44 DOCUMENTATION AND PAPERWORK Another distinctive characteristic of Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon is the proportion of stateless individuals holding a laissez-passer: 16% and 20% respectively, in contrast to a significantly lower rate of 4% in Akkar for example. This disparity reflects the regional dynamics between stateless individuals and administrative authorities. Typically, local authorities are the main source of information for stateless people. However, 56% of mukhtars interviewed in Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon showed an unwillingness in handling statelessness cases. This is mainly due to the fact that mukhtars have little to no interaction with stateless persons. Actually, in urban areas of Beirut, social networks are weaker than in rural areas, since most of the inhabitants originated from other regions. Therefore, mukhtars are often unaware of stateless cases in their vicinity. As for rural areas, many regions have little to no cases, which explains mukhtars’ reluctance to deal with such an unfamiliar topic as statelessness. Consequently, the alternative option is to turn to the General Directorate of the General Security (GDGS), who can only provide them with a laissez-passer as an identification document, serving as a substitute for a passport for international travel. The laissez-passer constitutes a travel document for stateless individuals granted by the GDGS. This particular prerogative was originally mentioned in the 1962 Law and Entry legislation, with Article 19 allowing the GDGS to issue the travel document to persons of “unspecified nationality”. The service was extended to stateless categories known as Maktoum el Qayd and under-study (Qayd el Dars) who can apply for a laissez-passer, as per very tight and complex conditions listed under GDGS Circular of 1st March 20171. That said, this type of document is not always acknowledged by immigration departments in foreign countries, which limits the travel options of stateless persons. Fig 7. What identification document do you have? 66% 45% 35% 20% 16% 4% Greater Beirut Mount Lebanon Ta'arif card Akkar Laissez-passer Box 13. Ta’arif cards and certificates The issuing of new Ta’arif cards was banned by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities several years ago, preferring the resort to Ta’arif certificates (Ifedet Ta’arif Essem), as per the new template from 17 August 2021. A majority of respondents hold either one of these documents (38% have cards and 21% certificates), which are both issued by mukhtars. 1. General Security Circular (2017). Guidelines for issuing biometric passports for QeD and MeQ categories, 1 March 2017. © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.