If your order was issued in Hauts-de-Seine or Val-d’Oise, the Cergy-Pontoise administrative court will rule on it. Here are the deadlines that apply, how hearings run there, and what the firm does for you.
The competent court depends on the department where the decision was taken — not on your current address or where you were stopped.
People held at the Mesnil-Amelot facility fall under Montreuil (centre no. 3) or Melun (centre no. 2). Decisions taken within the Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport area fall under Montreuil; those of Orly airport fall under Melun.
The Cergy-Pontoise administrative court has jurisdiction over Hauts-de-Seine and Val-d’Oise. Created in 2000, its jurisdiction has been redrawn twice: Seine-Saint-Denis was removed in 2009 with the creation of the Montreuil court, and Hauts-de-Seine was transferred to it from Versailles in January 2010.
That history has a very concrete consequence: old websites, old letters and even some forms still show outdated allocations. If a source tells you that Seine-Saint-Denis falls under Cergy, it is fifteen years out of date.
If your claim is dismissed, the appeal goes to the Paris administrative court of appeal — no longer Versailles, since 1 September 2020. That matters: the Paris court’s case law is not identical to that of Versailles, and it is the one to keep in mind from the first instance onwards.
The deadline does not depend on the court and, since 15 July 2024, no longer depends on whether a voluntary departure period was granted: it depends on your situation. It runs from notification, and it is strict.
Two derogations apply in detention: five days for a foreign national who no longer has the right to remain under paragraph 3 of Article 68 of Regulation EU 2024/1348, and seven days where a transfer decision to another European State has been taken (art. R. 921-2-1).
The court sits in the building known as "Le Samouraï", 2-4 boulevard de l’Hautil, in the commune of Cergy — not in Pontoise, despite its name.
Always rely on the address and time printed on your summons — turning up at the wrong place on the day of the hearing can cost you the case.
Appeals against removal orders are usually heard by a single judge, in sessions where several cases follow one another. Yours will rarely last more than fifteen to twenty minutes.
Your presence is not compulsory, but it counts: the judge may ask you about your life in France, your family, your work. A strong case argued before an empty chair loses some of its force.
Bring identity documents and the original of your order. The firm prepares you for the questions and stands with you before the court.
Before Cergy-Pontoise as elsewhere, everything turns on the quality of the file and on meeting the deadline:
Send us your order: within 24 hours the firm tells you which deadline applies and which grounds can be raised.
This page is for information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Deadlines and procedures depend on the exact content of your order and on the date it was notified.