Lebanon Civil Registration

Birth, marriage, and death records were not kept by the Lebanese government until very recently. We have found three differing instructions for how to obtain information from them.


 * Birth, death and marriage records are kept at the Office of the Registrar in each governate (called muhafazat). Copies can be obtained by submitting an application and paying a nominal fee, according to the U.S. Embassy for Lebanon.


 * Organisation of the civil registration system. The civil registration system in Lebanon is centralized. The General Directorate of Civil Affairs (under the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities) is responsible for the registration of vital events such as births, deaths, marriages and divorces.... There are 52 registry offices working under the central office through regional departments in 6 provinces. The primary registration unit is the mayor’s office in the village. The appointed civil registrars records vital events and issue certificate or permit (burial permit for deaths). The local registrar also reports civil registration data to higher level offices. Source: Technical Report on the Status of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in ESCWA Region, United Nations, ESA/STAT/2009/9


 * "If you know the Arabic names and the appropriate dates, you may be able to obtain birth and death certificates from district or central offices of the Bureau of the Census. Address your inquiry to the Census Office in the community (i.e., village, city, county) where your ancestor lived."