Summary

Important information

Proposed by

Target audience

AudienceStatutory refugees, Beneficiaries of temporary protection, Stateless people, Beneficiaries of subsidiary protection

Level of FrenchLiteracy, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2

AgeTous les âges

Price

Free of charge

Where is it?

All over France

Procedures

AdministratifProcedures for my statusRetrieve the documents sent to OFPRA

Retrieve the documents sent to OFPRA

Updated on il y a 8 mois

What is it?

During your asylum application, you must send OFPRA the originals of your identity, civil status (birth certificate, marriage certificate) and travel (passport) documents from your country of origin, if you have any.

If your asylum application is refused, OFPRA will automatically return your documents to you by post.
If your asylum application is accepted, you have the status of refugee, stateless person or beneficiary of subsidiary protection. OFPRA then becomes responsible for your protection and it is they who give you your civil status documents.

OFPRA keeps the originals of all your identity, civil status and travel documents from your country of origin for the entire duration of your protection by France.

You can then request to recover your original documents in 2 situations:

if you obtain French nationality: France becomes responsible for your civil status documents.
If you renounce the protection of France and your refugee status: it is your country of origin which becomes responsible for your civil status documents.

> Also read: the Réfugiés.info factsheets “ Apply for French nationality ” and “ Renounce refugee status ”.

How to do it?

You must send an email to comacces@ofpra.gouv.fr to ask OFPRA to return the documents you gave at the start of your asylum application.

You must write your OFPRA file number in your email. It is a 9-digit number of the XX-XX-XXXXX type written at the top left of each letter sent by OFPRA.

Here is a sample text for your email:

Purpose: retrieve [document name] from folder #XX-XX-XXXXX [folder number]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to ask you to retrieve [name of document] from file n°XX-XX-XXXXX [file number] because [reason for your request]..
Best regards,

It is advisable to keep a copy of the email and send it with an acknowledgment of receipt.

What happens next?

You can contact OFPRA by telephone.

Take your OFPRA file number and all the letters you have received to explain your situation.

No information on the progress of a current file is communicated by telephone.

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Retrieve the documents sent to OFPRA

1Send request by email

Contact OFPRA by telephone if necessary