Lebanon: The Colloquium Exam and the Professional Orders

Medical and health education in Lebanon

Lebanon has about eight faculties of medicine, including the American University of Beirut, Saint Joseph University (USJ), the Lebanese University, Balamand, USEK and Beirut Arab University. The structure is long: usually three years of pre-medical or basic sciences followed by four years of medicine, about seven years in total, with the Lebanese University and USJ drawing on the French tradition. Teaching is in English or French, with Arabic in some clinical settings. Graduates move into residency rather than a separate national internship. Nursing is a three- to four-year degree, pharmacy five years, and dentistry five to six years.

Higher education is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and degrees need equivalence recognition. Practice requires registration with the Order of Physicians (Beirut or North Lebanon) and authorisation from the Ministry of Public Health. There is no single national licensing exam for locally trained doctors, so confirm the current Order and Ministry steps.

The colloquium and the orders

Lebanon has a feature the Gulf states do not: a professional order for most health professions. To practise you normally need the Ministry's licence and membership of the relevant order. The colloquium is the Ministry-run exam step that sits between a foreign degree and that registration. If you studied abroad, it is usually the first thing to ask about.

Who needs a licensing exam in Lebanon

Historically the colloquium was for graduates holding foreign degrees who wanted a Lebanese practice licence. It has reportedly been extended to local graduates, though we could not confirm that from an official source. An old Order of Physicians and MOPH document hosted by the American University of Beirut medical school, dated 2009, says graduates of the Lebanese University were exceptionally exempted from the colloquium. It is nearly two decades old, so confirm today's rule before relying on it.

A practical point: the degree itself usually has to be recognised by the education authorities before the Ministry will license you. That step is separate from the colloquium.

Doctors and the 2026 OSCE dispute

The colloquium for doctors was described in our research as a written multiple-choice exam. In August 2026, L'Orient-Le Jour reported that a new clinical examination in the OSCE style had been added for Lebanese doctors who graduated from foreign universities. Protesters said it was imposed retroactively, on top of colloquium exams they had already passed, and asked for it to be cancelled. Representatives said the Education and Public Health ministries promised to review the issue.

The outcome was unresolved when we wrote. If you are a foreign-trained doctor, check whether the OSCE applies to your cohort and when. Do not treat the press report as a regulation: the ministry decision itself is the source. Start at the MOPH website and the Order of Physicians (Beirut or North), depending on where you will register.

Nurses

Nursing falls under MOPH and the Order of Nurses in Lebanon. The colloquium route is described as the same exam family, written and multiple choice, with the same caveat: the format is unconfirmed. The order sets the final registration after the Ministry licence.

Midwives

Midwives are handled by MOPH directly in the information we have, without a named order. The colloquium is described as covering midwifery too. Ask the Ministry which paper applies and whether midwifery is assessed on its own or alongside nursing.

Pharmacists

Pharmacists go through MOPH and the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon. The colloquium for pharmacy is reported to cover foreign-degree holders and, reportedly, local graduates. Registration with the order follows.

Dentists

Dentists are licensed by MOPH with the Lebanese dental order. As for doctors, we have no confirmed information on whether a practical component exists or is being added. Ask the order before assuming either.

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapists sit under MOPH and the Order of Physiotherapists in Lebanon. The reported colloquium is the same exam family. Confirm both the exam and the order's membership requirement.

Exams at a glance, with confidence levels

Questions to put to MOPH and your order

Because the public record is thin, the most useful preparation is a short, written list of questions. Send it before you pay for any course.

• Does the colloquium apply to my degree, my country of training and my graduation year?
• What format is the written paper, and in which language is it set?
• Is there a practical or OSCE component for my profession, and from which cohort does it apply?
• Are Lebanese University graduates, or holders of certain foreign degrees, exempt today?
• How often is the exam held, and how many attempts are allowed?
• What does the order require after the Ministry licence, and what does it cost?

Ask for the answers by email or letter and keep them. In a period of dispute, a dated reply is the best evidence you will have.

Language and recognition

Lebanon works in Arabic, French and English, and universities teach in one or more of them. We could not confirm which language the colloquium is set in. That matters for candidates whose training language differs from the exam's, so ask when you apply. Recognition is by the Ministry and the orders, after degree equivalence. There is no EU-style directive, and a licence from a Gulf state or Europe does not carry over.

Typical steps

1. Get your degree recognised by the education authorities.
2. Ask MOPH whether you must sit the colloquium and for which profession paper.
3. Ask about clinical stations. This is especially important for doctors after the 2026 OSCE reports.
4. Sit the exam on the session MOPH assigns.
5. Register with your order to complete the licence.

If you are already studying abroad, start the paperwork early. Degree equivalence, Ministry review and order registration are separate steps with separate queues, and the colloquium sits in the middle of that chain rather than at either end.

Last reviewed October 2026