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BDL Circular 166 in 2026: who qualifies and how much you can withdraw
- What it is
- Withdrawing part of your blocked foreign-currency deposits in Lebanon (built up before 30.06.2023) each month when you do not benefit from Circular 158, including from abroad.
- What it costs
- Free: no fees on the sub-account or on payments. USD 500 a month, USD 6,000 a year across all banks, up to USD 15,200 in the Special Sub-Account at the bank concerned (text read on 23.10.2026).
- How long
- No opening time set by the text; payments are backdated to the request date. USD 15,200 takes just over two and a half years to withdraw at the maximum pace.
The steps
- before anything else
Check that you qualify
“Non-fresh” foreign-currency deposit built up before 30.06.2023, no Circular 158 in progress, none of the exclusions (Circular 154, cheques, loans, “Sayrafa”).
- before applying
Choose the bank and the accounts
One request per bank; you name the accounts that feed the Special Sub-Account (USD 15,200 at most).
- varies
Apply to the bank
At a branch, or online if the bank offers it. From abroad, ask whether a power of attorney is accepted and in what form.
- on the day you apply
Sign the banking secrecy waiver and the statement
Form BDL-BDR-03-PP, limited to the sub-account, and sworn statement (Form No. 2).
- not set by the text
Opening of the Special Sub-Account
Payments are due from the date of the request and signature; arrears are paid with the first payment.
- every month
Receive the payments
USD 400 in cash, by transfer abroad, by card or into a “fresh” account; USD 100 by card at merchants.
What it really costs
| Opening and keeping the Special Sub-Account | free |
| Monthly payment of USD 500 | no commission or fee |
| Charges by an intermediary bank or by the bank receiving the transfer abroad | not addressed by the circular |
| Observed total | Free (excluding any charges by the bank receiving a transfer abroad) |
Amounts recorded on 23.10.2026.
What most often gets stuck
- Circular 158 in progress at any bank: Circular 166 is excluded on all your individual and joint accounts.
- Accounts at several banks: beyond USD 6,000 in the year, the entitlement is suspended, and the overrun costs months of suspension in the next cycle.
- Incorrect sworn statement: suspension and repayment of the amounts already paid.
- Joint account: co-holders must agree on their shares; one bank requires a branch visit.
- Signing from abroad: the branch director vouches for the signature; the circular provides for neither remote signing nor power of attorney.
- Purchases of USD 100,000 or more on “Sayrafa”: excluded until the exceptional tax is paid and proven.
- The USD 100 portion cannot be withdrawn in cash: card at a merchant only.
BDL Circular 166 in 2026, as in force since 1 July 2026: a depositor who does not benefit from Circular 158 can withdraw USD 500 a month from their blocked foreign-currency deposits, up to USD 6,000 a year across all banks. Up to USD 15,200 can be moved to a “Special Sub-Account” at the bank concerned, with no fees at all. Each month, USD 400 can be taken in cash or transferred abroad, and USD 100 can only be spent by card at a merchant’s payment terminal.
The rules apply until 30 June 2027, a period that can be amended or renewed. They remain in force until all the money placed in Special Sub-Accounts has been paid out. Everything below comes from the consolidated English version published by the Banque du Liban (BDL), which includes amendments up to Intermediate Circular 776 of 14 September 2026.
The amounts in force
- USD 500 a month, with no commission or fee of any kind: USD 400 in cash, by outgoing international transfer, by a bank card usable in Lebanon and abroad, or paid into a “fresh” account; USD 100 by card only, at merchants’ payment terminals (POS). The BDL may change this USD 100 portion.
- USD 6,000 a year at most, across all banks. The yearly cycle runs from 1 July to 30 June. For the cycle that ended on 30 June 2026, this ceiling had been set at USD 5,500: some pages still quote that figure.
- USD 15,200 at most moved to the Special Sub-Account, depending on the foreign-currency funds available at the bank concerned. You choose the amount, which may exceed what a single yearly cycle pays out. This ceiling comes from Intermediate Circular 769 of 4 June 2026, in force since 1 July 2026.
- A month you do not withdraw is not lost: the amount is carried forward and stays in your “fresh” account.
- Payments are backdated to the date of the request and of the signature of the banking secrecy waiver. The arrears are paid in one go with the first payment.
The monthly amounts did not change in June 2026: USD 400 became USD 500 on 1 December 2025, when the card-only portion was introduced (Intermediate Circular 747). According to L’Orient-Le Jour, Circular 769 lets eligible depositors benefit from an “additional amount” of USD 15,200.
Who qualifies
The circular covers so-called “non-fresh” foreign-currency deposits built up before 30 June 2023, whose holder does not benefit from Circular 158. “Fresh” accounts, funded with new money within the meaning of Circular 150, are not covered.
- any individual, resident or non-resident, adult or minor: living abroad does not exclude you;
- the balance taken into account is that of 30 June 2023, calculated bank by bank, including joint accounts (“and” or “and/or”);
- a time deposit counts on maturity, cash collateral on release;
- an account that continues, at the same bank, an account opened before 30 June 2023 also counts: joint account turned individual, individual turned joint, blocked account turned current, account passed to heirs; the beneficiary is the holder of the original account and, on death, the heirs or legatees;
- sole proprietorships, licensed associations and certain endowments (waqfs) are also eligible; Circular 776 of 14 September 2026 amended this list.
Exclusions and the statement you sign
The following cannot benefit from Circular 166:
- people covered by Circular 154 who have not brought back the required share of funds transferred abroad;
- holders whose accounts show trading in bank cheques after 31 October 2019;
- anyone who, after 31 October 2019, repaid foreign-currency loans in Lebanese pounds, or converted foreign-currency loans into pounds, for USD 300,000 or more;
- anyone who bought USD 100,000 or more at the “Sayrafa” platform rate, unless they have paid the exceptional tax under Article 93 of Law 324 of 12 February 2024 and can prove it (rule rewritten by Circular 769);
- anyone benefiting at the same time from Circular 158, at any bank.
To benefit, you sign two documents: a banking secrecy waiver limited to the Special Sub-Account, in favour of the BDL and the Banking Control Commission only (form BDL-BDR-03-PP for an individual), and a sworn statement (Form No. 2) declaring that none of the cases above applies to you, at any bank. If the bank finds the statement is false, it suspends your entitlement and recovers the amounts already paid.
The bank may not impose any obligation, condition or formality that is not in the circular, nor charge fees on the Special Sub-Account. The sub-account earns no interest.
Several accounts at several banks: the overall ceiling
At a given bank, you name the account or accounts that feed the Special Sub-Account. For a joint account, the maximum is USD 15,200 for the account: the co-holders agree on each person’s share, and the USD 500 a month is split pro rata. If one co-holder opts out, another can take the whole ceiling.
With accounts at several banks, the limit that matters is yearly: USD 6,000 a year for all banks together. The BDL’s Special Sub-Account Registry receives each bank’s withdrawals every month. Once the ceiling is reached, the entitlement is suspended until the end of the cycle. If it is exceeded, it is suspended at all banks until the end of the cycle and then, at the bank where the overrun happened, for as many months as the overrun lasted, in the following cycle.
The USD 15,200 ceiling is written as applying “at the concerned bank”. Unlike Circular 158, the text of Circular 166 sets no total for all banks. One bank’s FAQ nevertheless says you can use several banks “provided you do not exceed” USD 15,200. Before opening a second sub-account, ask your bank how it applies this ceiling.
From abroad: applying and receiving the money
- You apply to your bank in Lebanon, which opens the Special Sub-Account. The circular provides for no procedure with the BDL itself.
- Signature: on the banking secrecy waiver form, the branch director is responsible for the authenticity of the customer’s signature. The circular says nothing about signing remotely or by power of attorney. One bank offers online applications in its app for individual accounts and requires a branch visit for joint accounts. Ask yours what it accepts from abroad.
- Power of attorney: if your bank accepts one, get the exact wording it requires, then have it drawn up at a Lebanese consulate.
- Receiving the money outside Lebanon: the USD 400 portion can be transferred abroad or used with a bank card abroad. The USD 100 portion can only be spent by card at a merchant. The text bans fees on these payments; charges by an intermediary bank or by your bank abroad are not addressed.
- The rest of the sub-account can be withdrawn by cheque or transferred to another account in Lebanon, at the same bank or another one. According to one bank’s FAQ, that money then leaves the mechanism.
158 or 166: the differences
| Circular 158 | Circular 166 | |
|---|---|---|
| Deposits covered | foreign-currency accounts opened before 31.10.2019; balance at 30.06.2021, capped at the balance of 31.10.2019 | “non-fresh” foreign-currency deposits built up before 30.06.2023; balance at 30.06.2023 |
| Per month | USD 1,000 (USD 800 + USD 200 by card at merchants) | USD 500 (USD 400 + USD 100 by card at merchants) |
| Per year, all banks | USD 12,000 | USD 6,000 |
| Sub-account ceiling | USD 54,200 in total across all banks (or USD 10,000 for one year, then top-ups) | USD 15,200 at the bank concerned; no all-bank total written |
| Exclusions | people covered by Circular 154 who have not brought back the required share | Circular 154, plus cheque trading, loans repaid or converted into pounds (USD 300,000 or more), “Sayrafa” purchases of USD 100,000 or more without the tax |
| To sign | banking secrecy waiver on the sub-account | banking secrecy waiver and sworn statement |
| Months not withdrawn | remain an established right, withdrawable at any time | carried forward, stay in the “fresh” account |
| Account moved to another bank after 2019 | covered (Article 2 bis), under conditions | nothing provided; only accounts continuing an account at the same bank |
| Duration | until 30.06.2027, renewable | until 30.06.2027, renewable |
The two texts exclude each other: as long as you benefit from Circular 158 on an account, you cannot benefit from Circular 166 on your individual or joint accounts at any bank, and vice versa. On a joint account, if one co-holder uses one circular, the other cannot use the other circular on that account, but may do so on their other accounts. According to L’Orient-Le Jour, Circular 768 lets depositors who have already used Circular 158 reactivate it for USD 54,200.
Can you switch from 166 to 158?
Neither text organises a switch from one to the other. They only forbid benefiting from both at once, and provide for a suspension “until the situation is adjusted” if you do. According to one bank’s FAQ, a person eligible for Circular 158 who never applied for it can choose Circular 166, and a Circular 166 beneficiary can give it up at any time by returning the sub-account balance to their original accounts. If you meet the conditions of Circular 158 (account opened before 31 October 2019), ask your bank in writing what it provides for before you sign.
Has your bank asked you for a document or condition that is not in the circular? Report it.
See also: Banque du Liban Circular 158.
Sources
- Banque du Liban, Basic Circular No. 166 (Basic Decision 13611 of 2 February 2024), consolidated English version, including amendments up to Intermediate Circular 776 of 14 September 2026 (file dated 24 September 2026), accessed 23 October 2026.
- Banque du Liban, Basic Circular No. 158 (Basic Decision 13335 of 8 June 2021), consolidated English version, including amendments up to Intermediate Circular 775 of 14 September 2026, accessed 23 October 2026.
- Banque du Liban, Intermediate Circular No. 769 (Intermediate Decision 13825) of 4 June 2026, Arabic text, copy published by Byblos Bank, accessed 23 October 2026.
- L’Orient-Le Jour, “La Banque du Liban prolonge l’application des circulaires 158 et 166, avec quelques ajustements”, 9 June 2026.
- L’Orient Today, “BDL raises withdrawal limits on blocked deposits, adds safeguard”, 28 November 2025.
- Byblos Bank, FAQ “Banque du Liban Basic Circular 166” (an example of how one bank applies it, cited without recommendation), accessed 23 October 2026.
Checked on 23.10.2026.