Safar Shield

Travelling on a Lebanese passport in 2026 means planning for the unexpected: airport closures, suspended flights, visa surprises. Safar Shield puts everything you'd need in a bad moment on one page you can save offline.

Emergency numbersFlight cancelled?Pre-flight checklistInsuranceEmbassies

Emergency numbers by destination

Save a screenshot of this table before you fly. Numbers shown are the national emergency lines; tourist-police lines are listed where they exist.

Emergency numbers in Lebanon

Beirut airport live status and flight board: beirutairport.gov.lb · MEA: mea.com.lb

Lebanese embassies and consulates

Register your trip with the nearest Lebanese mission if you are staying more than two weeks or travelling during a regional escalation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants publishes the full directory of missions with addresses and phone numbers.

Open the mission directory

Tip: save the embassy's number and your passport scan in a note that works offline. Lebanese General Security (general-security.gov.lb) handles lost-passport laissez-passer requests through the embassy.

Your flight is cancelled or Beirut airport is disrupted. Now what?

  1. Don't cancel anything yourself. If the airline cancels, you are owed a refund or a free rebooking. If you cancel first, you fall under the fare's own cancellation rules.

  2. Screenshot the cancellation notice (SMS, email, app) with the time. You'll need it for the airline, your insurer and your card issuer.

  3. Ask for rebooking in writing on the earliest alternative, including other airlines if the carrier's own next flight is days away. Get the agent's name and a case number.

  4. Know which rules protect you. Flights departing an EU airport, or on an EU airline from anywhere, fall under EU Regulation 261/2004 (refund within 7 days, care, and in some cases compensation). Turkey has similar passenger-rights rules (SHY-Yolcu). On other routes, the airline's conditions of carriage apply — most still refund in full for an airline-initiated cancellation.

  5. Keep receipts for hotel, food and transport during the delay. Airlines and insurers reimburse reasonable costs with receipts; they rarely reimburse without.

  6. If you're stranded abroad, contact the Lebanese mission and tell family where you are. In 2025, Lebanese travellers in Sharm El Sheikh were stuck for days when flights to Beirut were suspended — those who had changeable fares and insurance got home first.

What Safar does

  • Shows the airline's change and cancellation rule before you buy (the Clear Terms Card).
  • Flags fares that can be changed when you tick "Only show fares I can change".
  • Links the airport's live status from every flight search.
  • Sends a WhatsApp alert to newsletter subscribers when Beirut flights are suspended (launching with the newsletter).
Travel advisory reality check. Several governments advise their citizens against travel to Lebanon. That rarely affects a Lebanese passport holder's own trips abroad, but it does mean some international insurers exclude trips to Lebanon — relevant if you are buying cover for family visiting from the diaspora.

Pre-flight checklist for a Lebanese passport

Documents

  • Passport valid 6+ months beyond return (Turkey, UAE, most of Asia insist)
  • Visa or e-visa printout, and the confirmation email
  • Hotel confirmation and return ticket printed (border officers ask)
  • Photocopy or phone scan of passport stored separately
  • Travel insurance certificate with the 24-hour assistance number

Money

  • Prepaid card loaded (Whish or OMT) + a backup card
  • Fresh USD cash in small notes; declare amounts over $10,000 equivalent
  • Bank's international limit raised for the trip
  • 3-D Secure SMS working on roaming or an eSIM
  • Know your card's FX fee (see Pay Your Way)

Phone

  • eSIM installed before departure, or SIM plan at arrival
  • Offline maps of the city downloaded
  • Embassy number and emergency numbers saved
  • Safar trip plan shared with family on WhatsApp
  • Power bank — Beirut departures are long days

Travel insurance that pays out

Schengen visas require insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, so most Lebanese travellers already buy a policy for Europe. The useful upgrades are trip interruption (gets you home when flights are suspended) and cancellation for any reason, which costs more but covers the scenario that actually happens to us.

  • Buy within a few days of paying for the trip — cancellation cover only applies to events after purchase.
  • Check the policy covers "civil unrest" and "airspace closure"; many exclude war-related disruption, some cover it.
  • Lebanese insurers (through your broker) often price family policies lower than global online insurers and understand our situation.
  • Keep the 24-hour assistance number offline. Call them before paying for a hospital or a new ticket.

Insurance partners

Safar is onboarding licensed insurance partners for Lebanese residents. Until then we recommend asking your bank or broker for a travel policy that includes trip interruption.

Partner with Safar