Document checklist
Vatican City → Lebanon: Visa or residency permit for students in religion
What you need before you submit, checked against official requirements, not guesswork.
Checked by our automated verification on 20 Oct 2026: every source on this page resolves and the data is structurally complete. This does not confirm a person re-read the source text for accuracy.
Required documents
7 itemsIdentity
Proof you are 18 or older
RequiredGeneral Security says the student must be 18 years old or more. Your passport normally shows your date of birth.
Financial
Fee
RequiredGeneral Security lists the cost for students in religion as LBP 15,000,000. Check the General Security page for the current amount.
Purpose of travel
Enrolment attestation from an accredited university or religious institution
RequiredA document from your accredited university or religious institution in Lebanon showing you are enrolled. It must state the type of degree, the study period and the semesters.
Prior entry authorisation from General Security (requested by your school)
RequiredBefore you enter, General Security must give an authorisation. Your accredited university or religious institution asks for it, it cannot be requested through a Lebanese embassy or consulate abroad. The entry visa is granted for one month.
Proof you passed the previous year (when continuing)
For the residency permit, you must hand in a document showing you passed the previous year. A student may not repeat a year more than once.
Travel
Travel from the country of your nationality
RequiredYou must come to Lebanon from the country whose nationality you hold. General Security says that if this is not the case, you cannot enter. You should arrive at the start of the academic year, and the visa should be requested one month before it begins.
Other
Residency permit application at a General Security regional office
RequiredAfter one month in Lebanon, go in person to a regional General Security office and hand in the residency permit application with the required documents.
Why applications on this route get refused
Nationality temporarily excluded
General Security temporarily excludes some nationalities from these student visas for security reasons.
How to avoid it: Check the General Security list before applying, and ask your university whether it still applies.
Student under 18
General Security says the student has to be 18 years old or more.
How to avoid it: Check your age against this rule before your university makes the request.
Not coming from your country of nationality
Students must come from the country whose nationality they hold, or they cannot enter Lebanon.
How to avoid it: Plan to travel to Lebanon from your own country.
Repeating a year more than once
A student cannot repeat a year more than once. If this happens, General Security says the student will have to leave Lebanon.
How to avoid it: Keep your pass certificate for each year, and talk to your university early if you are struggling.
Children can't get residency through the student
If a student is married, their children do not get a residency permit through the student, and so cannot live with them under these rules.
How to avoid it: Don't plan for your children to join you on your student residency.
Sources
Check your documents against this list before you pay the Lebanon application fee.
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