Moving to Beirut from Australia: the full guide

Straight up: the Australian Government's advice for Lebanon is "Do not travel", so anyone moving to Beirut is doing it with eyes open, usually for family, work or both.

The short version

Smartraveller's overall level for Lebanon is Do not travel, because of armed conflict, civil unrest, terrorism and a volatile security situation [1]. Consular help is limited, and your travel insurance may not cover you.
Australian citizens are on Lebanon's list of countries that get a free one-month tourist visa, extendable to three months [2].
Staying longer means an annual residence permit from General Security, and the category depends on why you're there: work, marriage to a Lebanese citizen, family, or showing you can support yourself [3].
If you're also a Lebanese citizen, Lebanon treats you as Lebanese, which changes what Australia can do for you [1].
Plan for power cuts, cash, and a way out. Smartraveller says flights and borders can close at short notice [1].

First, the safety reality

We're not going to pretend this is a move to Lisbon. Smartraveller raised Lebanon to its highest level, Do not travel, and lists areas to avoid even within that: South Lebanon and Nabatieh governorates, Akkar, Baalbek-Hermel, anywhere within 5 km of the Syrian border, Bekaa east of the Litani River, and Beirut's southern suburbs (Dahiyeh). It also flags Palestinian refugee camps and parts of Tripoli [1].

It also says, plainly, that if it's safe to do so you should leave while commercial flights are running, and otherwise shelter in place with supplies [1].

And yet DFAT estimates about 15,000 Australians normally live in Lebanon, with several thousand more arriving each summer [7]. Most have family ties. If you're one of them, here's what a sensible move looks like:

Subscribe to Smartraveller updates for Lebanon so changes land in your inbox [1].
Save the numbers. The Australian Embassy is in the Embassy Complex on Serail Hill, Downtown Beirut, phone +961 1 960600. The 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre is +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas [6].
Keep a go-bag and current documents ready, including a passport with plenty of validity.
Talk to your insurer before you book. Many policies limit or exclude cover where the government advice is Do not travel, so get it in writing. Smartraveller notes you'll pay for all medical care in Lebanon, and hospitals usually want a payment guarantee or cash up front [1].
Hold some cash in US dollars. Both US dollars and Lebanese pounds are accepted, but ATMs can come with daily limits and high fees [1].

Visas and residence permits

Arriving as a visitor

General Security, the agency that handles entry and residency, lists Australia among the countries whose citizens get a free visa of one month, extendable to three months. You're required to tell General Security your address and report any change of location [2].

Smartraveller adds a few cautions: rules can change without notice, your passport should have at least six months' validity, and travellers are checked against border alerts called "stop orders" [1]. Any evidence of travel to Israel, such as stamps, can get you refused entry, deported or detained [1].

Staying longer

General Security's annual residence page covers a list of categories [3]:

Category	Who it's for	Typical extra documents
Work residence	People with a job and work permit in Lebanon	Employer sponsorship and work permit
Wife of a Lebanese citizen	Foreign wives of Lebanese men	Marriage certificate, notarised non-work statement
Parent of a Lebanese citizen	Foreign parents (and a supported single sister)	Proof of family ties, financial responsibility statement
Mother of a Lebanese child	Divorced or widowed mothers not remarried	Divorce or death certificate, family register
Financially self-sufficient	People living on their own means	Bank statements or blocked account, title deed or lease, non-work pledge
Investor	Business people with a project in Lebanon	Investment attestation

Common to all: a signed form, a passport with enough validity (usually at least a year), and three 4.5 × 3.5 cm photos. The permit runs up to one year, matched to your passport's validity [3].

Fees are set in Lebanese pounds. General Security's current schedule lists LBP 18,000,000 for most annual permits, and between LBP 18,000,000 and LBP 108,000,000 for work permits depending on category. A three-year permit costs three times the annual fee [4]. Check the US dollar equivalent at the time you apply, because the pound has moved a lot.

There's also a six-month multiple-entry residence visa for people who hold a Lebanese bank account with a minimum balance of LBP 1.5 billion or the foreign-currency equivalent. You have to promise not to work, and you can't hold a work permit at the same time [5].

Dual nationals

If you hold Lebanese citizenship too, you'll usually enter and live as a Lebanese citizen. Smartraveller is clear that Lebanon treats dual nationals as Lebanese, which can significantly limit consular help if you're arrested or detained [1]. We go deeper on this in our guide for Lebanese-Australians.

Sort these in Australia before you go

Passport. Renew if it's anywhere near the end. In Beirut, embassy passport services are strictly by appointment [6].
Documents. Bring originals and copies of birth, marriage and degree certificates. Residence and work applications lean heavily on them [3].
Medicare and Centrelink. Medicare doesn't cover you overseas, and some Centrelink payments stop or change when you leave. Tell Services Australia before you go [9].
Voting. If you plan to come home within six years, you can register as an overseas elector up to three months before you leave or within three years after [8].
Tax and super. Work out whether you'll stay an Australian tax resident. Our living-abroad guides cover it.
Family law. If you're travelling with children and there's any chance of a custody dispute, get legal advice first. Lebanon isn't party to the Hague Convention on child abduction, family law follows religious law, and stop orders can prevent people leaving [1].

Your first weeks in Beirut

Money

Lebanon's banking crisis left a long shadow. Smartraveller notes withdrawal limits and high fees, and advises carrying enough hard currency [1]. Many newcomers keep their Australian account for savings and use cards plus cash for daily life. Ask locally which banks and exchange offices people trust right now.

Power, water and internet

Fuel and power shortages are frequent, and they can knock out water pumps, mobile networks and internet [1]. When you look at flats, ask how many hours of state power the building gets and whether it has a generator. Our renting guide has the full checklist.

Phone

Get a local SIM early. You'll need a number for deliveries, landlords and almost every app. Bring an unlocked phone.

Getting around

Smartraveller recommends licensed, metered taxis booked by phone, through your hotel or through reputable apps, and suggests avoiding service taxis and street-hailed cabs, especially at night. You should hold an International Driving Permit if you drive, and carry ID for checkpoints [1].

Where people live

Beirut is small and dense. Neighbourhoods newcomers usually look at:

Achrafieh: East Beirut, residential, lots of older buildings and steep streets.
Hamra and Ras Beirut: West Beirut, near the American University of Beirut, busy, plenty of cafes.
Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh: Bars, galleries and old stairways, close to the port and hit hard by the August 2020 explosion. Lively and noisy at night.
Badaro: Leafy, local, with good cafes.
Verdun and Downtown: Newer towers, higher rents.
Outside the city: Some families choose coastal towns north of Beirut such as Jounieh, or the hills, for more space.

Check each address against Smartraveller's list of areas to avoid before you sign anything [1].

Finding your people

The Australian Embassy is the anchor for official matters, and many Australians in Lebanon find each other through family networks, schools and work. For day-to-day questions, join Cooee Lebanon, our Facebook group for Australians in Lebanon. Ask about generators, landlords and where the footy's on.

Moving to Beirut from Australia: visas, safety and your first weeks