Working in Lebanon: work permits for Australians

The rule is simple even if the paperwork isn't: if you're not Lebanese and you work in Lebanon, paid or unpaid, you need Ministry of Labour approval first.

The short version

Foreigners need prior approval from the Ministry of Labour before working in Lebanon, paid or unpaid, and the employer drives the process [1].
The work permit then feeds a work residence permit from General Security. Annual fees run from LBP 18 million to LBP 108 million depending on category [2].
A long list of jobs is reserved for Lebanese citizens, including regulated professions, retail, hospitality and most admin roles [3].
Lebanese-Australian dual citizens work as Lebanese and don't need a permit. Foreign spouses of Lebanese citizens are exempt from the reserved-jobs list [3].
Working remotely for an Australian employer from Beirut sits in a grey zone. Smartraveller's advice for Lebanon is Do not travel [4], which also affects your employer's duty of care.

How the system fits together

Lebanon splits the job between two agencies, and you need both.

Step	Agency	What it gives you
Prior approval	Ministry of Labour	Permission to enter Lebanon for a specific job
Entry	Lebanese mission abroad or General Security at the airport	A visa that matches your purpose
Work permit	Ministry of Labour	The right to work for that employer
Work residence	General Directorate of General Security	Your legal right to live in Lebanon
Social security	National Social Security Fund (NSSF)	Registration where it applies

The pieces depend on each other. The residence permit is tied to the work permit, and the work permit is tied to your employer. Change jobs and you're back at the start, with a sponsor transfer at General Security on top [2].

Prior approval comes first

The government's investment agency, IDAL, puts it plainly: a non-Lebanese person who wants to work in Lebanon, with or without pay, must first obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Labour. The only exception is artists, who are approved by General Security [1].

You can apply through a Lebanese embassy or consulate abroad, including the Lebanese Embassy in Canberra or the consulates in Sydney and Melbourne, or through an authorised representative in Lebanon, usually your employer [5].

What the employer does

For salaried workers, the employer applies to the Ministry of Labour, declaring that it agrees to take you on. The labour contract must be certified by a notary public in Lebanon, or by a Lebanese diplomatic officer if signed abroad [1].

In practice the employer, or a clearing agent it hires, handles most of the running around between ministries. Ask early who is paying which fees and who's responsible for renewals.

If you're a partner or shareholder

Setting up your own business has its own conditions. IDAL lists a minimum capital share of LBP 100 million and a commitment to employ at least three Lebanese workers for each foreigner, registered with social security within six months [1]. At today's exchange rate that capital figure is small. The staffing ratio is the real hurdle.

Step by step: from job offer to residence card

Get a written job offer that states your title, salary and duties. Make sure the job isn't on the reserved list.
Gather your documents. Expect your passport (valid at least a year), passport photos, degree certificates and a clean police check. Get Australian documents apostilled through DFAT and, where asked, legalised and translated into Arabic.
Your employer lodges for prior approval with the Ministry of Labour [1].
Enter Lebanon on the right footing. Australians can get a free one-month visa on arrival, but working on it is not allowed. Your entry must be converted to the right status.
Medical tests. Expect a local medical check after arrival as part of the permit file. Your employer will tell you where to go.
Sign and notarise the contract in Lebanon [1].
Get the work permit from the Ministry of Labour.
Apply for work residence at General Security and pay the fee for your category [2].
Add family members. A foreign spouse and children of a work-resident can get residence permits on the worker's sponsorship, with a notarised statement that they won't work [6].
Diarise renewals. Both permits are usually annual.

Fees in 2026

General Security sets work residence fees by category. The categories broadly follow the level of the job and pay [2].

Work residence category	Annual fee
Category 1 (with family members)	LBP 108,000,000
Category 2 (with family members)	LBP 72,000,000
Category 3	LBP 24,000,000
Category 4	LBP 18,000,000
Sponsor transfer	LBP 2,000,000
Urgent processing (per permit)	LBP 4,900,000 extra

At the official rate of about LBP 89,500 to the dollar [7], that's roughly USD 200 to USD 1,200 a year for the residence permit alone. A three-year permit, where granted, costs three times the annual fee [2]. Ministry of Labour permit fees, notary fees and translation are extra. Check current figures before you budget.

Jobs foreigners can't do

The Ministry of Labour publishes decisions listing professions reserved for Lebanese citizens. The list mainly targets lower-paid work, but it's broad. A 2021 decision included [3]:

public service and municipal jobs
professions regulated by law, such as law, medicine, pharmacy, engineering and surveying
commerce, including import, export, wholesale and retail
tourism businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and travel agencies
banking, finance, accounting and insurance
administrative roles in any organisation
teaching below university level
trades, services, driving, delivery, security and cleaning
any job a Lebanese worker is available to fill

The minister can still approve foreign workers where no Lebanese candidate is available [3]. That's how international schools, universities, NGOs and multinationals hire foreign specialists. Regulated professionals such as Australian doctors, lawyers and engineers face a further barrier: practising usually also depends on the rules of the relevant Lebanese professional order, which can be restrictive for foreigners.

The list is revised from time to time, so ask the employer to confirm the current position for your role.

Dual citizens and spouses

If you're a Lebanese-Australian with Lebanese citizenship, you work in Lebanon as a Lebanese national. No work permit, no reserved list. Smartraveller notes Lebanon treats dual nationals as Lebanese, which also limits what Australian consular staff can do for you [4]. If you're entitled to citizenship by descent but haven't registered, our Lebanese-Australians guide explains why it's worth doing first.

Foreign spouses of Lebanese citizens, and foreigners with a Lebanese mother, are exempt from the reserved-jobs restrictions [3]. They still need a work permit, so don't assume marriage alone lets you start work.

Remote work for an Australian employer

Plenty of Australians in Beirut work remotely for a company back home. Lebanon has no digital nomad visa, and Lebanese law doesn't clearly address someone living there on a tourist or family residence while working for a foreign employer. Several residence categories, such as the financially self-sufficient category, require a written pledge not to work in Lebanon [6].

What that means in practice:

Being honest with General Security matters. If you've signed a non-work pledge, you should understand what you've promised.
Tax still applies. Lebanon taxes salaries of people resident there, wherever the money comes from [8]. See our guide to tax in Lebanon.
Your employer may say no. Many Australian employers won't approve remote work from a country at Do not travel, because of insurance, workplace health and safety duties and data security.
Insurance. Travel and income protection policies often exclude Do not travel destinations. Get it in writing.

Australia also has no social security agreement with Lebanon [9]. If you work for a Lebanese employer, local contributions won't count towards an Australian pension, and super stays an Australian matter.

Before you sign

Ask the employer who handles the permits, who pays, and what happens if the security situation forces you to leave. Keep copies of every permit and receipt. Want to hear how others managed it? Join Cooee Lebanon, our Facebook group for Australians in Lebanon, and ask people who've been through the same paperwork.

Working in Lebanon as an Australian: work permits, residency and remote work