« I cannot rent anything. I cannot … Can you imagine how it is, without a visa you cannot do anything.” Others have been staying with friends where possible. As long as they have family members in the Czech Republic (typically parents, adult children or partners/spouses) with a valid residence permit and a home, they were usually staying with them. They sometimes felt they are a burden on their close ones. « I really don´t know what to do. I can only hope for the best. I’m getting ready for the worst, but I hope for the best. And that’s all. Maybe I will find someone else where I can live if my friend moves.” Other interviewed persons who were unable to secure a place with friends or family have chosen to live in dormitories. However, this type of accommodation requires presenting an identity document, which some interviewed stateless persons described as a major obstacle to accessing this service. For example, it was not possible to use the police confirmation of pending administrative expulsion for this purpose. 6.4 Mail delivery Statelessness often impacts on otherwise trivial matters in life. One of the aspects associated with the previous topic of housing are complications with mail delivery. As shown, the stateless persons are being pushed by external circumstances to live in unregistered places, yet they need an address to receive official correspondence. Again, the research shed light on a self-contradictory situation – an irregularly staying person should have a regular address. This issue affected both homeless participants as well as those who were staying at an address where they were not officially registered. Securing a name on the mailbox often depended on the owner of the flat rather than on the stateless person’s own decision. The interviewed stateless persons who were unable to find accommodation where they could be registered and receive mail, decided to seek a legal representative who would receive their mail from the authorities. Not everyone, however, could opt for such a solution since it depended on the availability of free legal aid. Some dealt with the situation by receiving mail at the address of their friends or relatives, at a place where they do not actually live. Issues associated with mail delivery is made further problematic by the lack of identity documents for stateless persons. Registered mail cannot be received without presenting an appropriate identification document to the delivering postal worker. This is the case even when the interviewed persons were officially registered at a certain address or their names were indicated on the mailbox. The inability to receive official letters represented a significant obstacle to communication with the authorities. 6.5 Impact on family life When analysing the impact of statelessness on family life, it is necessary to distinguish between the family of orientation, into which a person was born, and the family of procreation, created by that person. The interviewed stateless persons usually associated the family of orientation with financial assistance and help in finding housing and satisfying other basic needs. They usually received help reluctantly, being forced to do so by the circumstances. Some interviewed persons were ashamed of their situation and did not disclose it to their parents, considering it their personal failure. They often did not mention their situation to their families and painted their lives in the Czech Republic in bright colours to prevent their relatives from worrying or to avoid offers of help. At the same time, some interviewed persons felt certain obligations towards their parents or siblings which they were supposed to meet but were unable to do so because of their current situation. This may include occasional 42 Faces of Statelessness in the Czech Republic