Lebanon: Information on whether an individual born outside Lebanon to Lebanese citizens, and who was not registered with the Lebanese consular authorities prior to reaching the age of majority (18 years), can obtain Lebanese citizenship
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LBN27535.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lebanon: Information on whether an individual born outside Lebanon to Lebanese citizens, and who was not registered with the Lebanese consular authorities prior to reaching the age of majority (18 years), can obtain Lebanese citizenship, 1 August 1997, LBN27535.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abdb18.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided during a 20 August 1997 telephone interview with a Lebanese lawyer specializing in citizenship cases in Lebanon. The source has authored a book entitled La Nationalité Libanaise (1974; rev. ed. 1998) and is a member of the Beirut Bar Association.
The source stated that the fundamental principle of Lebanese citizenship is that children born to a Lebanese father have the right to Lebanese citizenship. The source added that even though the parents did not register their children with the Lebanese consular service prior to their attaining the age of majority, the children's right to Lebanese citizenship is not affected. The issue of registering children before they attain the age of majority is not relevant to the acquisition of Lebanese citizenship, as it means only that before the age of 18 years the parents must apply for their children, but once the children are adults they must apply themselves. Even though they were not officially registered, children born to a Lebanese father abroad have had de facto Lebanese citizenship since birth and it would only be a matter of completing the administrative formality of registration for the children to be officially granted citizenship. The central issue in the above-mentioned situation is not the acquisition of Lebanese citizenship by the children, but of providing documentary proof of the father's Lebanese citizenship.
The source stated that children born outside Lebanon to Lebanese parents can apply for Lebanese citizenship at all Lebanese consulates abroad. The children must complete the proper administrative forms and provide proof (passport, identity card, birth certificate, etc.) that their father is a Lebanese citizen. In cases of citizenship application and its determination, the Lebanese consul is authorized to exercise the authority of a Lebanese judge and to grant Lebanese citizenship. The consul would notify the Foreign Ministry in Beirut of the decision, which would transfer it to the Ministry of the Interior for official registration.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Lebanese lawyer specializing in citizenship cases, Beirut, Lebanon. 20 August 1997. Telephone interview.
Attachment
Jean Baz. 1969. Étude sur la Nationalité Libanaise. Beirut: Librairie St-Joseph.
