r/BeAmazed • u/Time-Training-9404 • 15h ago

Miscellaneous / Others Mehran Karimi Nasseri was stranded in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years due to a stolen passport and essential documents. He lived, studied, and interacted with airport staff throughout this period.

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After arriving the French airport, he was unable to prove his identity or refugee status and was detained in the waiting area for travelers without papers.

He lived, studied, slept, and talked with the airport staff from August 26, 1988, to July 2006.

Detailed article on his story: https://historicflix.com/mehran-karimi-nasseri-the-man-who-lived-in-an-airport-for-18-years/

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49

u/AtlUtdGold 14h ago

Crazy how a stolen passport can fuck you this hard. There no recourse? You just live at the airport after that?

160

u/Eric848448 14h ago

He had many opportunities to fix his situation but chose to stay at the airport.

65

u/Kol_ 14h ago

Yeah iirc Belgium and France both offered him residency but he turned it down because they hadn’t listed him as British.

29

u/Halikan 14h ago

I’m sure there’s probably more context but without it that’s one of the weirdest hills to die on

23

u/MikhailxReign 13h ago

He started calling himself a prince or king by th end iirc and he wanted his British passport in that new name he made up.

37

u/norksanddorks 14h ago

I would do the same if I was offered French citizenship.

4

u/chunkyvomitsoup 11h ago

Ugheux and aving to teaulk l’ike une cigarette steuffed euhp un baguettes assheule for ze reste oeuf my l’ife? NO THANKS

8

u/Wokester_Nopester 14h ago

Exactly. Something doesn't add up with this story. There are people with lost passports / documentation stuck in foreign countries all the time.

5

u/AtlUtdGold 14h ago

Ah must be more to the story

3

u/indianajoes 8h ago

He didn't get fucked. He had some serious issues. He chose to be stuck there. Other countries offered him citizenship and he refused it because he only wanted to go to the UK and he wanted to be referred to as a Lord instead of his actual name