Lebanon offshore companies

What is an offshore Lebanon company?

Register Lebanon company offshore

  1. An offshore Lebanon company is a company i) constituted in Lebanon ii) with headquarters in Lebanon, but it is only allowed to pursue commercial and productive activities i) abroad and ii) in Lebanon’s three free trade zones;
  2. Lebanon offshore companies are henceforth mainly used by businessmen to:
    • Sign contracts regarding operations executed outside Lebanon;
    • Own actions and other securities in non-resident companies;
    • Manage held nonresident companies activities from Lebanon;
    • Perform sea transportation activities from Lebanon and;
    • Rent or own Lebanese real estate.
  3. Similarly to a Lebanese PLC, offshore Lebanon company registration requires at least 3 shareholders and 3 directors. A minimum share capital of US$20,000 must also be deposited on a resident bank account.

What are the advantages of incorporating an offshore company in Lebanon?

  1. A Lebanese offshore company benefit from reduced incorporation requirements including:
    • Offshore companies with share capital less than US$34,000 are not required to appoint a company attorney, resulting in annual savings for Our Clients of at least $6,000;
    • Offshore companies are not required to appoint any Lebanese citizen amongst their Board of Directors, compared to at least 51% for Lebanese PLCs;
    • Offshore companies with assets over US$700 are exempted from obtaining a work permit for all their employees, including their CEO;
    • Although subject to annual audit requirements, offshore companies need to appoint only 1 internal auditor, while PLCs must also ask the Trade registry to appoint another, independent, auditor.
  2. An offshore Lebanese company also benefits from generous tax advantages including:
    • A flat corporate tax of US$700, compared to a 15% rate for other Lebanese entities and 25% for Branches;
    • Exemption from withholding tax on dividends and salaries distributed abroad;
    • Exemption from payroll tax for all its employees.

Table of comparison between an offshore company and a PLC in Lebanon

Lebanese JSC Lebanese Offshore company
Also known as: SAL Entreprise Offshore
Incorporation period? 5 weeks 4 weeks
Lebanese bank account required? Yes Yes
Lebanese address required? Yes Yes
Minimum shareholders? 3 3
Minimum directors allowed? 3 3
Minimum share capital? US$20,000 US$20,000
Corporate tax rate? 15% US$700
Wholly foreign-owned? No Yes
Lebanese directors required? Yes No
Lebanese company attorney required? Yes Yes
Resident director required? Yes No
Work Permits required? Yes No
Payroll tax? Yes No
Can buy Lebanese property? Yes Yes
Can rent an office in Lebanon? Yes Yes
Allowed to own Lebanese securities? Yes No
Can conduct commercial operations in Lebanon? Yes No
Can conduct productive operations in Lebanon? Yes No
Incorporation costs (Year 1)? US$19,860 US$11,830
Sample engagement fee invoice View invoice PDF View invoice PDF

Lebanese offshore company fees and timelines

  • Lebanon offshore business setup costs in year 1 amount to US$6,450 and annual company costs in year 2 and thereafter amount to US$2,700. Average engagement fees include i) offshore company formation In Lebanon ii) Lebanese corporate bank account iii) tax authorities and Social Security registration fees iv) company attorney (if applicable) and v) registered address services;
  • Please note that Our Clients proceeding to offshore company incorporation in Lebanon with less than US$34,000 of share capital will save approximately US$6,000 on setup costs, as they will benefit from a waiver to appoint a company attorney.

Contact us

For additional information on our offshore company registration services in Lebanon, please contact our in-house country expert, Ms. Jaya Thevathasan, directly:
Consultant at HC - jaya
  • Ms. Jaya Thevathasan
  • Client Relationship Officer
  • Contact me!
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