How to look up a company in Lebanon's commercial register

To look up a company in Lebanon's commercial register, search its trade name or register number on the Ministry of Justice's register site, cr.justice.gov.lb, or ask the register office at the court in the company's region for a registration statement. The online search is only a quick check, and in our November 2026 test it returned empty pages; before you sign a contract or extend credit, rely on a document certified by the registrar.

Five minutes of checking is cheap insurance before a week spent on a proposal, a contract with payment terms, or a first delivery on credit. This guide, checked against the register's own site in November 2026, covers where the register is kept, how the online search works, which documents to ask for, and what to compare before you do business.

Who keeps Lebanon's commercial register?

The courts keep it, under the Ministry of Justice. The register's site quotes the Code of Commerce: a register is organised at each court of first instance, kept by the court clerk under the supervision of a judge. It has two parts:

• a general register for traders and companies
• a special register for commercial establishments and the contracts made on them, such as a sale or a pledge

Filings go to the registrar in Beirut, or to the registrars in the governorates, depending on where the business operates. One exception is worth knowing: holding and offshore companies are registered in Beirut only.

So before you request anything, note two facts about the company: its register number and the region where it is registered. Both are often printed on its invoices, contracts and letterheads.

How do you search the register online?

The site is in Arabic only, and the search box is on the home page:

1. Open cr.justice.gov.lb.
2. Find the box labelled رقم التسجيل أو الإسم التجاري ("registration number or trade name").
3. Type any part of the register number or the trade name, then press بحث ("search").

Three tips save time:

• Search in Arabic. The register is kept in Arabic, and a company known by an English or French brand may be registered under an Arabic trade name.
• Use the register number when you have it. Many companies print it on invoices, letterheads and contracts, often next to "C.R.", "R.C." or سجل تجاري. A number is less ambiguous than a name.
• Search one distinctive word. The search accepts any part of the name, so one unusual word often works better than the full name with its legal form.

A word of caution about relying on it. When we checked on 8 November 2026, the home page and its search box loaded, but every search we ran, a trade name, a common word and a number, came back as an empty results page. An empty page proves nothing either way; it does not mean the company is unregistered. And even when the search works, the site's terms of use say the Ministry accepts no responsibility for errors or out-of-date information on it. Treat an online result as a pointer, not as proof.

What can you get from the register office?

The register office (أمانة السجل التجاري) sits in the palace of justice (قصر العدل) of each region. The site's procedures page describes two documents that matter for due diligence:

Document	What it shows	How it is issued
Registration statement (إفادة تسجيل)	That a company, establishment or trader is registered, with the particulars requested, such as partners, capital and recorded changes	Requested by the person concerned or their representative, naming the register number and type; the site says it is ready the same day
Signatory extract (الإذاعة التجارية)	Who is authorised to sign for the company or trader, with a specimen signature certified by the registrar	Requested by the company or trader, or their representative; the site says the same day

In practice, the simplest route is to ask the company for a recent registration statement and a copy of its signatory extract, or to have a lawyer obtain them for you. A business that wants your contract will usually provide both without fuss.

Both documents carry stamp duties, which the site lists in Lebanese pounds; confirm the current fee at the counter before you go.

How do you read the legal form?

The legal form tells you what kind of business you are dealing with, and who carries the risk if things go wrong. The register divides commercial companies into partnerships, built on the partners themselves, and capital companies, built on the money invested. The forms you will meet most often:

• SAL (ش.م.ل): a Lebanese joint-stock company. Shareholders risk what they put in, not their own assets.
• SARL (ش.م.م): a limited liability company. As with an SAL, the partners' risk is limited to what they invested.
• Holding SAL and Offshore SAL: joint-stock companies that operate under their own rules, registered in Beirut only.
• SNC (شركة تضامن): a general partnership, in which the partners answer personally for the company's debts.
• Limited partnerships (شركة التوصية): some partners are personally liable and others only for what they invested.
• Establishment (مؤسسة): a business run by an individual trader rather than by a company.

A customer or supplier that is an establishment is not necessarily a weaker one, but your contract is with the trader personally, so the trader's name should appear on it.

What should you check before you do business?

Compare what the company has told you with what the register says:

• The name, including the legal form, matches the name on the proposal, the contract and the invoice.
• The register number on their invoice matches the record.
• The address and the register office fit where the company says it operates.
• The record is clean. Ask for the statement to cover recorded changes, such as a change of name or business purpose, a striking-off or a dissolution.
• The person signing appears on the signatory extract. If not, ask for the document that authorises them to sign.

For credit terms or a long contract, insist on a recent certified statement rather than a screenshot or an old photocopy. Companies change owners, signatories and addresses, and the paper you rely on should be newer than the deal.

Can you use the register to build a prospect list?

No, and it is not built for that. The register answers one question well, "is this company real, and who can sign for it?", and it has no search by sector or city. Its terms also say its content may not be copied, republished or used for commercial purposes; small extracts are allowed for citation, personal research and teaching, with the source named.

LeadsMind does not search or copy the commercial register. It builds company records from Google Maps listings and company websites, and adds decision-makers from public business profiles. Use a prospecting tool to decide who is worth contacting, and the register to check a company before you sign. For the first half, see how to build a B2B prospect list of companies in Lebanon, or how a B2B leads database for Lebanon works.

FAQ

Is Lebanon's commercial register free to search?

The online search on cr.justice.gov.lb needs no account and no payment, although in November 2026 it returned empty pages in our test. Documents from the register office, such as a registration statement, carry stamp duties.

Is the Lebanese commercial register available in English?

No. The site and the register are in Arabic, so search by the Arabic trade name or by the register number.

Where do I find a company's register number?

On its invoices, letterheads, contracts or website footer, often next to "C.R.", "R.C." or سجل تجاري. If you cannot find it, ask the company; a legitimate business will give it to you.

Does registration prove who can sign for a company?

No. Registration shows that the company exists. The signatory extract (الإذاعة التجارية) shows who is authorised to sign for it, with a specimen signature certified by the registrar.

Once you know which companies are real, see which ones fit what you sell: type your website at leadsmind.ai/start.