The asylum seeker allowance paid to you by the OFII is supposed to finance your journey to the Ofpra. You can also contact the association that hosts you.
How are my travel expenses covered to come to the interview at the Ofpra?
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I wish to withdraw my asylum application. How to do ?
You can send a letter to the Ofpra explaining your wish to withdraw your asylum application and, if necessary, the reasons for this decision.
The Ofpra will then send you a confirmation letter as well as, where applicable, all the documents that you had attached to your asylum application file.
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What should I attach to my asylum application file?
For any initial request (normal or accelerated procedure), the file must include:
- The asylum application form;
- 2 photographs;
- your signature ;
- a copy of your asylum application certificate;
- your story in French;
In addition, the asylum application form must imperatively mention a postal address in addition to the elements relating to your identity, under penalty of being closed.
If one of the necessary elements is missing from your file, an additional request letter will be sent to you by the Office; you will then benefit from an additional period of 8 days from receipt of the registered letter (whether you are placed in the normal or accelerated procedure) to complete your file.
If this deadline is exceeded, a closure decision will be sent to you by the Ofpra. You will then have 9 months from the date of this decision to go to the prefecture and collect a reopening application form as well as a new asylum application certificate.
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Who should I send my asylum application file to? In what time frame?
You have 21 days to send the completed asylum application form that will have been given to you to the Ofpra. This period is set from the issue of the asylum application certificate by the one-stop shop.
Your file must be sent to the following address:
OFPRA
201 rue Carnot
94136 Fontenay-sous-Bois Cedex
If your file is complete, your application is then registered and a letter of introduction including your Ofpra file number will be accessible in your Ofpra secure personnal digital account.
If the 21-day period is exceeded, a closure decision will be sent to you by the Ofpra. You will then have 9 months from the date of this decision to go to the prefecture and collect a reopening application form as well as a new asylum application certificate.
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Where will my asylum interview take place?
The address at which your interview will take place is systematically indicated on the invitation sent to you.
The interviews take place at the headquarters of the Ofpra, in Fontenay-sous-Bois in the Paris region. However, there are a few special cases:
-If you have applied for asylum in Guyana, you will be received at the Ofpra branch in Cayenne for your interview (see the FAQ “I wish to apply for asylum and I live in French Guiana or in Mayotte” ).
-If you have applied for asylum in Mayotte, you will be received in Mayotte for your interview (see the FAQ “I wish to apply for asylum and I live in French Guiana or in Mayotte” ).
-If you are summoned as part of an Ofpra mission in the region or abroad, the address at which your interview will take place will be indicated on the summons.
Your interview may also take place by videoconference with the Ofpra headquarters in certain specific cases (asylum applications submitted in overseas departments and communities, asylum applications in detention or detention, asylum applications at the border).
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How long before my interview should I arrive at the Ofpra?
Interviews start at 9 a.m, 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. It is not necessary to arrive more than half an hour before the time indicated on your invitation.
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What is the single window?
The one-stop-shop is the place where you will be issued the asylum application form to be returned to Ofpra.
The one-stop shops are made up of officials from the prefecture and officials from the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII), who meet specifically to ensure the reception of asylum seekers.
There are 38 one-stop shops throughout the metropolitan area (you can consult the list here).
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I am an unaccompanied minor, can I apply for asylum? What will be the procedure?
Like adults, unaccompanied minors are required to contact the prefecture of their place of residence to initiate the process of applying for asylum in France. However, as a minor, you cannot initiate any legal or administrative proceedings without a legal representative.
Consequently, if you go to the prefecture without a legal representative, the prefecture staff will inform the public prosecutor so that an ad hoc administrator can be appointed. Only the legal representative can pick up an asylum application form from the prefecture. It is also the responsibility of the legal representative to carry out all the administrative procedures pertaining to you. If you have been granted State guardianship by a judge, the child welfare services (Aide Sociale à l'Enfance - ASE) in your department of residence will take care of all these formalities.
The asylum application file must be completed in French and signed by your legal representative before being sent to Ofpra by post.
If the file is complete, it is then registered and a letter of introduction is sent to you and your legal representative. You will then be summoned along with your legal representative for an interview at Ofpra.
For more information, you can consult the asylum guide for unaccompanied minors in France, published by Ofpra with the support of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (Fonds Asile, Migration et Intégration - FAMI).
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I arrived in France. How to apply for asylum?
You must first go to an association responsible for pre-reception, which will then give you an invitation for an appointment at the one-stop-shop. The associations responsible for pre-reception are listed by department on the website of the General Directorate for Foreigners in France.
You must then register your asylum application at the one-stop-shop attached to your place of residence. The one-stop-shop will issue you, if the conditions are met, a one-month asylum application certificate and an asylum application form. This form must be completed and returned to Ofpra within 21 days.
You will find more details in the guide for asylum seekers published by the General Directorate of Foreigners of France (DGEF).
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Can I apply for asylum from abroad?
It is not possible for you to apply for asylum from abroad. Ofpra is only competent to process asylum applications lodged on French territory.
However, from abroad, you can apply for an asylum visa from the French authorities in your place of residence. For this, you must contact the French embassy or the nearest French consulate to formulate your request. The embassy or consulate alone is competent in issuing visas, Ofpra does not have jurisdiction.
The asylum visa only allows you to enter France. Once on French territory, you must go to the prefecture of your place of residence to collect an asylum application form.
Ofpra’s protection missions outside Europe only concern people offered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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