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FR-MKT · LEBANON · 21 Oct 2026

Home · Guides · Registering an imported car in Lebanon

Registering an imported used car in Lebanon: from customs to plates

Sources checked 20 October 2026.

In Lebanon, an imported used car gets plates at the Traffic, Trucks and Vehicles Management Authority (the "Nafaa", also called the Mecanique). This guide covers the steps after customs: booking, the documents the Authority lists, how the registration fee is worked out, the fixed plate and licence fees, and the yearly mechanic fee. It isn't legal advice. Fees change through budget laws, so check with the Authority or your clearing agent on the day.

Step 1: leave the port with the right papers

The Authority's list starts with the customs certificate and the bill of lading (TMO, checked 20 Oct 2026). The customs certificate for a used car is marked "used passenger car", and the service is only for cars never registered in Lebanon before (same source).

Step 2: book an appointment and pick the branch

Registration of imported used cars is booked on the Authority's site, tmo.gov.lb (TMO, checked 20 Oct 2026):

  • Ouzai, Jounieh, Saida, Nabatieh, Aley, Tripoli and Zahle branches list "registration of imported used cars".
  • Dekwaneh lists it for cars that will carry a special (distinctive) number. If you already own a special number, you can take it off your old car and put it on the imported one (same source).
  • Cars to be registered in Jounieh are inspected at Dekwaneh first (same source).
  • Bring the car. The Authority says it must be presented (same source).

Step 3: the documents the Nafaa lists

For "registration of imported used cars", the Authority lists (TMO, checked 20 Oct 2026):

  1. Customs certificate + bill of lading
  2. Copies of the seller's and buyer's IDs (or civil record extract or passport), or a proxy with a proper power of attorney
  3. The buyer's residence certificate from the mukhtar
  4. The commercial registration of the importing party
  5. Compulsory insurance
  6. A sale deed. Seller and buyer (or their proxies) attest it at the Authority, unless a notary has already executed it

The list is written for a car sold by an importer to a buyer. If you imported the car in your own name, ask the Authority what replaces items 4 and 6. We didn't find this on the site.

Step 4: how the registration fee is worked out

  • The base is the higher of two values: the value on the invoice or contract, or the value in the official pricing tables for that type of car. The Ministers of Finance and Interior issue those tables, and the Authority can check the documents, including by direct valuation (Law No. 59 of 1988, Art. 2, text, checked 20 Oct 2026).
  • The rate: we didn't find it on an official page. Secondary sources say 4% of the value for private cars and 2% for public ones (Al Ain, 23 Jul 2025; Waradana, checked 20 Oct 2026 · estimate — confirm locally).
  • We didn't find the official pricing tables published. So we can't show the value the Authority will use for your car. Ask your clearing agent or the Authority.
  • Currency: fees are in LBP. The official rate is 89,500 LBP per USD (BdL, accessed 19 Oct 2026 · estimate — confirm locally). A 2024 report quoting the Authority said imported cars pay registration at the rate their customs was paid at (Lebanon Debate, checked 20 Oct 2026 · estimate — confirm locally).
  • New hybrids and electric cars get 70% off the registration fee and the mechanic fee at first registration (Budget Law 2024, Art. 69, text, checked 20 Oct 2026). Budget Law 2026, Art. 53, sets the same 70% for new EVs and hybrids imported within five years of that law (text, checked 20 Oct 2026). Both texts say new cars; we found nothing for used ones.

Step 5: plates, licence and the fixed fees

From Budget Law 2024, Art. 70 (text, checked 20 Oct 2026 · estimate — confirm locally):

Plates, licence and the fixed fees.

FeeLBP≈ USD at 89,500
Plate inspection, two plates150,000$1.68
Vehicle licence150,000$1.68
Supply and fitting of two platesSet by a joint Finance/Interior decision: amount not found—
Special (distinctive) numbersSeparate allocation and annual fees (Art. 71)—

The Ministry of Finance's Citizen Budget 2024 confirms that this law raised plate, licence and annual traffic fees (MoF, checked 20 Oct 2026).

The annual mechanic fee in 2026

The yearly traffic fee, called the mechanic fee, depends on the car's age from its date of manufacture and its horsepower (Budget Law 2024, Art. 70, text, checked 20 Oct 2026). We found no later change to these amounts: the law database lists no amendment to Art. 70 (Law 324 status, checked 20 Oct 2026), the 2026 budget law has no article on these fees (Law No. 40 of 2026, checked 20 Oct 2026), and the Ministry of Finance's 2025 and 2026 Citizen Budgets list no change (2025, 2026, checked 20 Oct 2026). One 2026 press report quoted an importers' representative saying the fees rose; another called that claim false (Lebeconomy; MTV, checked 20 Oct 2026). Check the amount for a real plate with the Authority before you count on it. Amounts in LBP, USD at 89,500 · estimate — confirm locally:

The annual mechanic fee in 2026.

HorsepowerUnder 2 years2 to 4 years5 to 12 years13 years and over
1–31,500,000 ($16.76)1,000,000 ($11.17)400,000 ($4.47)200,000 ($2.23)
4–103,250,000 ($36.31)1,550,000 ($17.32)750,000 ($8.38)300,000 ($3.35)
11–205,250,000 ($58.66)2,450,000 ($27.37)1,200,000 ($13.41)530,000 ($5.92)
21–3010,500,000 ($117)5,050,000 ($56.42)2,400,000 ($26.82)1,090,000 ($12.18)
31–4015,250,000 ($170)7,300,000 ($81.56)3,100,000 ($34.64)1,400,000 ($15.64)
41–5025,000,000 ($279)12,000,000 ($134)5,100,000 ($56.98)2,300,000 ($25.70)
51+31,000,000 ($346)15,000,000 ($168)7,150,000 ($79.89)2,880,000 ($32.18)
  • First year: the fee is charged for the remaining months only, from the date the car is put on the road; a part month counts as a full month (Law No. 59 of 1988, Art. 3, text, checked 20 Oct 2026).
  • Late payment: 10% per month late, capped at double the fee in a year (same article).
  • "Horsepower" here is the figure on the Lebanese registration (Mizan calls it fiscal horsepower, Mizan, checked 20 Oct 2026). It isn't the US brochure hp, and we didn't find the conversion formula. Ask the Authority.

Worked example: fixed fees and the first mechanic fee

Car: manufactured in 2019, registered in October 2026, so age 7 → the "5 to 12 years" band. Horsepower on the Lebanese registration assumed 21–30 (illustrative). Fees from Budget Law 2024 Art. 70 and Law 59/1988 Art. 3. USD at 89,500. estimate — confirm locally.

Worked example: fixed fees and the first mechanic fee.

LineLBP≈ USD
Plate inspection (two plates)150,000$1.68
Vehicle licence150,000$1.68
Mechanic fee, full year (5–12 years, 21–30 hp)2,400,000$26.82
Mechanic fee charged in 2026: Oct, Nov, Dec = 3/12600,000$6.70
Plate supply and fittingnot found—
Registration feedepends on the official value: see below—

The registration fee is the big line, and we can't compute it for you. The one dollar figure we found is from a 2024 press report: a 2020 car bought for $8,000 paid about $3,300 in registration fees under the 2024 budget (Lebanon Debate; also cited by Mizan, checked 20 Oct 2026 · estimate — confirm locally). That was a local resale, not the first registration of an import, so treat it only as a sign that the fee can run to thousands of dollars. Get a figure for your exact car from your clearing agent or the Authority before you bid.

Before you bid: age and damage warnings

  • The US government's trade.gov Lebanon page lists passenger vehicles older than eight years as a prohibited import (trade.gov, checked 20 Oct 2026). We couldn't find the Lebanese legal text. Treat it as a warning and check with your clearing agent.
  • For the damage rules and the other import limits, see Lebanon import rules.

Put it into the free calculator

The live max bid calculator is a free USD worksheet with no account: max bid = resale − repair − buyer fee − transport − title and registration − target profit. It has no customs or registration fields and doesn't know Lebanon. Add your clearing agent's customs figure (see Lebanon car import tax) and the registration fees you expect, in dollars, to the Title and registration line. Freight and port costs go in Transport (see Landed cost in Beirut).

Open the max bid calculator →

Want this inside the browser? The FlipRadar Chrome extension version with Market Profiles adds USD-first amounts with LBP alongside, landed cost at your port and a walk-away line. It's in private beta and not in the Chrome Web Store. The private beta is free. To try it, email hello@theflipradar.com and ask for the private-beta extension.

FlipRadar is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any auction company, Lebanese Customs or the Traffic, Trucks and Vehicles Management Authority. FlipRadar isn't a clearing agent.

Related guides: Lebanon car import tax · Landed cost in Beirut · Lebanon import rules · all guides.

FAQ

How much does it cost to register an imported car in Lebanon?

There is no single price. The main cost is a registration fee worked out on the higher of the invoice or contract value and the value in the official pricing tables (Law No. 59 of 1988, Art. 2, checked 20 Oct 2026). We didn't find those tables or the rate on an official page; secondary sources give 4% of the value for private cars. On top come fixed fees set by Budget Law 2024 Art. 70: LBP 150,000 for the plate inspection and LBP 150,000 for the vehicle licence, plus the annual mechanic fee. Estimate — confirm locally.

What documents does the Nafaa ask for to register an imported used car?

The Traffic, Trucks and Vehicles Management Authority's booking site lists: the customs certificate and the bill of lading, copies of the seller's and buyer's IDs (or civil record extract or passport, or a proxy with a proper power of attorney), the buyer's residence certificate from the mukhtar, the commercial registration of the importing party, compulsory insurance, and a sale deed. The car must be brought, and seller and buyer must attest the sale deed at the Authority unless a notary has executed it (tmo.gov.lb, checked 20 Oct 2026).

Where do I register an imported used car in Lebanon?

The Authority's booking site lists registration of imported used cars at its Ouzai, Jounieh, Saida, Nabatieh, Aley, Tripoli and Zahle branches, and at Dekwaneh for cars that will carry a special (distinctive) number. Cars for Jounieh are inspected at Dekwaneh first. Book an appointment on tmo.gov.lb (checked 20 Oct 2026).

How much is the mechanic fee in 2026?

The annual traffic fee, known as the mechanic fee, is set by Budget Law 2024 Art. 70 by the car's age from its date of manufacture and its horsepower: from LBP 200,000 (13 years and over, 1–3 hp) to LBP 31,000,000 (under 2 years, 51 hp and over). In the first year it is charged for the remaining months only (Law No. 59 of 1988, Art. 3). We found no change to these amounts in the 2025 or 2026 budget texts we read, although one 2026 press report said they rose (checked 20 Oct 2026). Estimate — confirm locally.

Is there an age limit for registering an imported car in Lebanon?

The US government's trade.gov Lebanon page lists passenger vehicles older than eight years as a prohibited import (checked 20 Oct 2026). We couldn't find the Lebanese legal text. Treat it as a warning and check with your clearing agent before you bid.

Do I need a technical inspection to register the car?

The Authority's booking site says the car must be brought to registration, and it lists an inspection step at Dekwaneh for cars registered in Jounieh (tmo.gov.lb, checked 20 Oct 2026). Mizan, a legal-information site, says periodic technical inspection has been suspended since 19 May 2022 (checked 20 Oct 2026). Confirm locally.

Does the FlipRadar calculator include Lebanese registration?

No. The free max bid calculator is a USD worksheet with no customs or registration fields. Add your clearing agent's customs figure and the registration fees you expect, in dollars, to its Title and registration line.

Sources

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