Find your independent guide
Lebanon
French citizens must have a passport valid for at least six months after the return date. For citizens of other countries, please contact your embassy or consulate.
Please note: Your passport must not contain an Israeli visa.
To be prepared for any eventuality, make sure your passport has the required number of blank pages or enough blank pages (usually 3, including 2 facing pages).
Emergency passport: Since this document is not accepted everywhere, you should verify—before applying for one—that it is recognized by the country you plan to visit. You should also check whether a visa is required (which may be the case even if a regular passport does not require one) and whether the procedures are compatible.
If you are traveling with your children, please note that, effective immediately, minors of any age must also have their own passport (or ID card, depending on the requirements of the destination country). French law stipulates that minors traveling with both parents, or with just one parent, do not need to have an authorization to leave the country. However, this document is mandatory (as of January 15, 2017) if this requirement for parental accompaniment is not met. In the latter case, the child must present: a passport (or ID card, depending on the destination country’s requirements); the authorization to leave the country form, signed by one of the parents with parental authority—the authorization to leave the country form is available at www.service-public.fr; and a photocopy of the signing parent’s ID.
When a minor travels with a parent whose surname the child does not bear, it is strongly recommended that the minor either be able to prove parentage (https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F15392), or to present a duly completed and signed authorization to leave the country (Cerfa form no. 15646*01) from the other parent, along with a copy of the parent’s ID. This authorization does not exempt the traveler from complying with any other formalities regarding minors that are specific to the destination.
New security measures have gone into effect at airports: electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) must be charged and in working order for all flights to or through the United States and London. Security screeners must be able to turn them on. As a precaution, keep your charger handy. If your device is dead or defective, it will be confiscated. Since this measure may be extended to other airports, we recommend that you charge your electronic devices before your flight, regardless of your destination.
Driver's license: To avoid any inconvenience, it may be advisable—even in non-European countries that officially recognize the validity of French driver's licenses on their territory—to also obtain an international driver's license or, if that is not possible, a certified translation of your French driver's license.
All
A visa is required for French nationals. It is free and can be obtained upon arrival upon presentation of your passport. Please note: Your passport must not contain an Israeli visa. For other nationalities, please contact your embassy or consulate.
Mandatory vaccines
No vaccinations are required (except for yellow fever for travelers coming from countries where the disease is endemic).
Recommended vaccines
As always, it is advisable to be vaccinated (or immune) against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis A and B, whooping cough (the resurgence of which among adults, even in France, justifies vaccination for any trip), and measles for children.
Other risks
It can be said that Lebanon, like other countries in the Mediterranean basin, poses a significant health risk to travelers. Given the political and religious instability throughout the Middle East, it is essential to check the security situation in the region (or area) you plan to visit.
Practical Information
Medical facilities are adequate in the country’s hospitals, particularly in Beirut, where you will find it easier to make yourself understood, as French is often spoken there. Therefore, in most cases—even serious ones—it is not necessary to consider medical repatriation. However, it is advisable to consult your assistance provider.