Marrying and Sponsoring a Lebanese Citizen
Listen to this articleMarriage to a Lebanese Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Lebanese citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Lebanese spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Processing Time
If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Lebanese spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.
A visitor visa application for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing takes an average of 3 –14 days.
Please see our pages on family sponsorship and Canadian visitor visa for more information on the processing times of these applications.
Lebanese Marriage Basic Requirements
In order to marry a citizen of Lebanon, you must demonstrate to the Lebanese government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:
- Proof of country of birth
- Proof of single status
- Proof of age requirement
Lebanese Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to a Lebanese citizen can legally take place in Lebanon, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Lebanese spouse. To learn more about ceremony customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Lebanese spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Lebanese Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Lebanese citizen.
List of Lebanese Consulates in Canada
Calling Lebanon from Canada
Dial 011 – 961 – area code – local number, where
- 011 is the exit code for the North American Numbering Plan
- 961 is the country code for Lebanon
Area Codes of major centres in Lebanon (landlines only)
| Beirut | 1 | Marjayoun, Nabatiyeh, Sidon, Tyre | 7 |
| Baabdat, Bickfaya, Jdeideh | 4 | Baalbeck, Mashghara, Rayack, Zahle | 8 |
| Aley, Baabda, Bhamdoun, Hammana | 5 | Byblos,Ghazir, Jounieh, Qartaba | 9 |
| Tripoli, Zgharta | 6 |
Cell Phones in Lebanon
Cellular phones use the prefix – or area code – 3 or 7.
Calling Canada from Lebanon
Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number, where
- 00 is the international dialing code
- 1 is the country code for North America
Canadian Area Codes
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
Lebanon is on Eastern European Time (GMT+2). Lebanon also uses European rules for Daylight Saving Time, meaning that there is a brief period twice a year – in March and in October – when the time differences below are 1 hour shorter. Saskatchewan does not participate in DST so the time difference in the summer is 1 hour greater.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Lebanon is Ahead |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 10 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 9 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan*) | 8 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 7 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 6 hours |
| Newfoundland | 5.5 hours |
Emergency Contact Information for Canadians in Lebanon
Embassy of Canada in BeirutFirst Floor, Coolrite Building Postal Address: Telephone: 961 (4) 726-700 |
View Larger Map |
Canadian Government’s Travel Alerts for Lebanon
Sponsoring Your Lebanese Spouse to come to Canada
Sponsoring your spouse to come to Canada can be a difficult and time-consuming experience. To learn more about the application process, click the button below:
Want to know more about marrying in Lebanon? Let us know!
Sponsorship Review
Immigroup will review your completed spousal sponsorship application.. Immigroup will make sure you have not made any mistakes on your application or in gathering the documentation of your relationship. We will assess your sponsorship letter and give you peace of mind that you are submitting an application with a very good chance of success. Don’t lose sleep at night worrying about whether you’ve done enough. Call us at 1-866-760-2623 for a review.
