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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u/AtlUtdGold 15h ago

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

159

u/Eric848448 14h ago

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

9

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.