Lebanon residence permit photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by General Directorate of General Security for the Lebanon residence permit, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Lebanon residence permit photo?
General Security asks for three photos with every residence permit application in Lebanon. Its courtesy residence list sets them at 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), and the English annual residence list gives the same size height first, as 4.5 x 3.5 cm. No background colour or face rules are published for residence photos. First applications are filed in person at a GS regional centre; many renewals can also go through LibanPost.
Foreign nationals living in Lebanon need a residence permit, the iqama, from the General Directorate of General Security (GS). GS sorts residence into several types, each with its own document list: annual residence for work or without work, permanent residence for three years or two years, free courtesy residence for people with close ties to Lebanon, and temporary residence in specific cases, such as while a passport is being renewed at the holder's embassy.
Almost every list includes three photos. Courtesy residence, which covers a Lebanese citizen residing on a second nationality, a foreigner of Lebanese origin, the children and foreign spouse of a Lebanese citizen and retired diplomats who served in Lebanon, among others, specifies three photos measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm; the English version calls them recent. The Arabic annual and permanent lists, which cover workers with a Ministry of Labour work permit, students, clergy, relatives of Lebanese citizens and residents on a cash guarantee, ask for three photos without a size, and the English annual list adds 4.5 * 3.5 cm.
The application form is filled in and signed in person before the officer at a GS department or regional centre. Since 5 March 2018, Arab and foreign nationals can file renewals at any LibanPost office and collect permits there, but a first residence of any type must be filed at the regional centre.
Lebanon residence permit photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by General Directorate of General Security:[1]
| Print size | 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm), three photos (courtesy residence list); annual and permanent lists ask for three photos |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No upload: three printed photos go with the paper application |
| Background | Not published for residence permits |
| Photo age | Recent (English courtesy residence list); no age in months is given |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
after the portal was rebuilt. Its Internet Archive copy (23 April 2021) was service IMU411-15, courtesy residence for Arabs or foreigners of Lebanese origin, with
Key requirements
- Three photos per applicant
The annual, permanent and courtesy lists each ask for three photos. Spouses and children who receive residence on the same basis as the head of the family appear as separate cases, each with its own three photos.
- 3.5 x 4.5 cm on the courtesy list
Every case on the courtesy residence list repeats three photos of 3.5 x 4.5 cm. The English annual residence list writes the same size as Three ID photos 4.5 * 3.5 cm.
- Passport copies and validity
Each list asks for a colour copy of a valid passport plus two copies. Validity depends on the type: at least one year for most annual cases (more than six months for some relatives of Lebanese citizens), three years for courtesy and three-year permanent residence, two years for the two-year permanent type.
- Work permit before work residence
Annual residence for work needs a certified copy of a Ministry of Labour work permit valid for at least six months, a copy of the employer's identity or commercial registration, the work contract and a copy of the work visa.
- Attendance at the centre
Workers of the first, second and third categories must attend in every transaction. Domestic workers of the fourth category must attend for a first residence, a sponsor transfer, a settlement after late renewal and requests that need a decision.
- Renewals through LibanPost
Many residence types can be renewed at a LibanPost office, and GS publishes a table showing which can be filed there and which can only be collected there.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Prepare three photos for every person on the application
- Print them at 3.5 x 4.5 cm, the size on the courtesy residence list
- Attach a colour copy of your passport and two more copies
- Sign the residence form in person before the GS officer
- File a first residence at a GS regional centre
- Check the LibanPost table before renewing by post office
Don't
- Do not file a first-time residence through LibanPost
- Do not let passport validity fall below what your residence type needs
- Do not apply for work residence before the work permit is issued
- Do not let a residence lapse while your passport is at your embassy; ask GS for temporary residence
Sample photos
How a Lebanon residence permit photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Headwear and religious dress
GS publishes no rules on head coverings, glasses or expression for residence permit photos. The detailed photo specification on its website, which sets a white background and allows only a black hijab, is addressed to regional centres checking photos of Lebanese citizens applying for a passport, so it is not stated to cover foreigners' residence files.
If you want to be safe, a plain light background and an uncovered face are what the passport rules ask for, but check with the regional centre if your case is unusual.
Babies and children
Children are usually covered through a parent. The wife and children of a foreign worker holding a first- or second-class annual work residence receive annual residence on the same basis, and the spouse and minor children of a permanent resident with a cash deposit benefit from that residence. Each child is still listed with three photos and a passport copy.
GS charges no fees for annual and permanent residence granted to minors under 15. A foreign child under 18 born in Lebanon to non-Lebanese parents and attending school can get courtesy residence, and for courtesy residence Syrian children under 15 may use a certified copy of an individual civil status extract issued within the last three years in place of a passport.
Printed and digital photos
Residence files are paper files. The three photos are prints handed in with the approved form, the passport copies and the supporting documents, whether you go to a GS regional centre or, for an eligible renewal, to a LibanPost office. GS publishes no digital photo specification and no online residence application.
Because the courtesy list fixes 3.5 x 4.5 cm, that is the size to print for any residence type. A digital photo can be printed several times on one 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut apart.
Where to submit the photo
Go to the GS department or regional centre that serves you. Some files, such as those of postgraduate students and of family members of second-class workers, are referred to the Director General for a decision through the Department of Arabs and Foreigners.
Renewals can be filed at LibanPost offices across Lebanon where the GS table allows it. If your passport expires while your residence is valid and you have applied to your embassy for a new one, GS can give you a receipt valid for up to three months and a temporary residence until the new passport arrives.
How to get your Lebanon residence permit photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Lebanon residence permit: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: three photos per applicant; 3.5 x 4.5 cm on the courtesy list; passport copies and validity; work permit before work residence.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Residence files are paper files. The three photos are prints handed in with the approved form, the passport copies and the supporting documents, whether you go to a GS regional centre or, for an eligible renewal, to a LibanPost office.
- Submit the photo with your application. Go to the GS department or regional centre that serves you. Some files, such as those of postgraduate students and of family members of second-class workers, are referred to the Director General for a decision through the Department of Arabs and Foreigners.
Lebanon residence permit photo FAQ
Three. GS lists three photos for annual residence, permanent residence and courtesy residence, and for each family member who receives residence through the head of the family.
The courtesy residence list gives 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm). The English annual residence list states 4.5 * 3.5 cm, the same size written height first. The Arabic annual and permanent lists give no size.
GS does not say. No background colour is published for residence permit photos; the white background in GS's photo specification is set for Lebanese passports. Ask the regional centre if you are unsure.
Often, yes. Since 5 March 2018 Arab and foreign nationals can file residence renewals at LibanPost offices, following a GS table of the residence types accepted. A first residence of any type must still be filed at a GS regional centre.
Yes. Annual residence for work requires a certified copy of a Ministry of Labour work permit that is valid for at least six months, together with the work contract and a copy of the work visa.
GS grants it to, among others, Lebanese citizens using a second nationality, foreigners of Lebanese origin, children of a Lebanese mother or father, the foreign husband of a Lebanese woman after a year of marriage, the foreign wife of a Lebanese man and retired diplomats who served in Lebanon.
Related photo specifications
Other Lebanon documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- ID card photo
- Work permit photo
Residence and work permits nearby
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Lebanon photo specifications
- Residence and work permits: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- General Directorate of General Security. Courtesy residence (Arabic) general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of General Security. Courtesy Residence general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of General Security. Annual residence (Arabic) general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of General Security. Annual Residence general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of General Security. Permanent residence (Arabic) general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of General Security. Renewing biometric residence through LibanPost (Arabic) general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
- General Directorate of General Security. Temporary residence for passport renewal (Arabic) general-security.gov.lb. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with General Directorate of General Security before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Lebanon residence permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/lebanon/residence-permit-photo