Companies & Business Formation in Lebanon.
Over 60 years of experience registering every category of Lebanese company, for local entrepreneurs and international investors alike.
Mattar Law Firm is a leading provider of company registration services in Lebanon. We handle the full legal process for SARL (LLC), SAL (Joint Stock), Holding, Offshore and foreign branch structures, offering tailored legal advice, fast-track filings, and long-term corporate support in full confidentiality.
Choosing the right corporate form
The choice of a company's form depends on several factors: the corporate purpose, the number of partners, the required capital, the applicable taxation, the projected turnover, and the strategic goals of the founders. Our attorneys walk clients through each option before any file is opened, so the vehicle you incorporate genuinely fits your project.
Categories of Lebanese companies
- ◆Limited Liability Company (SARL), the most common vehicle for small and mid-size businesses
- ◆Joint-Stock Company (SAL), suited for larger operations, banks, insurance and regulated activities
- ◆Holding Company, designed to own shares, IP and financing lines across group entities
- ◆Offshore Company, dedicated to activities carried out abroad and taxed at a flat annual amount
- ◆General and Limited Partnerships
- ◆Sole proprietorships and civil companies
- ◆Branches and representative offices of foreign companies
Full incorporation service
Lebanese companies can, as a rule, be fully owned by foreigners. A lawyer must be retained for any incorporation under the deontology code of Lebanese attorneys. Our corporate department manages the entire journey, from the first structuring meeting to a fully operational entity.
- ◆Feasibility discussion and choice of the appropriate structure
- ◆Name search and reservation with the Commercial Registry
- ◆Drafting of articles of association, by-laws and shareholder agreements
- ◆Notarization, sworn translations and legalizations
- ◆Registration with the Commercial Registry, Ministry of Finance and VAT authority
- ◆NSSF (Social Security) enrolment for the company and its employees
- ◆Assistance with bank account opening and initial capital deposit
- ◆Appointment of statutory auditors, directors and legal representatives
Post-incorporation and ongoing support
After incorporation, we continue to serve as external general counsel: shareholder and board meetings, capital increases and reductions, share transfers, changes of corporate purpose, mergers, spin-offs, restructurings and dissolutions are all handled with the same rigor as the original formation.
Foreign investors benefit from our multilingual team (Arabic, French, English) and from Lebanon's network of non-double-taxation treaties, which we help structure around.