebanon because of the volatile security situation in the region, and "if you're in Lebanon, you should leave". That advice covers the entire country, Beirut included.

The FCDO, still current at 10 September 2026, advises against all travel to:

• areas of Beirut and its southern suburbs: Tariq el Jdideh and the area east of it, Ghobeiry and the area north of it, Chiyah south and west of the Rizkallah Semaan road, Haret Hraik, Burj Al Barajneh, Mraije, Laylaki, Jnah south of El Imam Mousa El Sader street, the Golf Club of Lebanon, and all other areas west of the Camil Chamoun Boulevard that becomes the Old Saida Road through Hadath to the airport, excluding Route 51 from central Beirut to the airport
• the South and Nabatiyeh Governorates, in their entirety
• the part of Beqaa Governorate east of the Masnaa to Rachaiya road, which is the area against the Syrian border
• the northern part of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, north of the Danniyeh to Hermel road and east of the Baalbek to Qaa highway
• the part of Akkar Governorate against the Syrian border, north and east of the road from Qlayaat through Tal Keri, Kouaikhat, Aamriyeh and Qoubaiyat
• all 12 Palestinian refugee camps

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:

• the rest of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate
• southern Mount Lebanon, below the road running from Wadi El Zayni through Aanout, Gharifeh, Ainbal, Boqaata, Moukhtara and Maaser El Chouf
• the part of Beqaa Governorate south of the Kafraiya to Joub Jannine road and east of the Joub Jannine to Bar Elias road
• eastern Tripoli, east of the Bechara El Khoury road, including Abou Samra, Tabbaneh, Jessrin, Qoubbeh and Zaytoun

Travelling against FCDO advice can invalidate your travel insurance, and consular support is severely limited where it advises against travel.

The conflict, as the FCDO describes it

• A cessation of hostilities was announced in June 2026, and fighting and airstrikes have continued, particularly in the south, where an Israeli military presence remains.
• Israeli airstrikes have occurred mainly in the South, Nabatiyeh and Beqaa Governorates and Beirut's southern suburbs, but also outside those areas. Warnings are often issued before a strike, and often are not.
• Beirut airport is open and operational. Check the local security situation before travelling to it.
• Have a personal emergency plan that does not rely on the UK or Canadian government. Both say so, in those words. Keep departure plans under review, keep documents current, and hold enough food, water and medication to shelter in place for several days.
• If you are told to take shelter, go indoors, to an interior stairwell or a room with as few external walls and windows as possible. The FCDO's stated reason is that most of the risk is falling debris from intercepts.
• Local radio is a real source here: Virgin Radio Lebanon on 89.5 FM and Voice of Lebanon on 100.3 to 100.5 FM.

Terrorism and kidnap

• Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Lebanon, and groups intend to target foreigners. Activity has particularly centred on Tripoli, the Palestinian camps, the areas near the Syrian border around Hermel and Aarsal, and Beirut's southern suburbs.
• There is a threat of kidnapping and the Lebanese authorities have warned that foreigners could be targeted. The FCDO is explicit that being a tourist, an aid worker, a journalist or a business traveller will not protect you, and that the British government does not make substantive concessions to hostage takers.
• Additional security measures apply on flights from Lebanon to the UK and have done since March 2017.

Guns, protests and crowds

• Celebratory gunfire is illegal and common, and there are casualties every year from falling rounds, sometimes a long way from where the gun was fired. If you hear gunfire, get inside and away from windows.
• Weapons are widespread and arguments escalate. Groups including Hizballah hold arms beyond state control.
• Avoid demonstrations and political gatherings. They form at short notice, security forces use tear gas and rubber bullets, and confrontations can produce large numbers of casualties.
• Be especially careful during Ramadan and public holidays.

Crime

• Moderate risk of petty and violent crime. Vary your routine, keep jewellery out of sight, do not carry large amounts of cash in public.
• There have been reported incidents of sexual harassment and assault in public areas. Streetlights often do not work because of the power cuts, so think about whether a street is safe to walk alone and carry a torch.
• Criminal gangs run drugs in parts of the Beqaa, especially the north, with armed robbery, kidnap and frequent clashes with the security forces.

Laws that catch visitors

• Do not photograph or film military sites, personnel or equipment, government buildings, or anything in the southern suburbs, the Beqaa or the south. You can be detained for being seen doing it and arrested for photographing a military site.
• Flying a drone without permission is illegal.
• Drug offences, including small quantities, bring prison sentences. Canada notes that people charged are usually denied bail for a process that takes years.
• The Criminal Code's provision on acts "against nature" has been applied to same-sex sexual activity, punishable by up to a year in prison. Canada records blackmail and extortion of LGBT+ people through dating apps, and bans on peaceful LGBT+ gatherings. LGBT+ travellers should read both governments' advice before deciding to go.
• Dress codes are more relaxed than elsewhere in the region, but dress modestly at religious sites, and be discreet about eating, drinking and smoking in public during Ramadan daylight hours.

Landmines and fires

• Landmines and unexploded ordnance are present and not always marked. Stay on well-used tracks, do not walk the edges, and avoid remote abandoned buildings.
• Forest fires are a heightened risk in summer. The fire service is on 175.

The numbers

• The UK and Canada publish the same three numbers, which is as good a cross-check as this kind of fact gets.
• 112 is the general emergency number the FCDO points British nationals to on its main Lebanon page.
• 140 is the number for an ambulance, and 175 is also who you call about a forest fire.

Consular help

• British nationals needing urgent help in Lebanon, for example after an attack, an arrest or a death, call +961 (0)1 960 800. The British Embassy in Beirut is operating as normal.
• From the UK, the FCDO's 24 hour line about someone abroad is 020 7008 5000.
• Canadians call the nearest office in business hours, or the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at any time. The Canadian embassy is on the Jal El Dib highway, north of the city.

Before you need them

• Save all three numbers, plus your embassy and your insurer, offline on the handset. Power cuts and network problems are ordinary events here.
• Call the insurer as soon as you are referred to a hospital, because the deposit is asked for at the door.
• If the airport roads are closed and you are at the airport, stay there until the authorities say the access roads are open.