Property
A French-influenced register, and foreign ownership by decree above a size threshold
Title is registered under the 1926 land registration decrees. Foreign acquisition requires a Council of Ministers decree above defined area thresholds and is capped as a proportion of each district.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, administered through cadastral offices by district.
Governing law
- Decree No. 3339 of 1930 on real property registration
- Law No. 296 of 2001 on acquisition of real rights by foreigners
In practice
The land register created under the French Mandate is well-organised in principle, with cadastral survey covering most of the country. Law No. 296 of 2001 liberalised foreign acquisition, permitting up to 3,000 square metres without a decree and larger holdings with Council of Ministers approval, subject to a cap of 3 per cent of the area of any district — a provision with a clear confessional-demographic purpose. Shared ownership of buildings is governed by a distinct 1983 condominium law. Records in areas affected by the civil war and by the 2020 port explosion present practical difficulties that the register alone does not resolve.