Whereas the existing law limited the acquisition of land by foreigners to 5% in each Mohafaza, the new law allows foreigners to acquire 3% of the total area of Lebanon regardless of the geographic location subject to one condition: foreigners can acquire no more than 3% of the total area of a caza. One exception to this law is Beirut, where foreigners are allowed to acquire up to 10% of the total area of the capital.

Foreigners can now acquire 3,000m2 of land without the passage of a decree by the Council of Ministers. The authorization to acquire a piece of land for a specific project has to be executed within a period of five years (extended only once for an additional five years if requested). It is legally allowed for foreigners to buy more than 3,000m2 subject to a Council of Ministers’ decree.

The government has also proposed lowering real estate registration fees to 5.8% for both Lebanese and foreign investors. This 5.8% registration fee includes the municipality fee of 0.25%, stamp duty of 0.3%, the lawyers’ syndicate fee of 0.1%, and an additional 0.1% if the registration took place through a notary’s office rather than the land registry (these fees add up to 0.75% of the 5.8% fee and have remained unchanged). Thus, registration fees, net of the additional duties, have been reduced by 1% for Lebanese investors and 11% for foreign investors.