OQTF in English: An Order to Leave France and How to Appeal

An OQTF — obligation de quitter le territoire français, an obligation to leave French territory — is the préfet's decision ordering a foreign national to leave France. It usually comes with the refusal, non-renewal or withdrawal of a titre de séjour (residence permit), the country you would be sent to and sometimes a ban on returning. It can also follow an irregular entry or a stay beyond a visa.

The periods

• 30 days to leave (délai de départ volontaire) in most cases. An OQTF sans délai — a threat to public order, fraud, a risk of absconding — means leaving at once.
• One month to appeal to the tribunal administratif — since 15 July 2024 for every OQTF, with or without a period to leave, and the decisions sent with it.
• 7 days under house arrest (assignation à résidence) or in prison, 48 hours in a detention centre (rétention); this shorter period replaces the month.
• A letter to the préfet (recours gracieux) or the minister does not extend the court period.

If nothing is done

You cannot be removed while the appeal period runs, nor before the court rules on an appeal made in time. Once the time to leave has passed, the préfecture can place you under house arrest or in detention and organise the departure; an OQTF can be enforced for three years. A ban on returning (interdiction de retour, IRTF) comes with an OQTF without a period to leave and may follow if you stay — up to five years, ten for a serious threat to public order.

What to do now

• Read the voies et délais de recours at the end of the decision: the court and the period that apply to you.
• Note the date of notification. An unclaimed registered letter may count from its first presentation — see avis de passage.
• Contact a lawyer for visa refusal appeals at once. Legal aid (aide juridictionnelle) can pay the lawyer, depending on your income; do not count on a request for it to stop the clock.

Check

An OQTF is a signed decision of the préfecture, handed to you or sent by registered letter — an avis de passage may be it. A refusal of a permit does not always order you to leave — look for that article. Britons living in France before 2021 hold the Withdrawal Agreement card; those who came later need a visa and a titre de séjour, and some have been ordered to leave after a refusal — for a business, see the self-employed visa.