Money, cards and ATMs in Lebanon

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.