Information for voters

• Who Can Vote Outside of Lebanon?

  Those who meet the following requirements can vote outside of Lebanon:

  • Every Lebanese person whose name is on the voters' lists.
  • Every Lebanese registered with the Lebanese missions abroad, provided that the minimum number of registered voters in the electoral center is 200.
  • Every Lebanese national who holds an identity card or valid passport

  Article 111: The non-resident citizens’ right to vote

  Any non-resident Lebanese citizen shall be entitled to exercise the right to vote in polling centers established in embassies, consulates or other locations specified by the Ministry, in accordance with the provisions of the present law, and in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, provided that their name is registered in the personal status records and that there is no legal impediment to their right to vote pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 of the present law.

  Article 114: Separate voters’ lists

  The competent departments at the Directorate General for Personal Status shall verify that the names on the lists are registered in the Personal Status Register. They shall prepare, after the deadline for registration, separate voter lists for each embassy or consulate, containing the names of eligible voters, provided that the minimum number of registered voters per polling center is 200. They shall also mark the names of such voters and mention the place of their registration outside Lebanon to prevent them from voting in their original place of residence.

• Out-of-Country Registration Procedure

  Article 113: Voter registration

  In coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, the Ministry shall call upon the Lebanese citizens who fulfill the abovementioned eligibility requirements, through the Lebanese embassies and consulates abroad, to express their intention to vote abroad by registering their names either in person, or by virtue of a duly signed and authenticated letter, or through electronic registration, if such option is available. The deadline for the registration of Lebanese voters who are not residing on Lebanese territory should not exceed the 20th of November of the year 2021.
  
  How to Register

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants launched the website http://diasporavote.mfa.gov.lb , which allows the Lebanese citizens who are not residing in Lebanese territory to register to vote in the elections by filling out a specific application form.

  Required Documents

  When registering (online or in person) you will need:

  A document proving that you are Lebanese and another document proving that you are residing abroad

  1 - A valid Lebanese passport, Lebanese identity card or individual registration record
  2- A local passport or local identity card (driver's license or ID card) or a document to prove residency (immigrant visa)

  How to Register via the Website

  1- You can register by going directly to the registration website http://diasporavote.mfa.gov.lb or by going to the ministry’s website www.mfa.gov.lb and then to the registration page according to the form of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.

  2- After entering the registration website, entering the information and logging in through the link that will be sent to your e-mail, all you have to do is follow the steps on the website until the registration process is completed.

  3- The form is sent to the nearest Lebanese mission for review and audit. Once the attached documents are verified by the mission, they are sent electronically to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants and then to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.

  4 - Within a few days, you will receive a message via your e-mail containing your full name, as it appears on the registration lists, confirming that your registration to vote in the 2022 parliamentary elections has been approved by the diplomatic mission.

• Voters’ Lists of Lebanese Expatriates

  Starting from December 15 until January 1, the Lebanese citizens residing abroad must make sure that their name is on the voters’ lists, and must request the correction of mistakes if any.
  Correction requests are submitted to embassies or consulates.

  Article 114: Separate voters’ lists

  The competent departments at the Directorate General for Personal Status shall verify that the names on the lists are registered in the Personal Status Register. They shall prepare, after the deadline for registration, separate voter lists for each embassy or consulate, containing the names of eligible voters, provided that the minimum number of registered voters per polling center is 200. They shall also mark the names of such voters and mention the place of their registration outside Lebanon to prevent them from voting in their original place of residence.
  
  Article 115: Publication and revision of separate voter lists

  • Before the 15th of December 2021, the Ministry shall send to the embassies and consulates of Lebanon abroad, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, the preliminary voter lists on CDs, containing the names of persons who have expressed their intention to vote abroad in accordance with the provisions of the present law.
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants shall publish and circulate the above lists using all possible means and invite the voters to review and revise them as necessary. Each embassy and consulate shall provide copies of such lists at its offices and publish them on its website if available.
  • Any interested party may submit an objection to the voter lists to the embassy or the consulate, and enclose the required documents and papers therewith. The embassy or consulate shall verify the documents and send them to the Ministry through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants before the twentieth of February of each year. The revision of voter lists and correction and removal of registration entries shall be subject to the principles and procedures set forth in Chapter Four (IV) of this law.
• When & Where Does Voting Take Place
  • Out-of-country voting takes place at centers designated by the Ministry of Interior in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20 days before Election Day.
  • Out-of-country voting takes place at the designated centers 15 days before Election Day in Lebanon.

  Article 116: The designation of polling stations

  The polling stations are determined by a decision issued by the Minister of Interior and Municipalities after coordination with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, at least twenty days before the scheduled date for the elections.

   

   

  
• Obtain a Civil Status Record or a Passport or Renew One

  To obtain a new passport or personal civil status record, or renew an expired passport, an application must be submitted to the Lebanese mission in the country of residence, together with the following documents:

  Documents required to obtain a new passport	Documents required to renew a passport	Documents required to obtain a personal civil status record
  The new Lebanese ID card, and two copies thereof. Or, a personal civil status record issued less than ten years ago, with a passport photo of its holder, and two copies thereof. The old Lebanese passport (red passport) issued in Lebanon after the year 1990 can be used, without any other documents (ID card or personal civil status record), to apply for a new passport.	Current passport with two copies thereof and two copies of the residence page.	A letter addressed to the Directorate General of Civil Status in Beirut, through the Lebanese embassy in the country of residence.
  Two recent 3.5 x 4.3 full-face passport photos with white background, not copied from an old photo	The new Lebanese ID card and two copies thereof. Or a personal civil status record issued less than ten years ago, with a passport photo, and two copies thereof. The old Lebanese passport (red passport) issued in Lebanon after the year 1990 can be used, without any other documents (ID card or personal civil status record), to apply for a new passport.	The application signed by the Ambassador.
  	Two recent 3.5 x 4.3 full-face passport photos with white background, not copied from an old photo.	Two passport photos

• How to Obtain an Identity Card?

  If you manage to visit Lebanon, it is recommended that you submit an application to obtain an ID card. The ID card does not have a validity period and can be used in all dealings.

  Documents required	Steps
  An identification statement from the mukhtar of the place of residence or place of registration	Obtain from the mukhtar an identification statement and the form used to apply for a personal civil status record that will be issued for the purpose of obtaining an identity card
  Three passport photos	Go to the civil status registries (usually in the administrative serail of the place of residence or registration) to obtain a personal civil status record and submit an ID card application and submit fingerprints at the fingerprint section
  A personal civil status record with a stamp that reads “for obtaining an ID card”, issued less than six months ago	Upon filling out of the form “Statement of Acknowledgement of receipt of an ID card”, select the OMT fast service (Cost= 20,000 LBP)
  Any document that proves the blood type of the person concerned (medical report or Laboratory test report)	The OMT company will contact you or the person authorized to receive the ID card, on the mobile phone number which you provided on the “Acknowledgement of receipt of the ID card”, in order to locate the closest OMT office where you can collect the transaction within 15 working days. Once the papers are ready, OMT will send you an SMS containing the secret code for receiving the papers
  Financial stamps worth 5,000 LBP	Go to the OMT office indicated by OMT, submit the secret code and application receipt in order to receive the ID card
  In the case of married women, a copy of the husband’s ID card is required	To inquire about the readiness of the ID card, kindly visit the following link: https://www.dgcs.gov.lb/arabic/identitycard

   

Information about the elections

• Polling Officers and Candidate Agents

  Polling officers

  The polling officers of a polling station are appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants from among the staff members or contractual agents of the Lebanese embassy, provided that they are Lebanese.
  
  Article 117: The polling station officers
  The ambassador or the consul shall appoint the polling officers of each polling station, in coordination with the Ministry and through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants. Each polling station shall have at least one head officer and one clerk to be selected from among the staff members of the embassy or consulate, or their contractual agents, whenever necessary, provided that they are Lebanese and subject to all applicable Lebanese laws, and that their respective powers are specified.

  Candidate agents

  Candidate agents may be present inside the polling station, provided that they have the required permits.
  
  Article 117: The polling station officers
  Candidate agents may be present during the voting process, provided that they had obtained the permits issued by the embassy or consulate.
  
  Circular issued by the Ministry of Interior during the 2018 elections

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants hereby announces that it has established, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, a mechanism for determining the rules and conditions for granting permits to candidate agents who will be present in polling stations and stations during the voting process in the Lebanese parliamentary elections that will take place outside Lebanon on April 27 and 29, 2018, in implementation of the provisions of the second paragraph of Article 117 from Chapter Eleven of Law No. 44/2017. According to the established mechanism, the ambassador or the consul shall issue the necessary permits to the stationary or mobile candidate agents, depending on the condition and capacity of each polling station, as follows: one agent for each list or one agent for each candidate within the same list. In order for a stationary or mobile agent to be granted a permit (in polling centers containing more than three polling stations), the following conditions must be met:

  • His/her name shall be registered on the voters’ lists;
  • He/she must have an express authorization from the list or candidate he/she intends to represent, duly certified by the notary public and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, with a Lebanese proof of identity enclosed therewith.
  • He/she must fill out and sign the statement available at the offices of the Lebanese missions abroad.
• The Voting Process
  • Out-of-country ballot boxes are open from seven in the morning until ten at night.
  • Out-of-country elections take place 15 days before Election Day in Lebanon.
  • The head of the polling station verifies the identity of the voter against his/her Lebanese identity card or valid passport, and makes sure that his/her name exists on the voters’ lists.

  Article 118: The Voting Process

  Out-of-country voting shall be conducted under the proportional representation system, in one single electoral district, at least fifteen days before Election Day in Lebanon. Pre-printed ballot papers stamped and approved by the Ministry shall be used.
  
  Ballot boxes are open from 7 am to 10 pm.
  
  When the voter enters the polling station, the head officer shall verify their identity by checking their identity card or valid ordinary Lebanese passport as well as their name on the separate voters’ lists provided for in the present law.
  
  Where the identity card or passport entries are found inconsistent with the entries of the separate voters’ list, the identity card number or passport number shall be used as the basis for verification.
  
  After the polling station officers have verified that the name of the voter is registered in the separate voters’ lists, the head officer shall hand to the voter a ballot paper and an officially-stamped envelope signed by him.
  
  The voting of non-resident Lebanese citizens shall be subject to the general provisions that regulate the voting of resident Lebanese citizens and are consistent with the provisions of the present law.

• Polling Station Ballot Papers and Report Procedures

  At the end of polling in Lebanon, and after the ballot papers have been counted in the presence of candidate agents, and accredited observers and media representatives, should there be any, the envelopes and electoral documents are sent to the Higher Registration Committee in Beirut for sorting and documentation of results.

   

  Article 119: Vote counting

  At the end of the voting process, the polling station officers shall open the ballot box or boxes in the presence of the ambassador or consul, or their representative, if they are unable to attend.
  
  The polling station officers shall count the ballot papers in the presence of candidate agents and accredited observers and media representatives, should there be any. The ballot papers of the polling station shall then be put in a large envelope marked with the name of the polling station and sealed with red wax.
  
  Article 120: Submission of envelopes and other electoral documents

  Each polling station shall organize a report, in two copies, on the voting process. The report shall mention the number of registered voters, actual voters and the number of ballot papers. It shall be signed by the polling station officers and authorized candidate agents present, if any. One copy shall be kept by the ambassador or consul at the embassy or consulate, while the other copy shall be sent immediately with the large envelopes that contain the ballot papers and other electoral documents to the Banque du Liban through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants.

  • Ballot papers are counted, a report on the number of ballots is organized and placed in an envelope to be sent directly to the Banque du Liban through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • When the ballot boxes are closed in Lebanon, the envelopes are sent to the competent registration committees for ballot sorting.
  • At the end of the voting process on Election Day in Lebanon, the abovementioned envelopes shall be sent, together with other electoral documents, to the Higher Registration Committee in Beirut for counting and documentation of results. This process shall be subject to the regulations provided for in the present law regarding secure transportation of material and vote-counting monitoring.