On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our France LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For France country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our France COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by France.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which France is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
France is a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and to its 1967 Protocol. Additionally, France is state party to the 1954 Convention and it has direct effect. France, however, has signed but not acceded to the 1961 Convention. Reservations were indicated at the time of signature. Finally, France has signed but not acceded to the European Convention on Nationality (no reservations were declared at time of signature), and it is not state party to the Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession.
Finally, as a Member State of the European Union, France is bound by the Common European Asylum System.
The right to asylum is recognised as stated in the French Constitution – §4 of the preamble of the 1946 Constitution. The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) is responsible for asylum applications made in France. France applies the Dublin III Regulation that provides a mechanism for determining which country is responsible for examining an application for international protection that has been lodged in one of the EU member states by a third country national or a stateless person.
If France is responsible for your application, there are two scenarios:
- You are applying for asylum at the border, or
- You are applying for asylum within the French territory
The registration of asylum claims in France is conducted by “single desks” (guichet uniques de demande d’asile, GUDA). There are 34 GUDA across France – Click here to see the list of GUDA and their addresses. In order to obtain an appointment at the GUDA, asylum seekers must present themselves to orientation platforms (Structure de premier accueil de demandeurs d’asile, SPADA). Local organisations are responsible for this pre-registration phase and make appointments at the Prefecture for the asylum seekers – Click here to see the list of SPADA in France and their addresses.
To see a video explaining the asylum procedure in France (in French) – Click here.
Legal aid organisations
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Address: 7 rue Georges Lardennois, Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 40 40 42 43
Email: acat@acatfrance.fr
Contact person: Mathilde Mase, Legal advice and Advocacy Coordinator
ACAT was created in 1974 and is defending and promoting Human rights. They are particularly involved in fighting torture, inhuman, degrading and cruel treatments, death penalty, war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocides etc.
They are also providing help to asylum-seekers and refugees through administrative and legal support:
- Providing information and accompaniment along the asylum procedure
- Assisting in appeals in the case of rejection decision by the OFPRA
- Providing assistance to beneficiary of international protection for the family reunification procedure
Further, they offer legal aid on Mondays and Thursdays by appointment only. To make an appointment, you have to call: +33 (0)1 40 40 74 08 (available on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to 5pm).
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Address: 21 Ter, rue Voltaire – 75011 Paris
Tel: +33 014 367 2752
Email: contact@anafe.org
Anafé is an organisation created in 1989 regrouping several organisations (La Cimade, Gisti, Amnesty International) that intervene for refugees and asylum-seekers in waiting zones. They provide legal and administrative assistance via phone or in person in the Roissy airport waiting zone 3 times a week.
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Address: 18 rue Henri Chevreau 75020 Paris
Tel: +33 09 72 47 19 55
Email: contact@ardhis.org
The Ardhis (Association for the recognition of the rights of homosexual and trans people to immigration and residence) aims to have the rights of residence and asylum of foreign homosexual and trans people recognized, whether these rights are founded on the existence of a life as a couple with French nationals or with foreigners residing on a long-term basis in France, or on the protection requested on the grounds of the persecutions that these people suffered or are at risk of suffering in their country because of their sexual or gender orientation.
If you are an asylum applicant, you can come to an ‘asylum’ office at the premises. Check their website for updated dates and times.
If you are an asylum seeker, feel free to visit their offices on Saturdays between 11 am and 1 pm except the 3rd Saturday of the month which is reserved for people who need help as a couple.
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Address: 3 Villa Marcès , Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 14 84 84 (General Inquiries) | +33 1 84 60 90 26 (Helpline)
Email: gisti@gisti.org
GISTI specialises in immigration and asylum law. It provides legal aid services to migrants and refugees, publishes topical publications, and collaborates with partner organisations to promote the rights of migrants and refugees. Their hours are Mondays to Fridays 15:00-18:00. On Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00.
Additionally, you may ask for legal advice via post. This form has to be printed, filled out and posted at the above address. If you have administrative documents in your possession, you can make a copy (do not send the original documents) and send them with the form.
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Address: 138, rue Marcadet 75018 Paris
Tel: +33 (01) 56 55 50 10
Email: Ldh@Ldh-France.org
The French League for the Defense of Human Rights, “LDH”, brings together women and men from all walks of life and all conditions, who freely choose to associate in order to reflect, discuss, act for the defense of the rights and freedoms of all. It operates throughout the territory through its local sections.
Much of their work focuses on supporting the rights of foreigners, specifically providing legal advice to refugees and asylum seekers.
For any legal advice, you can contact them from Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You can also contact them by post adressing your letter to: ‘Human Rights League – Legal Department.’
Finally, their service works with Access Points to Law and Houses of Justice and Law, in Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis, whose contact details you will find here.
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Address: 91 rue Oberkampf 75011 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 18 60 59
Email: infos@lacimade.org
La Cimade defends the dignity and rights of refugees and migrants. It provides social and legal support to:
- Help asylum seekers through the procedure in front of the single desks (GUDA)
- Help asylum-seekers in the assertion of their rights (budget allocation, shelter)
- Can go with the asylum-seeker to the interview with the OFPRA
- Help asylum-seekers under the Dublin regulation understand the procedure
The organisation has local offices providing legal assistance in most regions of France. Click here for contact information per region (address, mail, phone number, hours).
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Address: 28 rue de la Baïsse, CS 71054, 69612 Villeurbanne Cedex
Tel: +33 4 78 03 74 45
Email: direction@forumrefugies.org
Contact person: Anne-Lise Devaux (Communication Officer)
Refugee Forum or Forum réfugiés-Cosi is a non-profit organisation running refugee reception centres (PADA) in 7 departments in France. Click here to see the localisation of the centres. The organisation also intervenes in detention centres in Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Nîmes, Perpignan and Sète. Within these centres, they provide a variety of legal support services.
Click here for local contact information.
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Address: Second Floor, Norvin House, 45-55 Commercial St London E1 6BD
**Please note: Help/assistance is not offered at this address, contact the office beforehand via email.**
Email: casework.uk@refugeelegalsupport.org
Refugee Legal Support is a team of frontline asylum lawyers who assist displaced people with vital legal advice and support in the UK and Europe. It has presence in UK, Greece and recently expanded its operations into France, establishing the Calais Pilot Programme. The recently launched project in Calais provides legal information on safe and legal routes to the UK.
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Tel: +33 6 02 13 27 75
Email: contact.france@safepassage.fr
Safe Passage France provides legal support to refugee children around the world who wish to join a family member in France or elsewhere in Europe. Working in conjunction with Safe Passage Greece, Safe Passage France guides refugee children through the EU’s Dublin III family reunion mechanism, offering them social and legal support as they navigate the process. For help or getting in touch with Safe Passage France, fill out a form on this page.
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Email: contact@w2eu.info or w2eu_info@yahoo.com
The Welcome to Europe website is an independent source of information for refugees coming to Europe. It might be useful on their journey to and through Europe by giving access to counseling and useful contacts in different European countries. Their France country page gives information on the Irish asylum application process and provides useful contacts.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
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Address: 8 rue Duchefdelaville, 75013 Paris
Email: baam.legal@gmail.com, or baam.sejour@gmail.com
The BAAM (Bureau d’accueil et d’accompagnement des migrants) provides a number of free legal, social and administrative assistance services. The BAAM will help inform you of your rights as a migrant in France, and how you can access healthcare and find work. It also provides access to French language classes. Additonally, they have a LGBT Asylum Help Team to offer specific support to those who need it.
You need to set up an appointment to access BAAM’s services.
- Assistance services for asylum seekers are held on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 5 pm to 8 pm.
Assistance services for undocumented migrants are held on Sundays, from 4 pm to 7 pm.
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Email: contact@thehumansafetynet.org
The Human Safety Net’s For Refugees program was launched in France in September 2017. Its ambition is to help people under international protection (asylum or subsidiary protections) redefine their professional goals and, in the event they are interested, provide advice and assistance as they start a new business.
The program helps refugees define their project through training, mentoring, volunteering skills or integration into large schools, so that they can acquire the skills and tools they need to integrate into French society and create their own business in France.
The coordinating paertners are Singa, eachOne and La Ruche.
Reach out to them via their Contact page.
France LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in France.
France COI
Find France Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023