Lebanon: Procedures to register a civil marriage that has taken place outside of Lebanon with Lebanese authorities; whether the procedure is different for Lebanese citizens who marry non-Lebanese citizens; whether there are time restrictions on registering such a marriage
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 16 March 2010 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lebanon: Procedures to register a civil marriage that has taken place outside of Lebanon with Lebanese authorities; whether the procedure is different for Lebanese citizens who marry non-Lebanese citizens; whether there are time restrictions on registering such a marriage, 16 March 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e02e2422.html [accessed 20 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. |
In 16 March 2010 correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Consul at the Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa stated that a Lebanese citizen married outside Lebanon must register his or her marriage in the Lebanese embassy of the country where the couple got married; if they no longer live in that country, they can register their marriage through the Lebanese embassy by mail.
According to information provided on the Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa's website, to register a marriage with the embassy, the husband and wife must fill out a request of marriage registration form, provide their recent original personal and family Ikhraj Kayd [Civil Registry Record (Lebanon n.d.c)] with two photocopies, and provide the long form of the Canadian marriage certificate with two photocopies (Lebanon n.d.a; Lebanon n.d.b). According to the Consul, a similar procedure is followed by other Lebanese embassies, but embassies in Asia, Africa and Central Europe also require that marriage certificates be sealed and stamped by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the host countries (Lebanon 16 Mar. 2010). In cases where a spouse is not a Lebanese citizen, the embassy also requires his or her birth certificate and a photocopy of his or her current passport (ibid.; Lebanon n.d.a; Lebanon n.d.b).
The Consul indicated that it takes approximately three months in order for the marriage to become registered with the Lebanese Civil Status office (Lebanon 16 Mar. 2010). He also stated that there are no time restrictions for registering a marriage that occurs outside Lebanon (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Lebanon. 16 March 2010. Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa. Correspondence with the Consul.
_____. N.d.a. Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa. "Registration of Vital Events."
_____. N.d.b. Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa. "Request of Marriage Registration."
_____. N.d.c. Embassy of Lebanon in Washington, DC. "Registration of Vital Records."
