Lebanon

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Lebanon based on HIV status.

Both UNAIDS and the US Department of State report to be unaware of any HIV entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Lebanon.

The website of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its embassies do not provide information on HIV entry restrictions.

Sources are mixed on whether Lebanon imposes restrictions on short-term stay of people living with HIV.

UNAIDS reports that Lebanon requires HIV testing for work permits.

According to CARAM Asia, Lebanese labour laws require all new migrants to submit negative HIV and STD lab test results along with their application for a work permit. Migrant workers testing positive are deported and, in accordance with the law, repatriation costs are borne by the recruitment agency. As of 2007, however, in such cases foreigners are given access to ARV treatment prior to deportation.

The website of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its embassies do not provide information that makes the above requirement obvious, or at least not for all visa types. 

The General Directorate of General Security also provides the terms and conditions to grant a Lebanese visa, and HIV status or other medical conditions are not mentioned. 

The visa application form does not contain questions or fields in relation to any health condition or status.

Sources are mixed on whether Lebanon imposes restrictions on long-term stay of people living with HIV.

According to UNAIDS, Lebanon requires HIV testing for residency permits.

The website of the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its embassies do not provide information that makes the above requirement obvious, or at least not for all visa types.

The General Directorate of General Security provides a list of supporting documents that should be included with the annual and permanent residence application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant. 

The following summarises available information on access to healthcare for people living with HIV in Lebanon. However, it is not clear whether non-nationals are able to access this treatment in the same way as nationals.

FORRS reports that the Lebanese public health system is regularly faced with shortages of medicines and medical equipment. More than half of all HIV service providers are concentrated in Beirut and its suburbs. This makes it more difficult for people living further away from the capital to access these services. The prohibitive cost of treatment is also cited by people living with HIV as a major constraint. Although the Ministry of Health has pledged to provide them free of charge, political instability and numerous budget cuts limit the coverage of health expenses for the Lebanese. STI screening, mental health care, medication, operations, vaccinations and check-ups are often out of reach for the majority of the population.

In addition, illegal practices such as refusal of treatment or the obligation to take an HIV test before employment are recurrent. The majority of Lebanese insurance companies refuse to cover HIV-related care and use HIV-positive status as a reason for terminating contracts. Although there is no law condemning HIV status, people apprehended by the police and suspected of being HIV-positive are sometimes placed in solitary confinement.

SIDC Lebanon provides medical and psychosocial services, including treatment, for PLHIV, whether they are Lebanese or not.

• UNAIDS
• US Department of State
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• CARAM Asia
• General Directorate of General Security
• FORRS
• SIDC Lebanon

Migrant populations

Refugees and asylum seekers