France A claim of statelessness will be established on the basis of all available evidence that is “sufficiently precise and serious.”32 Interviews are not mandatory. OFPRA will not interview the applicant where a decision can be reached on the basis of the application. In practice, the majority of applicants are invited for an interview, which either takes place at the OFPRA premises or is conducted by audiovisual means. If needed, interpretation for the interviews is provided by OFPRA free of charge. Minors are to be interviewed in the presence of a legal representative (either a person with parental authority or an individual granted guardianship rights via a legal procedure). In the case of an unaccompanied minor, an ad-hoc administrator is appointed by the public prosecutor. The examiner will explore which States the individual may have ties with and whether he or she would be considered a national of any of them. The examiner has access to relevant nationality legislation from the OFPRA research division. OFPRA also has the authority to investigate applicants’ claims. In some instances, OFPRA contacts French consular offices in relevant countries for advice about the legal links of the applicant to that country. Where an applicant does not claim any fear of persecution, OFPRA can contact the official representation of relevant foreign authorities, either in France or through French consular missions abroad, for additional information regarding an individual. There is no time limit specified for OFPRA to issue decisions on statelessness status applications. In practice, statelessness determination typically takes several months, although it can take longer when OFPRA contacts foreign authorities for additional information. When an applicant for statelessness status can acquire French nationality (for example, if he or she was born stateless in France) or a foreign nationality, OFPRA informs the applicant of this possibility and directs the person to the relevant authorities. Individuals who receive a negative decision on their statelessness applications are notified in writing and provided with the reason for the decision. The notification specifies the procedure and time limit for appealing the decision.33 Applicants can 32 « La qualité d’apatride ne se présume pas. Elle doit être établie dans tous les éléments qui la déterminent par des preuves suffisamment précises et sérieuses. ». 33 Loi n° 2015-925 du 29 juillet 2015 relative à la réforme du droit d’asile, Article 6, available at: https://www.legifrance. gouv.fr/affichTexteArticle.do;jsessionid=DD467A870AFAE085AAA859A9FFF6EC04.tpdila12v_2?idArticle=JORFARTI0000309 U N H C R > G P P AC T I O N 6 : E S TA B L I S H I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S D E T E R M I N AT I O N P R O C E D U R E S 25