Moroccan Waits Nearly Four Years for Citizenship, Then Loses Application Over Unclaimed Letter
He applied for French citizenship in May 2020. Three years and eight months later, his application was closed because of a registered letter he says he never received. The Orléans Administrative Court has just upheld the prefecture’s decision.
From 15 to 30 November 2023, a registered letter sat at a collection point. Inside was a formal notice from the Indre-et-Loire prefecture: a Moroccan national, born in 1989, had to complete his naturalization application. The letter was returned to the sender without being collected.
The man had submitted his application back in May 2020. After more than three years of processing, the administration asked him for supporting documents about his work in 2020, 2021 and 2022. With no reply by the deadline, the prefecture closed his application on 16 January 2024, according to the Orléans Administrative Court ruling.
On Bladi.net : French court upholds two-year delay in Moroccan man’s citizenship application over history and civics gaps
The Moroccan man contests the decision. Mail delivery in his village, he says, is subject to “recurring and documented problems.” He maintains that he never received the letter and says he had already sent the requested documents.
Judges rule registered letter was properly delivered
In court, the prefecture produced the envelope marked “Notice left,” with the box for “letter notified and not collected” checked. Postal tracking confirmed that the letter was available for collection from 15 to 30 November 2023. The judges found that notification had been properly served.
The court also rejected another argument: the documents concerning 2021 and 2022 could not all have been included in an application submitted in May 2020. The email of 11 January 2024 was only intended to verify his address, not to grant him a new deadline.
The man also denounces the long processing times for naturalization applications. The judges called the wait “regrettable,” but said it did not undermine the legality of the procedure.
On Bladi.net : France revives a fifteen-year-old case to block a Moroccan man’s naturalization
On 14 October 2026, the court dismissed his appeal. His 2020 application remains closed without having been considered on its merits.
