On October 22, 2026, the Council of Ministers approved the implementing decree regulating official electronic instruments and electronic signatures. The decree was prepared by the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Ministry of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence, with the participation of Dr. Pierre Khoury in its drafting. It is scheduled for publication in the Official Gazette on Thursday, October 29, 2026, and will enter into force upon publication.
The decree implements Law No. 81 of October 10, 2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data, establishing a framework for the creation, signing, exchange and preservation of official electronic instruments. It introduces tiered levels of electronic signature based on each document’s nature and risk profile, in line with the EU eIDAS framework, while keeping core trust-service infrastructure within Lebanon. It also repeals Decrees No. 14115/2024 and No. 14555/2025. Implementation will be phased in according to each public administration’s readiness.
The decree is expected to reduce paperwork and related costs and to allow citizens in Lebanon and abroad to complete transactions remotely. It also sets safeguards to verify signatories’ identities, ensure document integrity, prevent identity theft and tampering, and maintain electronic records and archives that strengthen accountability and transparency.
Legal expert Dr. Pierre Khoury stated: “This decree marks a qualitative leap in the modernization of Lebanese public administration and a step toward a corruption-free public sector. When every official document is electronically signed, time-stamped and auditable, the room for manipulation and undue influence narrows, and citizens can access services faster and more transparently, wherever they are.”