Country guide — North Africa and the Middle East

Expat insurance and health insurance in Lebanon

In short

In Lebanon, no health insurance is legally required for the one-month tourist visa issued free on arrival (extendable up to three months), but France Diplomatie considers it imperative, since care facilities systematically check a patient's solvency before any treatment. For a long-stay residence permit issued by the General Security, private health insurance is in practice required, given the absence of a social security agreement between France and Lebanon. The healthcare system relies overwhelmingly on the private sector (about 85% of hospital capacity); the NSSF, reserved for employees declared by a Lebanese employer, offers only partial coverage and does not apply to retirees or the self-employed. Since the 2019 economic crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese pound, private clinics now bill most procedures in dollars, sometimes demanded in advance in cash. Without adequate cover, costs remain entirely at the patient's expense, with no possible help from the French embassy.

Source : France Diplomatie — Lebanon, Travel advice, Health

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Key figures

19,682 French nationals registered with the consular register in 2025 (20,352 in 2024, -3.29%).
Life expectancy at birth: 77.8 years in 2023 (World Bank).
Current health spending: 5.57% of GDP in 2023 (World Bank).
Private hospital sector: about 85% of Lebanon's hospital capacity (French Institute for the Near East); the NSSF only covers declared employees in the formal sector.

Local healthcare system

Lebanon has no universal social security comparable to the French scheme. Health cover for declared employees falls under the NSSF (National Social Security Fund, Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale), funded by a contribution of about 9% of salary (2% employee share, 7% employer share) subject to a cap, but reserved for workers in the formal sector: retirees, the self-employed, the unemployed and a large share of the population remain excluded. The private hospital sector, well regarded in the Middle East and concentrated in Beirut, accounts for about 85% of the care offer and attracts an international patient base; medical staff are overwhelmingly French- or English-speaking. The public network, structured around a few large university or government hospitals, has been chronically underfunded since the 2019 economic crisis. A direct consequence of the collapse of the Lebanese pound: private clinics, dependent on imports for most of their equipment and medicines, now bill most procedures in dollars, with a payment guarantee or cash advance frequently required before any planned hospitalisation.

Legal and visa obligations

Short tourist stay: a one-month visa issued free on arrival by the General Security on presentation of a valid passport (at least 6 months after the date of entry), extendable on site up to 3 months in total. No insurance is required on entry, but France Diplomatie recommends it as “imperative” (medical costs and repatriation).
Specific restriction: any passport bearing an Israeli stamp or visa, or documents linked to travel in Israel, results in a refusal of entry, with no possible intervention by the French embassy.
Work stay, internship or assignment, even brief: a multiple-entry long-stay visa to obtain before departure from the Lebanese embassy in Paris or the consulate in Marseille, then a residence permit issued by the General Security (1 year, or a renewable 3-year permanent card).
Private health insurance: several expat insurance specialists report that it is in practice required to obtain or renew a foreign resident's residence permit; no corresponding regulatory text has been identified in open access.
Locally hired employee: NSSF enrolment by the employer, mandatory for any employee of a local or international company based in Lebanon. For a foreign employee, actual access to the NSSF is conditional on a reciprocity clause (the employee's home country must offer an equivalent or better scheme to Lebanese employees working there) — in the absence of a France-Lebanon agreement, this reciprocity is not formally established for French nationals.

No specific fine amount has been identified for lack of cover, but a payment guarantee or dollar advance is almost systematically required before a planned hospitalisation in the private sector.

Cost of some medical procedures

Orders of magnitude from specialised sources, not official fee schedules.

Cost of some medical procedures in Lebanon, public and private sector
Procedure	Public sector	Private sector
GP or specialist consultation (private practice)	—	50 to 100 USD
Blood test or ultrasound	—	up to ≈200 USD
Brain MRI	—	≈300 USD
Appendectomy + 5 days of hospitalisation	—	≈2,000 USD
Uncomplicated delivery (modest clinic)	—	1,800 to 2,300 USD
Caesarean delivery	—	≈2,500 USD
Emergencies and night of hospitalisation	—	rate varies by facility and severity, not publicly disclosed

Social security agreements with France

No bilateral social security agreement exists between France and Lebanon: Lebanon is not on the list of countries that have signed a coordination agreement with France (CLEISS), nor on the list of CLEISS “holiday fact sheets” covering unexpected care abroad.

No totalling of insurance periods, no export of rights between the two schemes.
No form equivalent to SE 401/350/351 used with other countries: a seconded employee benefits from no automatic maintenance of the French scheme recognised by Lebanon.
A resident with no local salaried activity (retiree, self-employed, non-working spouse) has access to no Lebanese public scheme: only the Caisse des Français de l’Étranger (CFE) or private insurance provide cover.
On return to France after a stay in Lebanon, only care already paid for on site can be the subject of a retroactive reimbursement request from the French fund, outside any coordination agreement.

Which insurance for my profile

General matrix — does not recommend any specific product or insurer.

Which insurance by profile, for Lebanon
Profile	Regulatory constraint	Points of attention
Working holiday visa	No working holiday agreement between France and Lebanon (Lebanon is not among the partner countries of the French programme)	Not applicable as things stand
Student	No public student insurance scheme identified for foreigners	Take out private student insurance before departure
Seconded employee / short assignment	No recognised maintenance of the French scheme, no coordination agreement	Private cover or CFE to arrange before departure, including repatriation
Locally hired employee	NSSF enrolment by the employer, subject to reciprocity for a foreign employee	Check actual enrolment with the employer; supplementary private cover recommended given the NSSF's partial coverage
Retiree	No access to a Lebanese public scheme without local activity	CFE or international health insurance essential; budget for care billed in dollars
Family with a non-working spouse	The non-working spouse is covered by no local scheme	Individual private cover to plan for each family member

Hospitals and care network

Hôtel-Dieu de France (Beirut) — university hospital of Saint Joseph University, billing in dollars, dedicated international patients office.
American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) — leading private university hospital, dedicated international patients service.
Clemenceau Medical Center (Beirut) — private, 158 beds, Joint Commission International accredited, affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine International.
Rafik Hariri University Hospital (Bir Hassan, Beirut) — Lebanon's largest public hospital, reference of the government sector.

Practical steps

Before departure, whatever the purpose: take out health and repatriation insurance, since no France-Lebanon agreement takes over.
Tourist stay: passport valid at least 6 months after the date of entry; one-month visa issued on arrival.
Work stay or assignment: request the multiple-entry long-stay visa from the Lebanese embassy in Paris or the consulate in Marseille before departure.
On arrival for a long-term move: residence permit procedures with the General Security (private health insurance to arrange).
Locally hired employee: check with the employer on actual NSSF enrolment (reciprocity clause for a foreigner).
Within 6 months of settling: register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (Consulate General in Beirut), free and recommended.

Frequently asked questions

Is health insurance mandatory to enter Lebanon as a tourist?

No, no insurance is required for the one-month tourist visa issued on arrival. France Diplomatie however considers it imperative: clinics systematically check a patient's solvency before any care.

Is there a social security agreement between France and Lebanon?

No. Lebanon is not on the list of countries that have signed a social security coordination agreement with France (CLEISS), nor on the list of holiday fact sheets covering unexpected care abroad.

Does the Lebanese NSSF automatically cover a French employee hired locally?

Enrolment depends on a reciprocity clause between Lebanon and the employee's home country. In the absence of a France-Lebanon agreement, this reciprocity is not formally established, which can limit actual access to the NSSF for a French employee.

Why do Lebanese private clinics bill in dollars?

Since the collapse of the Lebanese pound from 2019, clinics, dependent on imports for their equipment and medicines, bill most procedures in dollars and frequently request a payment guarantee before a planned hospitalisation.

Does a French retiree settled in Lebanon have access to local health cover?

Not automatically: without local salaried activity, a retiree has access to no Lebanese public scheme and must rely on the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) or private international health insurance.

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Written by Expavy

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