Minors have special rights!

Last update: December 2017

You are classed as an unaccompanied foreign minor if you are less than 18 years old and you have no legal representative in France. France has the obligation to protect you until you reach adulthood (18 years old), even if you have not made an asylum application.

You have the right to make an asylum application. However, you are advised to start by requesting a child protection procedure from the ASE (accommodation, schooling…).

To decide if it will take responsibility for you, the child social assistance service (ASE) of your department will check during an interview that you are less than 18 years old and that you are genuinely unaccompanied in France:

• You must describe your journey from your country of origin;
• If you have identity papers, they will be examined.

Read more about your rights in this guide by GISTI in various languages:

English – Arabic (عربي) – French (français) – Farsi (دری) - Urdu (ٱردو) - (Afan) Oromo - Tigrinya