Immigration
The 1962 entry law, kafala sponsorship, and the largest refugee share of any population
Entry and residence are governed by the 1962 law on entry and exit. Lebanon is not a party to the Refugee Convention and hosts the world's largest number of refugees per capita.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, administered by General Security.
Governing law
- Law of 10 July 1962 regulating entry, residence and exit
- Memorandum of Understanding between Lebanon and UNHCR, 2003
In practice
Lebanon's position is that it is a country of transit, not asylum, and it has not acceded to the 1951 Convention; UNHCR registers and assists Syrian refugees under a 2003 memorandum, and the government suspended registration in 2015. Palestinian refugees fall under UNRWA and face restrictions on employment and property ownership that are among the most severe for any long-resident population in the region. Migrant workers, particularly domestic workers, enter under kafala sponsorship in which residence depends on a named employer, so leaving that employer means losing legal status. This structure, rather than the entry statute, determines most people's actual position.