[notice]An update (2012) to this post is available here: Lebanon Remains at the Bottom of Visa Free Travel Index[/notice]
Henley and Partners (H&P), a global legal firm that deals with immigration, has released their 2011 International Visa Restriction List. Last year’s post was a huge hit among readers (and still is the most visited post on this blog) however, there isn’t any good news this year for Lebanese passport holders or even Arabs in general:
Visa restrictions for citizens of some Arab states have tightened in the wake of the Arab Spring that spurred violent uprisings across the region, a new report has found.
[…]
Citizens of Bahrain, which imposed martial law and called in Gulf troops after widespread anti-regime protests, have visa-free access to 65 countries – two less than in the previous rankings.
Tunisia, the catalyst behind the Arab Spring revolts, saw its ranking fall to 63, while citizens of Egypt can now only enter 41 countries without visas.
I’m still waiting for H&P to release the complete list but based on selected countries posted on their website, Lebanon stands at the bottom behind Iran and Nepal and ahead of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A search has turned up two additional countries that Lebanese passport holders can now travel to: Mauritius and Iran. The complete list can be found below:
- Africa
- Cape Verde
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Seychelles
- Togo
- Uganda
- Americas
- Bolivia
- Dominica
- Ecuador
- Haiti
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Asia
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- Georgia
- Jordan
- Iran
- Laos
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Oman
- Syria
- Timor-Leste
- Europe
- Kosovo
- Turkey
- Oceania
- Cook Islands
- Federal States of Micronesia
- Niue
- Palau
- Samoa
- Tuvalu
Unlike last year where a UK passport was your key to most destinations, this year, passports issued by Denmark, Sweden and Finland will provide you with the most visa-free travel. The UK is in second place, tied with Germany.
From Wikipedia: Visa free travel map for Lebanese citizens
This list is not true. I just called the Consulate of Bolivia in Canada, and they told me that Lebanese citizens need to obtain a visa to travel to Bolivia. I also went on the Embassy of Ecuador website, and Lebanon was listed as a country that requires a visa. Based on the fact that the first 2 countries I searched out of this list need a visa, I would easily say that this list is hugely false, and whoever is putting this information together has no idea what they are doing. We as Lebanese people are cursed with this useless passport.
Hi Elie, thanks for the search. I’ve also researched the Bolivia visa issue and this is what I found.
Bolivia
IATA confirm that Lebanese passport holders do not need to apply for visas at the Bolivian consulate to travel to Bolivia. I decided to investigate further and I found that Bolivia has three levels of passports. Group 1 passports do not need AT ALL a visa. Group 2 NEED a tourist visa but can get it at arrival, and, Group 3 MUST apply at the Bolivian Embassy before departing. Lebanon falls in Group 2. According to the information I got, Lebanese can apply at the Bolivian Embassy for a tourist visa but can also receive it upon arrival at the airport.
Ecuador
Once again, IATA confirms that Lebanese do not need a pre-approved visa to enter Ecuador.
It is important to point out that in both cases Lebanese passport holders NEED VISAS. But the question is whether they need a pre-approved visa or can get one on the border. Based on my search, Lebanese can get visas at the border but can also apply at the embassies in their country of resident. Additionally, Ecuador have just overhauled their entry permit system (on August 2, 2011) which may mean that Lebanese require pre-approved visas. Not all websites are mentioning this change. Visa information is notoriously hard to follow as it can change overnight. If it makes you feel any better, France and Germany require visas to enter Ecuador too.
Is it still ok to travel to Bolivia with no visa upon arrival please advise me thank you
I insist on checking with your nearest Bolivian embassy for that answer. Visa regulations can easily change overnight and it is best you get the answer you are looking directly from the authorities.
Yeeaaay! Rocks to be Swedish then :D! Not that I didn’t already know that though ;).
I was wondering how accurate are the list of countries that Lebanese dont need a tourist or travel visa for…. I was browsing the internet to see if Lebanese need a visa for the country of Georgia which unfortunately i do….is this right or wrong? what about the other countries on the list? Is there an update to the above list in 2012?
The list is of countries that Lebanese can visit without a need for a visa or will receive a visa at arrival. The list has been pulled from Wikipedia and verified (at the time) using IATA database. Like I’ve mentioned before, visa regulations are always changing. I’ve worked for the Korean Embassy in Beirut and we’d receive information from the General Security on whether South Koreans can receive visa to Lebanon at the airport. Almost every six months, the GS would change the policy. The legal firm, Henley and Partners, prepares their report on visas and passports every August so we will have to wait till then to for any updates.
Interesting to see Iran is the latest on the list. My Lebanese colleague at work simply bought a ticket and flew in last May, no questions asked. Not sure if it’s a political thing or not. Either way, it’s a beautiful country (let’s put politics aside for a bit!).
Speaking of beautiful…Mauritius!!! 🙂
Dear All
would you please confirm that as a lebanese we still dont need visa for entry to Malaisya ?
kindly advise
regards
How about Visas for peru ,, i have a 11 hour layover in lima peru , and i want to go out in a city a bit , but the consultate in lebanon does not issue visas so i have to send them by aramex to cairo egypt and that would cost me arround 98$ and then also pay for the general security fees in lebanon on leaving and returning passports and amout of 36$ thats asside for the 30$ visa fee .. so how about peru ? can i get a visa on arrival in the country ? so i wont have to pay for all the theft ?
According to IATA, you must have a visa.
Pls. Add Panama to your list. Lebanese can travel visa free to Panama . Also Lebanese can travel visa free to Ecuador. I recently visited the both countries visa free.