Bordeaux-Mérignac Immigration Detention Center (CRA): address, visits, lawyer
The new detention facility for the Bordeaux region, opening in October 2026
140 places, an on-site courtroom
The Bordeaux-Mérignac immigration detention centre (in French, centre de rétention administrative, or CRA) is the new facility for the Gironde department: the Bioparc site, avenue du Bourgailh, between Mérignac and Pessac. With 140 places, it replaces the twenty-place centre in the basement of the Bordeaux-Mériadeck police headquarters.
The centre at a glance
What is officially known as of 9 September 2026
| Location | Bioparc site, avenue du Bourgailh, between Mérignac (33700) and Pessac (33600), by exit 13 of the ring road |
|---|---|
| Postal address | Not yet published: the ministerial order creating a centre sets its address. |
| Capacity | 140 places, separate areas for men and women — the regulatory maximum per centre. |
| Opening | October 2026; the prefecture indicated the second half of 2026 on 20 January 2026. Exact date unconfirmed. |
| What it replaces | The Bordeaux-Mériadeck centre: 20 places, men only, which closes. |
| Courtroom | Dedicated hearing room planned on site; video-link hearings also possible. |
| Telephone | Not published; unverified numbers are not circulated here. |
French detention centres have a national remit: they receive detainees whatever the place the detention order was made, so someone arrested in Limoges or Pau may be taken to Mérignac. For public transport, check the lines serving Mérignac-Pessac with TBM; no line number is given here until the final service is published.
The first 96 hours, and two separate deadlines
Judicial judge and administrative court
On arrival, the detained person must be informed of their rights in a language they understand, with an interpreter if needed: a late or incomplete notification is an irregularity, and the judge may end the detention because of it. The person may call a lawyer of their choice or ask for a court-appointed lawyer (avocat commis d'office). Detention is ordered by the prefect for an initial 96 hours, and within that period the order may be challenged before the judicial judge — the magistrat du siège du tribunal judiciaire, still known as the JLD. The judge rules within 48 hours of being seised, in a room adjoining the centre or by video link.
A separate deadline applies to the removal order. An OQTF (obligation de quitter le territoire français) notified in detention must be challenged before the administrative court within 48 hours (CESEDA, Articles L. 614-2 and R. 921-2-1) — 5 days for a person whose asylum claim has been rejected, 7 days for a Dublin transfer decision: see appealing an OQTF. Applying for legal aid does not stop these deadlines running.
Beyond the initial 96 hours, only a judge can authorise continued detention: a first extension of 26 days, then further extensions, within the maximum periods set by the CESEDA as last amended by the Act of 27 July 2026. The Constitutional Council held on 23 July 2026 that each extension must remain proportionate and presuppose a reasonable prospect of removal.
Rights inside the centre, and visits
Set by the CESEDA and by the centre's internal rules
- — To communicate with any person of their choice, their consulate and their lawyer.
- — To be assisted by a lawyer, chosen or court-appointed, in a room the centre must provide on request.
- — To have an interpreter for the notification of rights, the removal procedure and any asylum claim.
- — To be accommodated, fed and treated free of charge, and to see a doctor on request.
- — To receive visits and to be assisted by the association responsible inside the centre.
- — To use a telephone and to claim asylum within 5 days of the notification of rights, under an accelerated procedure.
Daily life is organised by internal rules approved by the prefect; the visiting hours at Mérignac are not yet published. As a general rule in French centres, visits are possible every day, in time slots fixed by those rules, on production of valid photographic identity. Clothing and non-perishable food are usually accepted after checks; money is deposited with the registry; medicines go to the medical service with the prescription. Confirm this before travelling, and confirm the person is still held there.
Where hearings take place
On-site courtroom, video link, Bordeaux courts
Three Bordeaux courts are involved: the tribunal judiciaire, whose judge rules on the detention order and on every extension; the First President of the Court of Appeal, seised within 24 hours and ruling within 48 hours, an appeal that does not in principle suspend the decision; and the tribunal administratif, which hears the appeal against the OQTF, the country-of-return decision and any re-entry ban.
Hearings are public and family members may attend: a spouse, an employer or a parent in the room gives substance to family ties and to the guarantees that the person will not abscond.
Fees
One-page quotation by e-mail or text message
Cabinet G. Lassort is based at 5 cours Pasteur in Bordeaux. Gabriel Lassort has been a member of the Bordeaux Bar since 2018 and belongs to the Bar's Institute for the Defence of Foreign Nationals. The firm works in French and in English.
- First hearing before the judge — €600 incl. VAT (€500 excl. VAT): challenge to the detention order and first extension, written submissions, hearing, report to the family.
- Each subsequent extension hearing — €360 incl. VAT (€300 excl. VAT), for a client already represented by the firm.
- Appeal before the First President — €300 incl. VAT (€250 excl. VAT) for a client represented at first instance.
- Appeal against the OQTF — legal aid, where the means conditions are met; a supplementary fee agreement applies if legal aid is partial.
- Prepaid "detention defence" package — €840 incl. VAT (€700 excl. VAT): first hearing plus any appeal.
- Same fee at weekends and on public holidays.
Detention runs through weekends: the 96-hour period does not pause. Call +33 5 47 74 93 92 with the full name, date of birth, nationality and, if known, the time of the detention order. Payment is made remotely before the hearing. No outcome can be guaranteed.
Reference texts
- CESEDA, Title IV — Administrative detention (L. 740-1 to L. 744-17) — the complete regime, rights and extensions.
- CESEDA, article L. 741-10 — challenge to the detention order.
- CESEDA, article R. 921-2-1 — 48-hour time limit to appeal against a removal order notified in detention (Decree no. 2026-456 of 6 June 2026).
- CESEDA, articles R. 744-1 to R. 744-7 — organisation of centres, including the maximum capacity of one hundred and forty places.
Frequently asked questions
Address, visits, length of detention, cost of a lawyer
What is the address of the Mérignac detention centre?
On the Bioparc site, avenue du Bourgailh, between Mérignac (33700) and Pessac (33600), near exit 13 of the ring road. The exact postal address is not yet published: the ministerial order creating a centre sets its address.
What is the telephone number of the centre?
Not published, and unverified numbers are not circulated here. To find out where a relative is held, a lawyer can make enquiries with the prefecture and the centre's registry.
Can I visit a relative held at the centre?
As a general rule, visits are possible every day, in time slots fixed by the centre's internal rules, on production of valid photographic identity. The hours specific to Mérignac are not yet published: check before travelling.
How long can someone be held at Mérignac?
Detention ordered by the prefect lasts 96 hours. Beyond that, only a judge can authorise it: a first extension of 26 days, then further extensions, within the maximum periods set by the CESEDA as last amended by the Act of 27 July 2026. In Bordeaux the average was 38 days in 2025.
Can a detained person be released, or claim asylum?
Release can follow a refusal to extend detention, the annulment of the detention order or of the OQTF, or a decision by the prefecture to end the measure. The judge may also order house arrest where there are effective guarantees, such as a surrendered passport and stable accommodation. Asylum can be claimed within 5 days of the notification of rights.
How much does a lawyer cost for a hearing at the centre?
At Cabinet G. Lassort: €600 including VAT for the first hearing, the same fee at weekends and on public holidays. Each further extension hearing is €360 and an appeal €300 for a client already represented. The appeal against the OQTF is covered by legal aid where the means conditions are met.
A relative is held at the Mérignac detention centre
Deadlines run from notification and are counted in hours.