Visa appointment in Lebanon (2026): VFS, TLScontact, BLS, which centre for which country

In Lebanon, European embassies do not take short-stay visa applications at their own counter. You book an appointment at a private visa application centre in Beirut: TLScontact for France, Italy and Belgium, VFS Global for Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Cyprus, the United Kingdom and Canada, BLS International for Spain. Only the United States interviews applicants at its embassy. These centres receive files and take fingerprints: the decision always belongs to the embassy or consulate.

Two rules to know first. Apply with a biometric Lebanese passport: General Security has cancelled the old non-biometric ones, and TLScontact (France) and Cyprus now refuse them. And most fees are paid in US dollars, in cash, at the exact amount. Everything below was checked on November 9, 2026 on the official websites listed at the end of the page. To see where you need no visa at all, check the visa-free list for Lebanese passport holders.

In Beirut, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Cyprus use VFS Global, France, Italy and Belgium use TLScontact, and Spain uses BLS International; a Schengen visa costs €90 per adult, usually paid in US dollars.

For a Schengen visa, children aged 6 to 12 pay half (€45; USD 53 for Spain, USD 54 for Belgium) and children under 6 pay nothing. Fees are not refunded after a refusal. Apply to the country where you will spend the most time.

Greek visa applications in Lebanon go to VFS Global, at the Gefinor Center in Hamra, or, by appointment, to the Greek consular office in New Naccache; VFS adds a USD 22 service fee to the €90 Schengen fee, according to the consular office.

1. At VFS Global (Gefinor Center, Hamra): book on VFS Global Greece Lebanon. The service fee of USD 22 is paid directly to VFS; the visa fee is paid in cash at the centre.
2. At the consular office (Rue des Ambassades, New Naccache, Boukhater Building): appointment by phone on 04 521700 or by email at [email protected].

For a child under 18, both parents sign the form and give a travel permit certified by a notary. Route details: Greece visa for Lebanese citizens.

The Embassy of Italy in Beirut handles residents of Lebanon and Syria and issues Schengen visas for Italy and Malta. Every application goes through TLScontact, Martyrs' Square, by appointment booked on TLScontact Italy Lebanon (call centre +961 1 977 033, Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 15:00).

• Apply at least 15 days before travel. The procedure takes up to two weeks.
• Fees: the embassy collects visa fees in US dollars, in cash, ideally the exact amount. The TLScontact service fee is shown on its site.
• Optional services (Prime Time appointment USD 37, Super Premium Lounge USD 81) do not speed up the embassy's decision.

The embassy warns that anyone claiming to get you a visa faster through connections with TLS or the embassy is lying and committing fraud. Route details: Italy visa for Lebanese citizens.

Fill in your application on France-Visas, then book on TLScontact. The Consulate General of France in Beirut decides; it needs about ten days at least once the file is complete, so book at least three weeks before departure.

• Centre: Downtown, Martyr's Square, Opera Building, ground floor. Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 13:00, by appointment.
• Service fee: USD 30, prepaid within 72 hours of booking, online or at an OMT branch.
• Visa fee: €90, in euros, in cash, exact amount. There is no exchange at the centre and €500 notes are refused.
• Biometric passport only since June 25, 2026. If you are waiting for one, ask TLScontact to move your appointment.

Route details: France visa for Lebanese citizens.

Schengen applications for Germany go to VFS Global in Hamra, after booking on the VFS site linked by the embassy, or without an appointment, every day from 11:00 to 13:00. Only complete files are accepted, in person.

• Fee: the equivalent of €90, paid in US dollars, in cash, on the day, plus the VFS service fee. Not refunded after a refusal.
• Processing: about 15 days on average.
• Booking is free. The embassy works with VFS and with no other paid provider.

Route details: Germany visa for Lebanese citizens.

Apply at the BLS Center, 5th floor, Concorde Building (Verdun Center), Dunant Street, Verdun, after booking only on BLS Spain Lebanon. The centre also takes Schengen applications for Portugal.

• Visa fee: USD 106 per adult, USD 53 from 6 to 12 years, free under 6, in cash.
• BLS service charge: USD 20, in cash, waived under 6.
• When: between 6 months and 15 days before travel; BLS advises at least 15 working days.

Route details: Spain visa for Lebanese citizens.

The Belgian TLScontact centre is in the same building as the French one and also handles Luxembourg (call centre +961 1 977 031). Fees: USD 108 (€90) per adult, USD 54 from 6 to 12 years, free under 6, plus a USD 24 service fee, all in US dollars, in cash, exact amount. Spouses and children of Belgian or EU citizens pay no visa fee. Route details: Belgium visa for Lebanese citizens.

NetherlandsWorldwide sends applicants to the VFS Global centre in Beirut, which also serves residents of Iraq and Syria. Apply no later than 45 days before your trip, and at most 6 months ahead. Book one appointment per person, yourself, not through an intermediary; everyone attends, minors included. The visa fee is paid at the appointment, plus a VFS service fee. Route details: Netherlands visa for Lebanese citizens.

The Swiss Embassy sends Schengen applicants living in Lebanon or Syria to VFS Global (+961 1 956 410, [email protected]). Its leaflet asks for the visa fee in US dollars, in cash, exact amount, at the current rate; it is not refunded. Route details: Switzerland visa for Lebanese citizens.

Cyprus issues its own national visa. Since April 1, 2026, applications go through VFS Global on behalf of the Embassy of Cyprus.

• Fees: USD 100 per adult, USD 50 from 6 to 12 years.
• When: at most 6 months and at least 15 calendar days before travel.
• In person: every applicant aged 12 or over, for fingerprints.
• Biometric passport only since September 1, 2026.

Already holding a Schengen visa? According to the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a valid double- or multiple-entry Schengen visa, or a residence permit from a Schengen state, lets you stay in Cyprus up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a Cyprus visa. Route details: Cyprus visa for Lebanese citizens.

Since November 5, 2024, the UK visa application centre in Lebanon has been run by VFS Global. Apply and pay on GOV.UK first, then book with VFS. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel. Fees: £135 for up to 6 months, £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years, £1,128 for 10 years, not refunded after a refusal. Route details: UK visa for Lebanese citizens.

Routine visa processing stopped after February 23, 2026, when non-emergency staff were ordered to leave Beirut. The embassy's visa page now says that routine nonimmigrant visa processing has resumed, by appointment only, at the embassy in Awkar, facing the municipality.

Fill in the DS-160, pay the USD 185 fee (not refundable) and book through the service linked from the embassy's visa page. On November 9, 2026, Lebanon was on neither the Proclamation 10998 lists nor the visa bond list. Services can stop again at short notice: read the embassy page before paying. Route details: US visa for Lebanese citizens.

Apply online with IRCC, then give fingerprints and photo at the Canada visa application centre run by VFS Global (Gefinor Center, Block A, 1st floor, Hamra), within 30 days of your biometric instruction letter. IRCC fees: CAD 100 per person and CAD 85 for biometrics. Route details: Canada visa for Lebanese citizens.

If no appointment is available in Beirut, never pay anyone for one, use the German walk-in hours and plan with each country's deadline.

• Never pay for an appointment. Germany says booking is free, Italy calls promises of help through connections a fraud, the Netherlands asks you to book yourself.
• Paid extras (Prime Time, lounge) do not speed up the decision.
• Plan by country: France advises 3 weeks, the Netherlands requires 45 days, Cyprus 15 days; the UK opens 3 months ahead, Schengen countries 6 months ahead.

Every Schengen file needs travel insurance covering at least €30,000 of medical costs and proof of accommodation. The minimum cover and the common traps are in our Schengen visa travel insurance guide. For accommodation, a hotel booking with free cancellation or an invitation from your host; keep the booking until you travel, border police can ask for it.

At VFS Global, Gefinor Center, Hamra, or by appointment at the Greek consular office in New Naccache. The fee is €90, plus USD 22 for VFS.

No. TLScontact (France) has refused them since June 25, 2026 and Cyprus since September 1, 2026.

Not if it is valid and allows two or more entries: you can then stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

In US dollars, in cash, at almost every centre. The French visa fee is the exception: it is paid in euros.

Read on November 9, 2026.

• Greek consular office in Beirut and VFS Global Greece Lebanon.
• Embassy of Italy in Beirut, visas, fees in USD, notice on intermediaries and TLScontact Italy, services.
• France-Visas, Lebanon, TLScontact France, fees, hours and biometric passports.
• German Embassy in Beirut, Schengen visa and booking.
• Embassy of Spain in Beirut and BLS Spain Lebanon.
• Embassy of Belgium in Lebanon and TLScontact Belgium, fees.
• NetherlandsWorldwide, apply in Lebanon.
• Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon.
• Embassy of Cyprus in Beirut and Cyprus MFA, visa exemptions.
• GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa and change of commercial partner (archived page).
• US Embassy in Lebanon, limited services, Proclamation 10998, visa bonds and fees.
• IRCC, fees and VFS Global Canada Lebanon.

IziVisas is not an embassy or a visa centre and does not book appointments. Check the amounts on the centre's website before you go: they can change.