Lebanon

Lebanon recognizes religious marriages, but not civil marriages. Marriage certificates are generally required to register a birth. Many religious marriages remain legally unregistered, posing challenges even when children are born to religiously married parents. A CSO submission for the 2015 UPR cycle explained that some couples don’t think it’s necessary, or face legal complications if one or both spouses are stateless, foreign and/or have irregular migration status. Administrative procedures for obtaining paternal recognition for children born out of wedlock are complicated, involving investigations to ensure parents aren’t trying to conceal a marriage.
Civil marriages have historically only been recognized if done abroad. Couples trying to get married abroad face high costs and passport delays. During COVID-19, some Lebanese couples got married through online civil marriages. Initially these couples had their marriages registered. Later Lebanon deregistered them, sometimes while the couple was expecting children. Lacking a marriage certificate, parents were unable to register their children.