Where we work · Lebanon
ISO and GRC certification consulting in Lebanon
Achieve ISO and GRC certification in Lebanon with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- 20 standards, one team
- Accredited certification route
- Dubai office team
- Effivity and Academy included
Sectors that ask for certification in Lebanon
Clients include
ISO and GRC certification in Lebanon at a glance
Lebanese organisations pursuing ISO certification deal with a layered set of public bodies rather than a single regulator. Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data sits with the Ministry of Economy and Trade, which publishes a list of the personal data processing operations submitted to it. The same Ministry explains that accreditation in Lebanon is provided by foreign accreditation bodies within the international and European recognition arrangements, even though Law No. 572 created a national council, COLIBAC, while LIBNOR, the Lebanese Standards Institution, issues and amends Lebanese standards. Food producers deal with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, industry with the Ministry of Environment's decrees on impact assessment and compliance for establishments, and bidders for public contracts with Public Procurement Law No. 244. IDAL promotes agriculture, agro-industry, industry, IT, media, telecommunication and tourism. Certificates come from accredited certification bodies, never from Sterling. Sterling's Dubai office brings 20+ years, 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, and Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement. Audits and consulting are delivered remotely, or on site where it is practical and safe to do so.
ISO and GRC standards Sterling delivers in Lebanon
Each card opens Sterling's guide to the standard: what it requires, how certification or compliance works and what sets the time and cost.
Quality & operational excellence
Information security, cyber & cloud
Privacy & data protection
AI governance & digital trust
Environment, energy & climate
Health & safety
Governance, risk & resilience
Financial services, payments & AML
Food safety & agriculture
Healthcare, medical devices & life sciences
Laboratories, inspection & accreditation
Automotive, aerospace, rail & defence
Construction, energy, oil & gas
Regulators and laws that drive certification in Lebanon (6)
| Law or regulator | What it asks for | Standards it cites |
|---|---|---|
| Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data Ministry of Economy and Trade — its page for the law presents the list of personal data processing operations submitted to the Ministry | The Ministry's page names the law and describes the published list of processing operations submitted under it. The detailed duties of controllers, the rights of individuals and the security and transfer rules sit in the law's text and should be confirmed with counsel or the Ministry. | |
| Ministry of Public Health Food safety | The Ministry's food safety page lists Legislative Decree No. 71 of 1983 on the safety of food of all kinds, a food inspection document, a food inspection checklist and a food sampling form, together with decrees on the health inspection profession and on controls for industrial establishments. The page does not mention HACCP and does not name ISO 22000. | |
| Ministry of Agriculture Agriculture, exports and plant health | The Ministry's site has sections on export, import and agricultural quarantine for products including fruit and vegetables, potatoes, olives and grains, on packaging technical specifications, and on organic agriculture. The pages do not name ISO 22000 or HACCP. | |
| Ministry of Public Health Hospitals and health facilities | Revised hospital accreditation standards, revised with the French Health Authority under a cooperation agreement; the Ministry's page says accreditation visits begin as voluntary and the preamble says they will later become mandatory for all hospitals. The standards check whether structures and processes are documented and functioning. They do not name ISO 9001. | |
| Ministry of Environment Environment | The Ministry's monitoring portal lists the Environmental Impact Assessment Decree (Decree 8633 of 2012), the Strategic Environmental Assessment Decree (Decree 8213 of 2012), Environmental Compliance for Establishments (Decree 8471 of 2012) and Decision 8/1 of 2001 on standards for air pollutants and liquid discharges from classified industries and wastewater treatment plants. None names ISO 14001. | |
| Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) Investment promotion | IDAL describes itself as the national investment promotion agency, strengthened by Investment Law No. 360. It offers a Package Deal Contract for large projects and an Investment Project by Zone for SME projects, covering agriculture, agro-industry, industry, tourism, information technology, technology and telecommunication, and media, and it promotes exports, especially of agricultural and agro-industrial products. It sets no ISO certification condition on these pages. |
Accreditation and recognition
- Lebanese Accreditation Council (COLIBAC) — national accreditation council created by Law No. 572: National accreditation council in law — Law No. 572, as the Ministry of Economy and Trade publishes it, creates COLIBAC as a public institution under the guardianship of the Ministry of Industry, with functions that include accrediting laboratories (other than medical laboratories) and bodies that certify quality or environmental management systems, and representing Lebanon in international accreditation forums.
Look for a certification body whose accreditation scope covers your standard and sector, from a national accreditation body recognised under the international arrangements of Global ACI (Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA). Sterling does not certify.
Tenders and procurement
- Public Procurement Law No. 244 (Public Procurement Authority, established by the law): A presentation published on the Parliament's site describes Law No. 244 as covering all contracting authorities, creating a Public Procurement Authority that runs a central electronic platform, and penalising integrity violations. It says bidders must meet the technical requirements in their proposals and does not mention a general quality certificate; any ISO requirement sits in the individual tender document.
Economic zones
- Tripoli Special Economic Zone, run by the Tripoli Special Economic Zone Authority: serviced industrial and commercial facilities
Sterling in Lebanon
Sterling delivers in Lebanon from its Dubai office: one team from scoping to certificate, with Effivity ISO & GRC software and Sterling Academy access included. Sterling does not certify; certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
Questions Lebanon clients ask
Which law governs personal data in Lebanon, and which ministry handles it?
Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data is the law the Ministry of Economy and Trade cites on its personal data page. Under Article 98 the Ministry must make public a list of the personal data processing operations submitted to it, and it publishes that list as a spreadsheet. The duties of controllers sit in the law's own text, so confirm them with counsel or the Ministry.
Who accredits the certification bodies that serve Lebanese companies?
Foreign accreditation bodies do, according to the Ministry of Economy and Trade, which says accreditation in Lebanon is provided by bodies that are signatories to the relevant international or European recognition arrangements. Law No. 572 created a national council, COLIBAC, which the Ministry's page describes as not yet operating. Ask each certification body for its accreditation certificate and scope.
Are certification audits in Lebanon conducted in English?
Often partly, though the language is agreed at application. Official texts are mostly Arabic or French, while IDAL, LIBNOR and the Tripoli Special Economic Zone Authority publish English pages. Interviews on the shop floor may run in Arabic. Tell the certification body early which records exist in which language, and whether an interpreter will be needed.
Can an audit of a Lebanese site be done remotely?
Parts of it can. Document review, interviews and internal audit work often run remotely, and the certification body decides which remote elements its accreditation rules allow. Sterling delivers audits and consulting remotely, or on site where it is practical and safe to do so. Production areas, kitchens and storage are normally walked in person when that is possible.
What is LIBNOR's role for a company that wants an ISO certificate?
LIBNOR issues, publishes and amends Lebanese standards, and its own site says international standards can be adopted as Lebanese standards. It is a full member of ISO. Its role is the standards themselves; accreditation of certification bodies is a separate function. A company decides on certification with an accredited certification body.
Which Lebanese sectors do IDAL's investment incentives cover?
IDAL's incentive packages cover agriculture, agro-industry, industry, tourism, information technology, technology and telecommunication, and media, under Investment Law No. 360. A Package Deal Contract suits large projects and an Investment Project by Zone suits SME projects. Eligibility depends on size, sector and, for the zone scheme, location, so check the scheme documents with IDAL.
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A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data — economy.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- The Ministry's food safety page lists Legislative Decree No. 71 of 1983 on the safety of food of all kinds, a food inspection document, a food inspection checklist and a food sampling form, together with decrees on the health inspection profession and on controls for industrial establishments. The page does not mention HACCP and does not name ISO 22000. — moph.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- The Ministry's site has sections on export, import and agricultural quarantine for products including fruit and vegetables, potatoes, olives and grains, on packaging technical specifications, and on organic agriculture. The pages do not name ISO 22000 or HACCP. — agriculture.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Revised hospital accreditation standards, revised with the French Health Authority under a cooperation agreement; the Ministry's page says accreditation visits begin as voluntary and the preamble says they will later become mandatory for all hospitals. The standards check whether structures and processes are documented and functioning. They do not name ISO 9001. — moph.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- The Ministry's monitoring portal lists the Environmental Impact Assessment Decree (Decree 8633 of 2012), the Strategic Environmental Assessment Decree (Decree 8213 of 2012), Environmental Compliance for Establishments (Decree 8471 of 2012) and Decision 8/1 of 2001 on standards for air pollutants and liquid discharges from classified industries and wastewater treatment plants. None names ISO 14001. — erml.moe.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- IDAL describes itself as the national investment promotion agency, strengthened by Investment Law No. 360. It offers a Package Deal Contract for large projects and an Investment Project by Zone for SME projects, covering agriculture, agro-industry, industry, tourism, information technology, technology and telecommunication, and media, and it promotes exports, especially of agricultural and agro-industrial products. It sets no ISO certification condition on these pages. — investinlebanon.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Lebanese Accreditation Council (COLIBAC) — national accreditation council created by Law No. 572 — economy.gov.lb; libnor.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Public Procurement Law No. 244 — lp.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- Tripoli Special Economic Zone, run by the Tripoli Special Economic Zone Authority — tsez.gov.lb; investinlebanon.gov.lb (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
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