Official · 02.10.2026Argentina announces South America's first Citizenship by Investment Programme→
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Lebanese families and Argentine citizenship: the funds question

Lebanese law lets you keep your nationality, and the travel gain is very large. What decides a Lebanese application is whether you can show where the money came from, after six years of frozen deposits and a grey-listed banking system.

Updated 9 min readSourced from official announcements

Key facts

  • Lebanon allows dual nationality. You can keep your Lebanese passport.
  • Travel gain: Lebanese passport 41 destinations (#95), Argentine passport 169 (#16) in the Henley Passport Index, July 2026.
  • Lebanon has been on the FATF grey list since October 2024 and stayed on it after the June 2026 plenary.
  • Banks have restricted access to dollar deposits since 2019. Source of funds is the central challenge.
  • Lebanon is not an Apostille Convention party, so documents need full legalisation.

For a Lebanese family, the case for a second passport needs little explanation. The Lebanese passport gives visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 41 destinations. The Argentine passport gives 169. Lebanese law does not force a choice between them.

Argentina is also familiar ground. Levantine migration to Argentina began in the nineteenth century, and the country has one of the largest communities of Lebanese descent in Latin America. But history does not help with due diligence. This guide focuses on the issue that will decide most Lebanese applications to Argentina citizenship by investment: proving the source of funds.

Note. Two Argentine appeal courts have ruled against DNU 366/2025, the decree that allows naturalisation through investment. On 18 June 2026 Chamber III of the federal civil and commercial appeals court struck down the parts that give citizenship decisions to Migraciones. On 30 June 2026 the Cámara Nacional Electoral declared the decree unconstitutional. The government has appealed to the Supreme Court and says the decree stays in effect until the ruling is final. We have not found a Supreme Court decision as of 10 October 2026. Read our legal status page before you commit funds.

Lebanese nationality law: dual nationality is allowed

Lebanese nationality law rests on Decree No. 15 of 1925. Lebanon does not take away nationality from a citizen who voluntarily acquires another. Renouncing Lebanese nationality is the harder step: it requires the government to approve the acquisition of the foreign nationality first.

Two features of Lebanese law matter for families:

  • Transmission through the father. Lebanese nationality passes through the father. Children of a Lebanese mother and a foreign father are not Lebanese. An Argentine application that includes the whole family can give every member one shared nationality.
  • The 2015 descendants law. Parliament approved a law in November 2015 that lets some descendants of Lebanese emigrants reclaim Lebanese nationality, through the paternal line. Some Argentines of Lebanese descent may qualify, which is the same bridge in reverse.

Argentina allows dual and multiple nationality and does not ask new citizens to renounce their original nationality. See our dual citizenship guide.

The mobility gain

The July 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index ranks the Lebanese passport 95th, with 41 destinations. The Argentine passport ranks 16th, with 169. That is a gain of 128 destinations.

Destination Lebanese passport Argentine passport
Schengen Area Visa required 90 days in 180
United Kingdom Visa required ETA (£20)
Japan Visa required 90 days visa-free
China Visa required 30 days visa-free (to 31 Dec 2026)
Brazil, Mexico Visa required Visa-free
UAE eVisa Visa-free
United States Visa required Visa required (B1/B2)
Canada Visa required Visa required (eTA if you hold a valid US visa)

For Lebanese business owners who trade with Europe, the Gulf and Africa, this removes most visa applications. North America is the exception: Argentina is not in the US Visa Waiver Program. Mercosur residence rights come only after five years of Argentine nationality. See our passport guide.

The banking crisis and your source of funds

Argentina’s checks cover identity, the traceability and legality of funds, financial and asset analysis, jurisdictional risk, criminal and reputational background, and migration history. All funds must move through the formal financial system. For Lebanese applicants, each of these points runs into the events since 2019.

Where things stand

  • Restricted deposits. After banks reopened in late 2019, they restricted depositors’ access to their US-dollar deposits, without a formal capital-control law.
  • The currency. The pound was held at 1,507.5 to the dollar from 1997 until the crisis. The official rate was devalued by 90% in February 2023, and the rate had settled at about 89,500 by 2025.
  • Reforms. Lebanon amended its banking secrecy laws in 2025 under IMF pressure. A 2022 IMF staff-level agreement was never implemented. In September 2026 Lebanon selected Alvarez & Marsal for a new audit of financial transactions from October 2019 to December 2023.

We could not confirm, as of 10 October 2026, that any law restoring depositors’ full access to pre-2019 dollar deposits is in force. Treat those deposits as unavailable for this purpose unless your bank can transfer them abroad in full.

What this means for your file

Most Lebanese applicants will fund the investment in one of three ways:

  1. Funds already held abroad, for example from a business in the Gulf, Africa or Europe. These are the simplest, provided they have a documented history.
  2. New money (“fresh” funds) that entered a Lebanese bank after 2019 and can move freely. Keep the records that show where it came from.
  3. Proceeds of a sale, such as property, with contracts, valuations and bank records for each step.

Cash is the other difficulty. It is hard to trace, and the formal-system rule means that cash cannot simply be deposited and sent. If your wealth passed through cash at any stage since 2019, build the paper trail before you apply. Our source of funds guide explains what reviewers expect.

FATF status and due diligence

The FATF placed Lebanon on its grey list in October 2024. Lebanon was neither added nor removed at the June 2026 plenary, so it remains under increased monitoring. Argentina’s review includes jurisdictional risk, so expect enhanced due diligence.

Reviewers and banks will also look for any link to entities under sanctions. In July 2025 Lebanon’s central bank told licensed banks and financial firms not to deal with Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a group the United States has linked to Hezbollah. Applicants with business in sensitive sectors, or with relatives in public office, should expect detailed questions. See our due diligence guide and our explainer on the FATF and CBI.

Documents: legalisation, not apostille

Lebanon does not appear among the parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Lebanese civil records, judicial records and bank letters therefore need legalisation, usually by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Argentine consulate. Allow time for this. All documents also need certified Spanish translations. Documents issued in a third country, such as the UAE or France, follow that country’s rules.

Tax

Naturalisation through Argentina’s programme does not by itself make you an Argentine tax resident. The ordinary residence rules apply. See our guide to tax residency and CBI, and speak to a qualified adviser.

Cost

The donation route is US$350,000 for the main applicant, plus US$100,000 for a spouse or for each single child aged 18–25 without children, and US$25,000 for each child under 18. A couple with two minors pays US$500,000. The bond route is US$800,000. Press reports say the bond is held for seven years at zero interest. See our cost guide.

Is it right for you?

It may suit you if:

  • Your funds are held outside the Lebanese banking system, or are documented fresh money.
  • You travel often to Europe, Asia or Latin America.
  • You want one shared nationality for a mixed-nationality family.

It is probably not right for you if:

  • Your liquid wealth is mostly in pre-2019 Lebanese bank deposits.
  • Much of your wealth moved through cash without records.
  • You have any link, direct or through business partners, to sanctioned persons or entities.

For a confidential assessment, request a private briefing.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep Lebanese nationality if I become Argentine?

Yes. Lebanese law does not take away nationality from a citizen who acquires another, and dual nationality is common among Lebanese families. Argentina also allows dual nationality and does not ask you to renounce Lebanese citizenship.

Can I use money held in a Lebanese bank since before 2019?

In practice it is very difficult. Since late 2019, Lebanese banks have restricted depositors' access to their dollar deposits without a formal capital-control law. Most applicants will need funds that are already outside the Lebanese banking system or that arrived as new money.

Does Lebanon's FATF grey-listing block an application?

No rule excludes Lebanese applicants. But Lebanon has been on the FATF grey list since October 2024 and remained on it after the June 2026 plenary, so Argentina's jurisdictional-risk check and the banks that carry your payment will apply enhanced due diligence.

Can Lebanese documents be apostilled for Argentina?

No. Lebanon does not appear among the parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so Lebanese documents need legalisation: usually by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Argentine consulate.

Does the Argentine passport give visa-free entry to the United States?

No. Argentina is not in the US Visa Waiver Program, so a B1/B2 visa is still required. The main gains for a Lebanese passport holder are the Schengen Area, the UK, Japan, China and most of Latin America.

Next stepPrivate Briefing

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Applications open in Q4 2026. Join the priority list for a confidential briefing, early access to the official regulations, and a file prepared before the first day.

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