Lebanon
Student visa and residence permit steps, timing and proof of funds for Lebanon.
Entry: the General Security (GS) publishes a list of nationalities that get a free one-month visa, extendable to three months, on arrival for tourism (it names Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, and separately a free 3-month multiple-entry visa for Turkish citizens travelling as tourists at airports and border posts); Kazakhstan is not named in the lists retrieved. A student visa is a distinct category in the GS terms and conditions, issued by Lebanese missions abroad or by GS, and requires an admission statement from a university accredited in Lebanon (or a student card) and proof of funds to finance studies (scholarship holders are exempt). Residence: after arrival the student applies to GS for an annual student residence permit through the university, for which LAU states the enrolment letter must be certified by MEHE and by the student's embassy. LAU says a one-year permit must be applied for even for a four- or six-month stay. The GS fee schedule lists 'Annual Student Residence Permit' at LBP 15,000,000, with an optional urgent service of LBP 4,900,000. Some people may need previous GS authorisation; confirm with the nearest Lebanese embassy.
Travel advisories, sanctions and payments
As of 2026-10-26: UK FCDO (updated 10 Aug 2026, still current 26 Oct 2026) advises against all travel to listed areas, namely parts of Beirut and its southern suburbs (excluding Route 51 to the airport), the South and Nabatiyeh governorates, eastern and parts of Beqaa, northern Baalbek-Hermel and northern Akkar and the 12 Palestinian camps, and against all but essential travel to the southern part of Mount Lebanon, part of Beqaa, the rest of Baalbek-Hermel and parts of Tripoli; it also warns of kidnapping and terrorism risk and says travel against advice may invalidate insurance. Germany's Auswaertiges Amt (page dated 26 Oct 2026) maintains a partial travel warning (Teilreisewarnung) for southern Lebanon south of Jiyeh, the Bekaa Valley, Baalbek-Hermel, the Syrian border area, all Palestinian camps and the southern suburbs of Beirut, and strongly advises against travel to other parts of the country; Tripoli has a particularly high risk of violence and crime; unexploded ordnance is present. Canada: 'Avoid all travel' (updated 23 Jul 2026). US State Department: reported as Level 4 'Do Not Travel', dated 21 Aug 2026, with non-emergency US staff ordered to leave on 23 Feb 2026, but taken from a search-result summary because the page returned HTTP 403 and was not read. Turkiye MFA: its announcements list carries 'Lebanon Security and Travel Announcement' entries dated 17 Apr 2024 and 4 Aug 2024; the text was not read and a current Turkish position was not verified. Applicants must check each official page before travelling.
Official travel advice (not a sanctions legal text) describes the payments environment: UK FCDO says Lebanon is in a prolonged economic crisis, card payment can be difficult, US dollars are the main cash currency, and access to dollars can be difficult or expensive, so travellers should hold enough cash for the whole stay. Germany's Auswaertiges Amt says the Lebanese pound is official but several parallel exchange markets exist, USD is widely accepted, ATMs and foreign cards usually give much worse rates, many shops accept cash only, banks have seen violent protests over frozen deposits, many hospitals demand cash prepayment often in foreign currency, and cash transfers above about 10,000 USD must be declared to the central bank. Canada says the economy is mainly cash-based, foreign currency can be exchanged at licensed exchange bureaus but not at banks, and some banks limit daily ATM withdrawals. University practice matches this: NDU states credit fees must be paid in full in cash USD and Balamand takes payment in cash at the cashier. No official comprehensive-sanctions regime on Lebanon was found; the UK FCDO notes that Hizballah is a proscribed group and that funding or supporting proscribed organisations can be prosecuted in the UK.
Nationality-specific notes: turkish: General Security lists Turkish citizens travelling as tourists as receiving a multiple-entry cost-free visa of 3 months at the airport and border posts; the entry sits under a heading about categories that need a previous authorisation, so the wording is ambiguous for students. Student visa conditions (admission statement, proof of funds) apply as for any nationality; confirm with the Lebanese embassy.; russian: Russia is named in the GS list of countries whose citizens get a free one-month tourism visa extendable to three months, and also in a separate provision for female citizens aged 17-45 from listed countries (round-trip air ticket and hotel reservation or residence address, unless previous GS authorisation was obtained). The page does not describe student cases; confirm with the embassy.; kazakh: null; ukrainian: Ukraine appears in the same two GS lists as Russia (free one-month tourism visa extendable to three months; and the separate provision for women aged 17-45).; azerbaijani: Azerbaijan appears in the same two GS lists as Russia and Ukraine.; kazakhNullReason: Kazakhstan is not named in the GS lists retrieved (list of countries with the right to a Lebanese visa, labour-supplying list); status not verified, ask the Lebanese embassy.
Information on this page is compiled from official sources and was verified on the date shown. Fees, dates and visa rules change often; check official sources before applying. Empty fields have not been verified yet; ask our advisor for the current information.
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