For many Lebanese, the desire to travel has always been driven by the difficulties of obtaining a visa and the restrictions associated with holding a lower-ranking passport.

When the country was hit by the financial crisis in 2019, which led to banks imposing arbitrary capital controls and restrictions on opening accounts, thousands of Lebanese who wanted to leave the country were missing a key document: a bank statement proving they were over have sufficient funds for their trip.

Based on World Bank data, trade economics, A global economic data platform estimates that between 2010 and 2022, the number of bank accounts in Lebanon fell by 40% until less than 500 accounts per 1,000 inhabitants are reached.

Hassan J., an unbanked Lebanese national, wanted to visit Canada with hopes of one day settling there. However, obtaining a bank statement to prove one’s funds, a seemingly trivial step in applying for a visa, ultimately proved very difficult.

” Nothing works “

“Ever since I left my job, I have always planned to leave Lebanon and have made inquiries about several countries, including Canada,” explains Hassan, who worked for the Lebanese Red Cross logistics office. So he applied to a travel agency for a Canadian visa.

Hassan’s bank closed his account three years ago after withdrawing all his savings. In order to obtain his visa, he had to demonstrate his ability to support himself during his stay. To do this, the lawyer for the travel agency advised him to submit a bank statement with regular transactions and a balance of at least $10,000. “The Canadian visa (multiple entry) has a validity period based on the number of years before the passport expires, so they want to make sure we can support ourselves until the end of that period,” he explains.

Eager to meet Canadian visa requirements, Hassan considered opening a new foreign currency account and depositing $10,000 into it. Several banks then told him he could only withdraw $1,000 a month, making it difficult to access his savings in an emergency or while traveling. “Let’s say I’m in a car accident and need money for a hospital stay. They don’t give it to me,” he says.

“If all goes well, I get my visa and go to Canada, how do I get my money?”, he adds don’t have access to it!” »

“Nothing works,” he laments. And when asked if he trusts the Lebanese banks enough to deposit this amount, Hassan replies: “Of course not. But I’m thinking about it because as Lebanese we have no other choice. »

Like many citizens of Cedar Country, Hassan has a second job for which he is paid in cash. Then he is offered a solution: add his salary slips to his file as proof of his income.

Meanwhile, several Lebanese travelers reportedly resorted to illegal means to obtain visas, such as using fake bank statements. Hassan considered buying such a fake bank statement, which costs around $400, he says. Brokers would even offer documents proving their work. “The gentleman I spoke to told me he would put any number he wanted on the statement, even if it was a million dollars, with proof of money coming in. »

However, Hassan chose not to go down this route, aware of the potential consequences of being arrested and being banned from traveling to Canada. “I make sure I’m doing everything that’s legal. I want everything to go well,” he said The Orient today. “But if you stay legal, everything becomes more difficult,” he notes bitterly. His visa application was once rejected. He made a new application about a month ago and is still waiting for the result.

Shattered hopes

This problem does not only affect people who travel for tourism reasons or in hopes of emigration. Lebanese students looking to study abroad face similar hurdles, as universities often require a bank statement to prove they have sufficient funds. A problem that stifled the hopes of 27-year-old Ahmad Itani.

When the value of the Lebanese pound began to fall, the young man, like countless others, withdrew his savings and closed his bank account, seeing no reasonable reason or opportunity to reopen an account in this ongoing crisis.

As reminder

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But he was determined to continue his studies abroad. A glimmer of hope emerged at the time in his search for a solution with the University of Rome. “It turned out that the registration manager was a Lebanese,” he says. She explained to me that they adapt to the situation of Lebanese students and occasionally accept payments through Western Union. »

Financing the visa and a trip is still difficult and tedious for Lebanese. “Right now I’m more worried about finding a place to keep my money to prove I have money than actually having it,” says Ahmad Itani.

While he remains determined to continue his studies to earn a degree in sports rehabilitation, his first plans are to settle down in the Gulf region, where he hopes to secure a steady income and put money into a bank account overseas (in this case in Iran) deposit United Arab Emirates). “Definitely not in a Lebanese bank,” he jokes.

But without a bank account, their travel options are limited. “When I traveled in 2021, I had all my money in cash,” he recalls. He chose Turkey and the Maldives as their visa requirements for Lebanese passport holders have been relaxed and visas are issued online or upon arrival in the territories. Although he would have preferred to visit Cyprus or Greece, the financial demands of applying for a visa without a bank account remained insurmountable. “Honestly, with or without a bank account, it has become difficult to save enough money for a trip,” he adds.

“I had to consider a million factors”

In 2020, 27-year-old Nour Kawwas was living and working as an unbanked art teacher in Saudi Arabia. She had to request that her salary be transferred to a relative’s account. This arrangement worked for a while until she had to relocate to Lebanon in 2021 after a family tragedy.

Together with her sister and her Saudi partner, the young woman then founded a company for the export of works of art from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia. A business that required frequent travel and opening a bank account. They therefore used the account opened by the father of the two young women before the crisis. What seemed like a simple solution quickly turned into a real financial quagmire.

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The bank told them they needed to convert this account to a Fresh Dollars account in order to make their cash deposits, which they did promptly. But they were surprised by the exorbitant fees of 10% on all transfers received. Every week they were paid $2,000 and charged a fee of $200, she explains with frustration.

In her search for alternatives, she learns of the existence of an OMT Visa credit card, a dual-currency prepaid and rechargeable card issued by BLOM Bank. This card relieved her because she could use it to make payments abroad. However, this was not a perfect solution as not all companies accepted this card with higher fees than traditional banking. The embassies also did not accept bank statements from this card as proof of the applicant’s financial situation.

So, one problem remained: how to travel freely in countries where visas are required for Lebanese citizens? “Travelling without a bank account and without enough money is a complex process,” she emphasizes. “I had millions of factors to consider. »

When it comes to traveling abroad, the young woman shares the feelings of many young Lebanese. “Today, who among us can have a bank account with enough money to apply for a visa? There was a loss of trust between citizens and banks. Nobody is willing to put their money in the bank, even if it is an option. »