Informal appeal (recours gracieux)
Within 2 months
A letter to the author of the decision asking them to reconsider it. Free, no lawyer required, and — crucially — it extends the litigation time limit by 2 months.
Administrative law · disputes with the administration
A decision by the administration is not the final word.
Refusal, sanction, permit, OQTF, public contract, compensation: before the administration, you have avenues of appeal — and strict deadlines. Identify the relevant court, the real time limit and the first useful step before it is too late.
- The standard time limit is 2 months
- The informal appeal is free
- Published & hosted in France
2 monthsstandard appeal time limit
Freeinformal & hierarchical appeals
48 hemergency liberty order
TA · CAA · CEchain of courts
Appeal guide
What is your dispute with the administration?
Choose your situation: we indicate the relevant court, the avenue of appeal, the real time limit, any emergency interim relief and the first useful step. General information, never legal advice.
Public service
Disciplinary sanction, forced transfer, denied promotion, non-renewal of contract, dismissal of a public-sector employee.
- Court with jurisdiction
- Administrative court of the place of assignment
- Higher avenues of appeal
- Appeal: administrative court of appeal · Cassation: Council of State
- Appeal deadline
- Appeal within 2 months of notification of the decision
- Emergency procedure
- An urgent suspension order is possible if the decision causes serious, immediate harm (transfer, suspension).
- First reflex
- Request a copy of your individual file: the administration must provide it. A procedural defect is often enough to have the decision annulled.
Deadline calculator
Your appeal deadline, calculated now.
Enter the notification date of the decision and choose the type of dispute: the tool instantly calculates your key deadlines and urgency level. Indicative information, not legal advice.
Enter the notification date above to display your deadlines.
The dates calculated are indicative and based on standard legal time limits. Some cases (public holidays, mandatory prior administrative appeal, special regimes) may affect the result. This information does not constitute personalised legal advice.
The administrative chain
From the court to the Council of State.
Disputes with public authorities follow their own order, distinct from the civil courts. Three tiers, one simple logic.
- TA
First-instance judge
Administrative court
42 courts across France. It examines almost all disputes first: annulment of a decision, compensation, emergency interim relief.
- CAA
Appeal
Administrative court of appeal
Re-examines the case on the facts and the law when a party challenges the administrative court's judgment. 9 courts spread across the country.
- CE
Cassation & apex court
Council of State
The supreme judge of the administrative order. It reviews the application of the law, hears certain disputes at first and last instance, and sets case law.
The avenues of appeal
Four ways to challenge — and their deadlines.
From a free letter to an emergency before the judge. Choosing the right avenue means saving time and protecting your rights.
Hierarchical appeal
Within 2 months
Same logic, but addressed to the author's superior (prefect, minister). Like the informal appeal, it preserves your time limit to then go before the court.
Contentious appeal
2 months (save for special deadlines)
Bringing the matter before the administrative court. Appeal for misuse of power (to annul an unlawful decision) or full-jurisdiction appeal (to obtain compensation).
Emergency interim relief
48 hours to a few weeks
Suspension (freeze a decision), liberty (protect a fundamental right within 48 hours), interim payment (advance on compensation). For when the urgency cannot wait for the merits.
Glossary
The vocabulary of administrative litigation, in plain terms.
Appeal for misuse of power (recours pour excès de pouvoir)
Action seeking to annul an unlawful administrative decision. No lawyer is required before the administrative court in many cases.
Implied decision of rejection
The administration's silence for 2 months on a request amounts, in principle, to a refusal — and starts the appeal time limit running.
Suspension order (référé-suspension)
An emergency procedure to freeze the enforcement of a decision pending the judgment on the merits, where urgency and serious doubt as to its lawfulness are shown.
RAPO (mandatory prior administrative appeal)
In certain matters, you must refer the matter to a commission before the judge, failing which the application is inadmissible.
Full-jurisdiction litigation
Litigation where the judge does not merely annul: they can order the administration to compensate, amend the decision, set an amount.
Legal aid
Coverage by the State of all or part of the lawyer and court costs, according to your means and household composition.
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked most.
What is the time limit to challenge an administrative decision?
The standard time limit is 2 months from the notification of the decision (or from its posting, in town planning). Some disputes have much shorter deadlines — an OQTF can sometimes be challenged within 48 hours. Once the deadline passes, the decision becomes final: identifying the date of notification is the first reflex.
Should you first lodge an informal appeal?
It is generally not mandatory, but it is often useful: addressed to the administration, it extends the litigation time limit by 2 months and may settle the dispute without a trial. In certain matters (social welfare in particular), a mandatory prior administrative appeal is, however, required before going to court.
Which court has jurisdiction over my dispute?
Disputes with the administration fall within the administrative order: administrative court at first instance, administrative court of appeal on appeal, Council of State in cassation. Our guide indicates, for each type of dispute, the relevant court and the corresponding deadlines.
Can I qualify for legal aid?
Yes, if your means are modest. Legal aid covers all or part of the lawyer and procedural costs, according to an income scale. The application is made to the legal aid office of the relevant court. Many eligible people never apply for it.
What exactly is an interim relief procedure (référé)?
An emergency procedure that allows you to obtain a quick decision from the judge without waiting for the judgment on the merits: suspending a decision (suspension order), protecting a fundamental right within 48 hours (liberty order) or obtaining an advance on compensation (interim payment order). It is often decisive in town planning, public service and immigration law.
Eligibility simulator
Do you qualify for legal aid in France?
Enter your monthly net household income and the number of dependants: the tool checks in 30 seconds whether you qualify for full aid (100%), partial aid or neither — and guides you through the concrete next steps. Many eligible people never apply: check your situation now.
Enter your monthly net income above to check your eligibility.
This simulator uses monthly net income as an approximation of the 'revenu fiscal de référence' (RFR) used in official calculations, and applies the 2024 income scale (decree no. 2023-1166). The result is indicative only: the legal aid office of the competent court is the sole authority on your eligibility.
Act now
Describe the decision to challenge.
A clear response on the court with jurisdiction, the time limit running and the first useful reflexes. Administrative deadlines cannot be made up: every day counts.
- A written, understandable response
- Confidential · no data resold
- Information, not official legal advice