Canadian woman says her bag broke as she got off a plane in France, then officials denied her entry and sent her home 2 days later

A Canadian traveler says her vacation in France collapsed after she apparently lost her passport on a plane and spent two days in what she described as a refugee camp. The woman, who posts under the handle K. Benz, shared the ordeal on TikTok, according to Distractify. Benz says she believes she jinxed the trip by posting in real time.

The trouble reportedly started as she was exiting the aircraft when her bag broke in the aisle. She reportedly felt rushed as other passengers were behind her, and she believes her passport stayed on the plane or inside the damaged bag. Other viral passport mishaps include a snowboarding trip nearly derailed by an expired passport at the airport.

Benz claimed she told airline staff exactly where she left it, but they would not let her back on the aircraft. However, she said the airline told her it couldn’t find it. Recovering belongings from a plane can be tricky, as one traveler found out after leaving items on a United flight.

She says airport staff treated her like a criminal over a lost passport

Benz also described communication problems. “Everyone at the airport acted like they didn’t speak English, so frustrating! I was treated like a criminal for losing a passport. Do not recommend lol,” Benz wrote in a reply to a commenter. She added that she was told she reportedly had to return the same way she came.

As she could not produce her travel documents, she was apparently treated as an inadmissible passenger. International Civil Aviation Organization standards, per IATA’s removal guidelines, require the airline to take such a passenger back to where the journey began or to another place they can enter. Benz said her airline’s next flight to Canada was two days away.

The footage Benz shared includes a shot of a French form titled Refus D’Entree, which she says she received after being denied entry. Later clips appear to show an armed security officer walking ahead of her through the airport. The video then cuts to Benz in tears.

Her on-screen text suggested that sharing the trip live invited bad luck. “And immediately jinxed it. Lost my passport on the plane, got denied entry, put in a refugee camp for two days and got sent back home,” Benz wrote.

What does France’s rules indicate about travelers who are denied entry?

French law allows border police to place a foreigner refused entry at an airport in a zone d’attente, or waiting zone, per the French government’s public service site. However, it is uncertain whether Benz was held at the “refugee camp,” as the footage does not indicate where she stayed. Police can hold someone for up to four days before a judge must approve any extension, with a general limit of 20 days.

Benz describes the location she was allegedly held as a “refugee camp”; however, the footage shown does not indicate where she was held. French government guidance says border police can hold travelers denied entry in an airport waiting zone, known as a zone d’attente. This could explain one of the procedures used by authorities; however, it still does not confirm which procedure was used in Benz’s case.

The rules also cover language. Authorities use the language a detained traveler says they understand throughout the procedure, and French if no language is declared, according to the government guidance. However, Benz has not said which language she gave officials.

As Benz is Canadian, Canadian guidance on lost travel documents would apply to her case. As per Global Affairs Canada, Canadian offices abroad can issue an emergency travel document or temporary passport to travelers in urgent, proven need who are stranded in a foreign country.

That emergency document is valid for one trip, such as a direct return to Canada or travel to a city with full passport services, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]