Lebanon to resume passport issuances and renewals
The Lebanese government announced that passport printing will resume today.
The Lebanese government has faced a financial crisis since 2019, stemming from foreign exchange shortages and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lebanese pound has crashed, complicating efforts to import necessary goods, including medicines.
According to certain polls, as many as 48% of Lebanese citizens are keen to leave — 63% of them are aged between 18 and 29. Since 2019, about 100 doctors left Lebanon per year and joined the brain drain effort — the number rose to 1500 doctors in 2021. The overwhelming capacity of individuals intending to migrate led to draining passport reservoir and funds — the government could not pay to print more passports through the French contractor; Thales.
The current status of Lebanese economy and governance is not promising, and the possibility of another issue with passport issuance in the short to medium terms remains highly likely as migration surges. Lebanon is at a high risk of human capital flight, as close to half of its population desire to leave — which the majority are young people.
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