Return hubs: France's position and your rights

On 1 October 2026, the EU member states adopted the new European regulation on returns. For the first time, it allows return hubs: centres outside Europe to which a state sends foreign nationals staying irregularly. France refuses to set any up. Should you ignore the subject, then? No, especially if your family lives in several European countries. A lawyer reviews your situation in 20 minutes on Avocat20min.fr.

What happened on 1 October 2026

The text has a long history. The European Commission proposed it on 11 March 2025 to replace the 2008 Return Directive. The European Parliament voted for it on 17 June 2026, by 418 votes to 218, with 30 abstentions.

The Council then adopted it on 1 October 2026, in Luxembourg. Twenty-three states voted in favour and Spain voted against. France supported it.

The regulation enters into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. As of 14 October 2026, that publication is still to come. Our article on the return regulation in France covers the whole text. Here, we look at one part only: return hubs.

What is a return hub?

A return hub is a place in a third country, outside the EU. A member state sends there a person who must leave Europe but whom it cannot send home.

The regulation sets three conditions:

• an agreement or arrangement between the member state and the third country;
• a country that is not yours, nor one you have a right to enter;
• respect for human rights, international law and the principle of non-refoulement.

The return regulation also provides for other destinations: a transit country, a safe third country or the first country where you found asylum. Some of these removals existed before. The novelty is a centre set up in a country with no link to you.

When these rules apply

The timetable depends on the topic. Most provisions will apply twelve months after entry into force, so around autumn 2027.

The provisions on return hubs, however, apply from entry into force. A state that signs an agreement with a third country can therefore use it quickly.

Part of the regulation	When it applies
Return hubs	From entry into force, after publication in the EU Official Journal
European return order, SIS	About 12 months later, around autumn 2027
Detention up to 24 months, or even 30	About 12 months later
Appeals without automatic suspensive effect	About 12 months later
OQTF, departure period, IRTF under the CESEDA	Current French law, which applies until then

France says no to return centres

The Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, was clear before the Senate on 24 June 2026. He recalled that "France is at the origin of the Return regulation". But he added: "as far as France is concerned, return centres are a no!"

No French hub agreement exists today. A prefecture therefore cannot send you to a centre in a third country. Your OQTF, the French order to leave the territory, still names a country of removal: in principle your country of nationality, or a country that admits you.

This political stance could change under another government. The regulation leaves each state free to sign such agreements or not. Nothing obliges France to do so.

The states preparing return hubs

Other countries are moving ahead. Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece aim for an agreement with a third country in early 2027.

Rwanda and Uganda often come up in the talks. As of 14 October 2026, no agreement has been signed publicly. These plans therefore remain to be watched.

Why do these states bet on such centres? The Commission puts the return rate at about 28% in 2025. Many decisions are never carried out, often because the country of origin refuses to issue a travel document.

What you risk if you live in France

As long as France has no agreement, the direct risk stays low. Three situations still deserve your attention.

You move to another member state

You join a relative in Germany or the Netherlands after a French OQTF? That state can issue its own return decision. If it has an agreement by then, it can send you to its return hubs. The regulation also allows a new detention period to start in another member state.

Your decision follows you across the Schengen area

The regulation creates a "European return order", on a common form. Its details will be entered in the SIS, the database shared by Schengen states. Another state will see your situation during a simple check.

Mutual recognition of these decisions stays voluntary for now, however. It will be reviewed three years after entry into force. The Commission may then propose to make it mandatory.

A re-entry ban already follows you

A French re-entry ban already takes effect across the whole Schengen area, through the same database. If you are stopped in a country with return hubs, that ban will weigh in its assessment.

Families and children: who can be affected?

The regulation excludes unaccompanied minors. No state may send them to these centres.

Families with children, on the other hand, are not excluded. This point draws strong criticism. It does not apply in France while no agreement exists. It does matter if part of your family lives in a state preparing such an agreement.

Single adults, rejected asylum seekers and people whose country of origin does not cooperate are the main target.

If your partner or your children live in another member state, keep their address, their status and their documents up to date. In case of arrest abroad, a lawyer will need this information quickly to prove your family ties and contest a removal.

Non-refoulement and the ECHR protect you

The return regulation requires respect for the principle of non-refoulement. No one may be sent to a country where they face persecution, torture or inhuman treatment.

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) also applies. Its Article 3 prohibits such treatment. Its Article 8 protects your private and family life. A judge can therefore block a removal, even to a hub, if these risks are proven.

In France, these arguments already serve against the country of removal named in an OQTF. A lawyer raises them before the administrative court, with evidence: country reports, medical certificates, family ties.

Your appeals today and tomorrow

Today, an appeal against an OQTF before the administrative court in principle suspends removal. Our article on the OQTF appeal sets out the deadlines, sometimes only 48 hours.

Tomorrow, the regulation removes the automatic suspensive effect. Each state may still keep it in its own law. As of 14 October 2026, France has passed nothing on this point. It is one to watch before autumn 2027.

If you are held in a detention centre, other deadlines run. See our guide on administrative detention. For arrivals by air or sea, also read the article on the border procedure.

What to do right now

A few habits protect your situation, before and after autumn 2027.

• Keep your decisions: OQTF, re-entry ban, refusal of a residence permit, with their date of service.
• Gather your evidence: family ties in France, health, length of stay, work.
• Check the country of removal stated on the decision, and challenge it if it puts you in danger.
• Avoid a rushed move to another member state without advice: its rules may be harsher.
• Look into regularisation, for example exceptional leave to remain, if your file allows it.

When to consult a lawyer

As soon as an OQTF is served on you, or if a relative lives in a state preparing return hubs. A lawyer checks the appeal deadline, challenges the country of removal and builds the ECHR arguments. Depending on your income, legal aid can cover the fees.

A lawyer in immigration law answers you within 20 minutes on Avocat20min.fr.