Couple refused marriage by Béziers mayor over deportation order weds in Algeria

A refusal that sparked controversy

In July 2023 (France 3 gives the specific date of July 7), Béziers mayor Robert Ménard, acting as the town's civil registrar, refused to marry Algerian national Mustafa to French citizen Eva. Ménard justified the decision by citing suspicions of a sham marriage, since the man had been issued an order to leave French territory (known as an OQTF) in August 2022. According to France 3, Mustafa had lived in France since he was 16, and he was deported on July 20, 2023.

Under French law, a mayor acting as civil registrar cannot refuse to celebrate a marriage on his own initiative — if a sham marriage is suspected, the case must be referred to the public prosecutor rather than the ceremony being cancelled. Such a refusal constitutes a criminal offence in France. The couple filed a complaint against the mayor.

Married in Algeria

Three years later, on July 14, 2026, Mustafa and Eva married in Bir El Djir, a town near Oran in northwestern Algeria. The marriage certificate was registered with the civil registry office in Nantes on August 24, and, according to the couple's lawyer, Vanessa Edberg, it is recognized under French law. Eva has already collected the family record book from the Béziers town hall. The lawyer expressed satisfaction that "justice prevailed," stressing that the two people involved are "neither a slogan, nor a campaign argument, nor instruments of a political debate on immigration." However, as Le Figaro notes, Mustafa still needs to apply for a visa before he can return to France — the couple has already spent three years apart.

Mayor faces trial

Ménard is due to learn the court's verdict on his refusal on September 30, 2026, at a court in Montpellier. In February 2025 he rejected a plea-deal proposal offered by the prosecutor, sending the case to trial. He faces up to five years in prison, a fine of €75,000 and disqualification from holding public office. In an interview with Europe 1, Ménard noted that he had been re-elected six months earlier with more than 65% of the vote in the first round, but could lose his position as mayor over what he calls a "common-sense decision." He has received support from several right-wing politicians, including former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has been summoned to testify at the trial, as well as President Emmanuel Macron, who in May 2025 called the situation "absurd." In June, a bill put forward by Éric Ciotti's UDR party that would have allowed mayors to demand information on the residency status of foreign fiancés failed to pass.