France
submit an appeal within two months before the administrative tribunal in the province or
region where they live. The decision of the administrative tribunal can be appealed in
turn to the Administrative Court of Appeal, and then the highest administrative court of
appeal, the Conseil d’Etat. All appeals are conducted on the written record of the initial
administrative application conducted by OFPRA. Applicants can apply for legal aid at
the appeals stage.34 Pending appeals of SDPs do not have a suspensive effect, which
means that expulsion orders can be enforced while appeals are pending.
Until 2019, individuals were granted a temporary residence permit valid for one year and
renewable for three years. To give applicants a more stable status and alleviate the
administrative burden linked to the renewal of documents, the government increased
the length of the provisional residence permit to four years in 2019.35 After the four-year
period, the temporary residence permit is converted into a residence permit valid for ten
years, which is renewable.36
Recognized stateless persons in France receive a brochure, also available online, which
sets out their rights and obligations, including the kind of residence permit to which
stateless persons are entitled, and the implications for family members.37 Spouses and
children under the age of 19 of recognized stateless persons can submit a request for
family reunification with the French consulate in their country of residence. Recognized
stateless persons have the right to work and access education and can also request a
travel document.
If a recognized stateless person in France does not have civil status documentation from
the country of origin, such as a birth certificate, and cannot obtain such documents,
OFPRA can issue them. This allows stateless persons to exercise other rights, for
example, to get married in France, as a birth certificate is required for such a step.
49518&cidTexte=JORFTEXT000030949483&dateTexte=29990101&categorieLien=id.
34
Loi n° 91-647 du 10 juillet 1991 relative à l’aide juridique, Article 3, available here
35
Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile, art L313-26, available here
36
Ibid.
37
OFPRA, Livret d’accueil pour les personnes reconnues apatrides, available at: https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/sites/default/
files/atoms/files/livret_dinformations_apatrides.pdf
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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