{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "mayotte",
  "name": "Mayotte (Maore)",
  "jurisdiction_code": "YT",
  "legal_system": "civil-law",
  "language": ["fr"],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "generated": "2026-06-04",
  "summary": "Mayotte is an Indian Ocean civil-law French overseas department and region (Département et région d'outre-mer / DROM) — structurally distinctive globally as the only majority-Muslim French DROM and the most-recently-integrated DROM (achieving full departmental integration on 31 March 2011 following 2009 referendum). Population is composed primarily of Mahorais (Comorian-heritage) with ~95% Sunni Muslim majority, retaining Mahorais customary-status accommodations during transitional integration period. Family-law framework operates under the French Civil Code with substantial Mahorais customary-status (statut civil de droit local) transitional accommodations under the Civil Status Reform Ordinance 2010, gradually transitioning to full French Civil Code application. Parental authority (autorité parentale) and child custody are governed by Civil Code arts. 371-387 for civil-status persons and by Mahorais customary-law for customary-status persons during transitional period. The Court of Appeal of Saint-Denis (La Réunion) has jurisdiction over Mayotte matters; final appellate jurisdiction lies with the French Court of Cassation in Paris. Family-law matters are heard at first instance in the Tribunal Judiciaire de Mamoudzou. The Cadi (Islamic) tribunals operated until 2010 but were abolished as part of the integration framework. Psychology profession is regulated through the French Republic professional framework as applicable in Mayotte. Mayotte is silent on 'parental alienation' as a statutory label; courts operate substantively under the French interest-of-the-child standard. Mayotte is a Hague Convention 1980 party via French Republic territorial extension effective 1 December 1983.",
  "pa_recognition_status": {
    "statutory": "silent",
    "apex_court_position": "no-apex-position",
    "professional_regulator_position": "silent"
  },
  "statutory_framework": [
    {
      "citation": "French Civil Code arts. 371-387 (applicable in Mayotte)",
      "title": "French Civil Code — Parental authority",
      "year": 1804,
      "url": "https://www.cour-de-cassation.fr/",
      "relevance": "French Civil Code applicable to civil-status (statut civil de droit commun) persons in Mayotte. Arts. 371-387 govern autorité parentale and child custody."
    },
    {
      "citation": "Civil Status Reform Ordinance 2010",
      "title": "Civil Status Reform Ordinance",
      "year": 2010,
      "url": "https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/",
      "relevance": "Federal Ordinance reforming Mayotte's civil-status framework as part of 2011 departmental integration — abolishing Cadi tribunals and providing transitional accommodations for Mahorais customary-status persons."
    },
    {
      "citation": "Organic Law 2010-1486 of 7 December 2010",
      "title": "Departmental Integration Law",
      "year": 2010,
      "url": "https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/",
      "relevance": "Federal Organic Law implementing 2009 referendum and establishing Mayotte's departmental integration effective 31 March 2011."
    }
  ],
  "apex_courts": [
    {
      "name": "Court of Appeal of Saint-Denis (La Réunion) — Mayotte jurisdiction",
      "seat": "Saint-Denis",
      "url": "https://www.cour-appel-saint-denis.justice.fr/",
      "role": "Apex appellate court for civil and criminal matters from Mayotte."
    },
    {
      "name": "French Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)",
      "seat": "Paris",
      "url": "https://www.cour-de-cassation.fr/",
      "role": "Final appellate court for civil and criminal matters from Mayotte."
    }
  ],
  "professional_regulators": [
    {
      "name": "French Republic professional framework (applicable in Mayotte)",
      "url": "https://www.sante.gouv.fr/",
      "role": "French professional regulatory framework for health and allied health professionals including clinical psychology applicable in Mayotte."
    }
  ],
  "anonymisation_convention": "Mahorais family-court decisions are anonymised per Court of Appeal practice using initials.",
  "key_developments": [
    {
      "year": 1843,
      "title": "French acquisition + Sultan-of-Mayotte-Adriantsoly framework",
      "description": "French acquisition of Mayotte 25 April 1843 by Treaty with Sultan Adriantsoly — substantively distinctive Indian Ocean French-Mahorais-acquisition framework. Foundational pre-1976-vote-to-remain-French framework affecting subsequent constitutional-administrative-trajectory and Mahorais-customary-Sunni-Muslim-majority framework."
    },
    {
      "year": 1976,
      "title": "Vote to remain French + separation-from-Comoros + Comorian-non-recognition framework",
      "description": "Mayotte voted in 1974 (~63%) and 8 February 1976 (~99.4%) to remain part of France while the rest of the Comoros archipelago achieved independence 6 July 1975 — substantively distinctive globally only-Indian-Ocean-French-territory-with-disputed-Comorian-sovereignty-claim framework. Comoros disputes Mayotte's status (UN General Assembly Resolution 31/4 of 21 October 1976 affirming Comorian unity). Foundational substantive 49+ year Comorian-non-recognition framework affecting subsequent constitutional-democratic-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 1983,
      "title": "Hague Convention 1980 territorial extension + French-applicability framework",
      "description": "Hague Convention 1980 territorial extension by France to Mayotte effective 1 December 1983 — substantively significant Indian Ocean French-Hague-applicability framework. Foundational substantive cross-border-jurisdiction-practice framework affecting subsequent reform-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 1990,
      "title": "France ratifies UN Convention on the Rights of the Child + Mayotte-applicability framework",
      "description": "France ratified UNCRC 7 August 1990 with applicability to Mayotte — establishing interest-of-the-child substantive doctrine within French-derivative-civil-law framework applicable to Mayotte. Foundational substantive child-rights framework integration affecting subsequent reform-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 2001,
      "title": "Mahorais-customary-status reform + statut-civil-de-droit-local framework",
      "description": "Law 2001-616 of 11 July 2001 reforming Mahorais customary-status framework (statut civil de droit local) — substantively significant Indian Ocean transitional-customary-status framework. Foundational pre-2010-Civil-Status-Reform-Ordinance framework affecting subsequent reform-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 2009,
      "title": "Departmental integration referendum + 95.2-percent-in-favour framework",
      "description": "Mahorais voted 95.2% in favour of departmental integration 29 March 2009 referendum — substantively distinctive Indian Ocean Mahorais-self-determination framework. Foundational pre-2011-departmental-integration framework affecting subsequent constitutional-democratic-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 2010,
      "title": "Civil Status Reform Ordinance + Cadi-tribunal-abolition framework",
      "description": "Federal Ordinance 2010-590 of 3 June 2010 reforming Mayotte's civil-status framework — substantively distinctive globally only-state-level-entity-to-formally-abolish-operating-Sharia-courts-as-part-of-metropolitan-state-integration-in-recent-history framework. Cadi tribunals abolished + transitional Mahorais customary-status accommodations. Substantive demographic and family-law-implementation transformation affecting subsequent constitutional-democratic-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 2011,
      "title": "Departmental integration + most-recent-French-DROM-integration framework",
      "description": "Mayotte achieved full DROM status effective 31 March 2011 — substantively distinctive globally only-majority-Muslim-French-DROM-+-most-recently-integrated-DROM framework. Organic Law 2010-1486 of 7 December 2010 implementing 2009 referendum. Substantive constitutional-democratic-trajectory framework affecting subsequent reform-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 2014,
      "title": "EU-outermost-region-status + EU-applicability framework",
      "description": "Mayotte EU-outermost-region status acquired 1 January 2014 — substantively distinctive globally only-majority-Muslim-EU-outermost-region framework. EU acquis communautaire applicable. Substantive cross-border-jurisdiction-practice framework affecting subsequent constitutional-democratic-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 2024,
      "title": "Cour d'appel de Saint-Denis-La-Réunion + Cour de Cassation — interest-of-the-child substantive register + 2024-Cyclone-Chido-+-immigration-+-water-crisis context",
      "description": "Court of Appeal of Saint-Denis (La Réunion) (Mayotte jurisdiction) and French Court of Cassation continue to develop interest-of-the-child jurisprudence under Civil Code arts. 371-387 + Civil Status Reform Ordinance 2010 + Hague Convention 1980 framework in custody disputes within continuing-Comorian-sovereignty-dispute + 14 December 2024 Cyclone Chido (worst cyclone in 90 years, ~3,000 deaths) + Comorian-immigration-+-water-crisis context. Substantive analysis without doctrinal 'parental alienation' label adoption."
    }
  ],
  "structural_findings": [
    "Mayotte is structurally distinctive globally as the only majority-Muslim French DROM and most-recently-integrated DROM (2011).",
    "Comorian-heritage Mahorais population with ~95% Sunni Muslim majority + transitional customary-status accommodations is structurally distinctive within French overseas territory cluster.",
    "Cadi tribunal abolition (2010) as part of departmental integration is structurally distinctive — only state-level entity to formally abolish operating Sharia courts as part of metropolitan-state integration in recent history.",
    "Comorian sovereignty claim creates contested-sovereignty dimension — Comoros maintains that Mayotte is part of the Comoros archipelago.",
    "Hague Convention 1980 applicability via French Republic territorial extension reflects DROM Hague jurisdiction status."
  ],
  "references": [
    "jurisdiction:france",
    "jurisdiction:comoros",
    "jurisdiction:madagascar",
    "evidence:cross-border-parental-abduction-and-pa-intersection",
    "evidence:childrens-rights-paramountcy-doctrine"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Court of Appeal of Saint-Denis",
      "url": "https://www.cour-appel-saint-denis.justice.fr/",
      "publisher": "Court of Appeal",
      "language": "fr"
    },
    {
      "title": "Légifrance",
      "url": "https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/",
      "publisher": "French Government",
      "language": "fr"
    }
  ],
  "editorial_notes": [
    "Mayotte jurisdiction sidecar v1.1 — deepened 2026-06-09 from 5 to 10 key_developments with full French-acquisition-1843-to-Cyclone-Chido-2024 trajectory: 1843-French-acquisition-+-Sultan-Adriantsoly + 1976-vote-to-remain-French-+-Comorian-non-recognition + 1983-Hague-Convention-territorial-extension + 1990-France-UNCRC-ratification + 2001-Mahorais-customary-status-reform + 2009-departmental-integration-referendum + 2010-Civil-Status-Reform-Ordinance-+-Cadi-tribunal-abolition + 2011-departmental-integration + 2014-EU-outermost-region-status + 2024-Cour-d'appel-+-Cour-de-Cassation-+-Cyclone-Chido.",
    "Civil-law Indian Ocean French DROM (French Civil Code + Civil Status Reform Ordinance 2010 + 2011 departmental integration + Cadi tribunal abolition + majority-Muslim Mahorais heritage + Comorian sovereignty claim + Hague via French Republic territorial extension 1983 + EU outermost region 2014). Only majority-Muslim French DROM globally + most-recent French DROM integration + only majority-Muslim EU outermost region globally + only state-level entity to formally abolish operating Sharia courts as part of metropolitan-state integration in recent history.",
    "PA-recognition: silent statutory + no-apex-position + silent regulator — substantive interest-of-the-child analysis under Civil Code arts. 371-387 + Civil Status Reform Ordinance 2010 + Hague Convention 1980 framework without doctrinal 'parental alienation' label.",
    "Joins Indian-Ocean + civil-law + French-DROM-cluster + majority-Muslim-French-DROM-globally-distinctive + only-majority-Muslim-EU-outermost-region-globally-distinctive + most-recently-integrated-DROM-2011 + Cadi-tribunal-abolition-2010-as-integration-only-state-level-entity-globally-distinctive + contested-Comorian-sovereignty-UN-Resolution-31/4-1976 + French-acquisition-1843-Sultan-Adriantsoly + 1976-vote-to-remain-French-99.4-percent + 2009-departmental-integration-referendum-95.2-percent + EU-outermost-region-status-2014 + 2024-Cyclone-Chido-3000-deaths-Comorian-immigration-water-crisis + Hague-via-French-Republic-territorial-extension clusters within the corpus."
  ]
}