VisaLebanon’s Washington embassy changes biometric passport applications from October
The embassy’s 1 October notice expands first-time biometric applications and requires personal attendance for renewals. Applicants must check consular jurisdiction and differing local instructions.
Official source date: 2026-10-29
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Washington announces a new first-time application option
Lebanese citizens living within the Washington embassy’s consular jurisdiction can apply there for a first biometric passport under a notice effective 1 October 2026. The embassy also says existing biometric-passport holders must attend in person to provide biometrics and have their photograph taken. This is a follow-up to the October service change, with practical implications for people arranging travel or renewing their documents in the United States.
The notice applies to Lebanese citizens. It expressly says the position has not changed for holders of travel documents issued to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. First-time applicants must provide an original Lebanese identity card issued within ten years or an individual civil-status extract issued within three years, in addition to the other required documents. Copies do not satisfy that additional original-document requirement.
Use the state-of-residence list to select the right office
The embassy’s jurisdiction directory divides responsibility among Washington and the consulates general in New York, Detroit and Los Angeles. Washington covers, among other places, Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Texas. New York covers its own state, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and several northeastern states. Detroit and Los Angeles have their own assigned areas.
Use the jurisdiction directory before asking for an appointment or sending original documents. For illustration, a Lebanese resident of Virginia should start with Washington’s instructions, while a resident of New York should check the New York consulate’s service. The existence of an October announcement in Washington does not establish that all four offices have adopted identical appointment, mailing or eligibility procedures.
Older New York first-time instructions differ from Washington’s notice
The New York consulate’s published first-time biometric-passport page says that service is available only to people under 15 or over 60. It lists a Lebanese identity card or individual civil-status extract, the current passport and copies, recent photographs and proof of a United States address. That age-limited page should not be silently substituted for Washington’s broader October notice.
Equally, residents assigned to New York should not assume that Washington’s announcement automatically overrides New York’s published instructions. Confirm the applicable first-time service with the responsible consulate before making travel plans. The resources reviewed do not establish a nationwide effective date harmonising those different pages. The distinction matters particularly to an adult seeking a first biometric passport rather than replacing an existing biometric document.
Existing biometric holders have a separate replacement checklist
New York’s replacement procedure is expressly for people who already hold a biometric passport. It requests the Lebanese identity record, the current passport and its first three pages, three recent photographs and address evidence such as a driving licence, utility bill or bank statement. The page lists USD300 for an adult ten-year passport and USD150 for a minor’s five-year passport, paid by money order to that consulate.
The same page describes receipt from Lebanon within 90 days and collection after the old passport is provided for cancellation. That is the office’s published service indication, not a guaranteed travel deadline. It offers optional courier arrangements at the applicant’s expense and risk. Use the replacement checklist for the applicable office rather than treating a commercial courier booking as acceptance of the passport application.
Resolve attendance and collection before committing to travel
Washington’s October notice requires an appointment request and personal attendance for biometric renewal. Its passport page also contains older mailing and age references further down. Applicants should clarify those legacy instructions against the explicit October notice when preparing their own case, especially before posting an original passport or paying for delivery.
New York’s general biometric-passport page says issuance takes place in Lebanon and urges citizens to apply months ahead. That explains why a consular submission and production of the finished passport are separate stages. A resident should identify the document category, responsible office, current appointment requirement, evidence and collection arrangements before relying on a proposed departure. Neither an appointment nor a fee receipt guarantees that a replacement will be ready for a particular flight.
