Attention! All services and assistance of UNHCR and its partners are free of charge!
If you are a detained refugee or asylum-seeker or you know a refugee or asylum-seeker detained in Lebanon requiring assistance, or is at risk of imminent deportation, you can contact UNCHR National Call Center at 📞04726111 or through 🗎 the Online Contact Form.
1. Can UNHCR help me if I am detained?⬇️
Depending on the needs of individual cases, UNHCR can provide support to vulnerable refugees or asylum-seekers who are held in immigration detention, prisons, police stations and justice palaces in Lebanon with psychological, medical, legal and material assistance, such as food, hygiene and water kits and other items on a needs basis.
2. What happens if I enter Lebanon irregularly?⬇️
The Lebanese authorities decided that any Syrian who enters or re- enters Lebanon irregularly after 24 April 2019 will be deported and handed over to the Syrian authorities. This applies both to Syrians arrested at the borders and inside Lebanon. Authorities consider the last date of irregular (re-)entry, regardless of whether you had previously entered legally or not.
Furthermore, refugees who decide to leave Lebanon will not be allowed to re-enter Lebanon unless they meet these entry requirements listed by the Lebanese government.
If you leave Lebanon without regularizing your status, you may be banned from re-entering Lebanon for a certain period of time. Previous registration with UNHCR is not considered a ground for re-entry to Lebanon.
3. Are Syrians who entered Lebanon irregularly before 24 April 2019 also affected?⬇️
Syrians who have entered Lebanon irregularly before 24 April 2019 could also be at risk of deportation if they cannot demonstrate that they entered Lebanon before that date.
To prove you entered Lebanon before 24 April the following documents, for example, could be presented:
- exit slip from Syria,
- UNHCR certificate (for refugees registered prior 2015),
- UNHCR appointment slip,
- rental agreement,
- electricity bill,
- education certificates,
- hospital bills,
- legal residency (even if expired), etc.
Make sure to keep these documents with you in case you need them!
4. What should I do if I am or someone I know is arrested and faces deportation?⬇️
In all cases of risk of deportation, immediately contact UNHCR National Call Center at 📞04726111 Monday to Friday 8 am to 5pm or through 🗎 the Online Contact Form.
Be ready to share as much information as possible on the identity of the person detained, place of detention, date of deportation (if any) reason for detention and time of entry to Lebanon.
Syrians who re/entered irregularly to Lebanon after 24 April 2019 are advised to contact UNHCR’s National Call Center at 📞04726111 Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm or through 🗎 the Online Contact Form immediately in case of arrest, or if at risk of deportation. If possible, provide the authorities with proof of identity, residence and/ or of presence in Lebanon prior 24 April 2019 (see list above).
5. Can Syrian refugees travel to Syria temporarily?⬇️
Syrian refugees who travel to Syria, even temporarily or for important reasons (e.g., for medical treatment or family reasons), will not be allowed to re-enter Lebanon and may be issued with a re-entry ban unless they meet the entry requirements set by Lebanon’s regulations. Previous registration with UNHCR is not considered a ground for re-entry to Lebanon.
Click here to know about the entry requirements to Lebanon listed by the Lebanese government.
Should you re-enter or attempt to re-enter Lebanon irregularly, you risk being deported and handed over to the Syrian authorities.
6. What can the family members of deportees do?⬇️
If a member of your family has been deported, we encourage you to contact the UNHCR National Call Center, particularly if they are facing specific risks in Syria. Please be ready to share as much information as possible about the individual and their circumstances, in order to assist UNHCR to support as best as possible.
If a person is missing in Syria, their family members can approach ICRC in Lebanon or in Syria to seek their assistance to search for the missing family member. ICRC Lebanon can be reached at: 📞+96171910686 (Mon-Fri from 08 am-3 pm) or via 📧[email protected]