User Name: Ahmad Country of birth: Saudi Arabia Arrival in the Czech Republic: 2013 | Stateless since: birth | Current legal status: none Ahmad arrived in the Czech Republic five years ago when he was 22 years old. He arrived with a valid tourist visa and a Palestinian passport. He came to Europe with a view to applying for international protection. He was born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian refugee parents who are stateless. He, too, has been stateless since birth. He had lived in the country until he was 21 years old as a student. Afterwards, he had no possibility to stay there legally, as Saudi Arabia does not offer stateless persons in his situation any options. Palestinians living there irregularly face systematic discrimination. They cannot own property, marry or get medical care at a hospital. Their children are born undocumented. « Children do not receive any birth certificate, because they’re not born into wedlock. They can’t go to school. It’s the worst situation. Yes, you survive, you won’t go to prison, but you’re in a terrible predicament. It is killing you slowly.” At that time, Ahmad’s residence permit in Saudi Arabia was about to expire in a year. He decided to leave the country beforehand and apply for international protection in another country. Ahmad applied for international protection in the Czech Republic twice, both times unsuccessfully. He was then ordered to leave the country so he applied for voluntary return. However, it turned out that his departure could not be carried out. He cannot go back to Saudi Arabia without an entry visa, while the country has repeatedly refused to issue it. He cannot go to Palestinian territories either. He was not born there and has never lived there. His mother is originally from the Gaza Strip. However, the West Bank administration has no records of him and so he was not assigned a Palestinian identification number. Although the embassy has issued him a Palestinian passport, that document does not entitle him to enter the country. Moreover, entering Palestinian territories is only possible via Jordan. Jordan also refuses to allow Ahmad to enter its territory because there is no guarantee he would leave. Ahmad is, thus, at a deadlock. « I was born with two curses – a Palestinian passport and, on top of that, born in Saudi Arabia. This is the worst combination. In time, I’ve come to realize it. But I couldn’t have known. I don’t know what to do.” In 2017, Ahmad received a decision on administrative expulsion without the possibility to return for two years. After a few months, he was detained at a facility for the detention of foreigners. He again applied for voluntary return and co-operated with the MoI. After a month, he was released since he had no place to return to. Yet, he has no avenue to regularise his residence. He applied for the revocation of the administrative expulsion order but without a positive outcome. His application for a tolerated stay visa was rejected because he is recorded in the register of undesirable persons on account of the existing expulsion order. In March 2018, he lodged an application in the statelessness determination procedure pursuant to Section 8 (d) of the Asylum Act. The MoI is yet to respond. A month later, another administrative expulsion was imposed upon him, without the possibility to return for three years. The deadlock continues and Ahmad is afraid of being detained again. In administrative decisions, he is referred to as a Palestinian citizen. UNHCR Czech Republic 57