Information on whether personal status cases such as marriage, divorce and child custody fall under the jurisdiction of secular or religious courts [LBN14789]

According to a representative of the Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa, matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce and child custody fall under the jurisdiction of religious courts (20 July 1993). The representative added that there are no civil marriages in Lebanon (Ibid.). In order to obtain a civil marriage a couple must go abroad, usually to Cyprus, and they must return there if they want to divorce (Ibid.). Once the divorce procedures are completed the divorce must be registered at the local Embassy of Lebanon in Cyprus (Ibid.). The procedures for divorce are the same for couples married in any other country (Ibid.). In such cases child custody would be handled in a Lebanese civil court, which would use private international law and domestic Cypriot laws in accordance with the principles of the Lebanese civil code (Ibid.).

Additional and/or corroborating information on this subject is currently unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa.

Reference

Embassy of Lebanon, Ottawa. 20 July 1993. Telephone Interview with Representative.