French authorities have relaxed judicial controls on Telegram founder Pavel Durov, permitting the Russian-born entrepreneur to spend up to two weeks at a time living in Dubai.
Durov, 40, was arrested in Paris in 2024 and remains under investigation in France over allegations concerning illegal content on his widely used messaging platform.
In March, he was allowed to leave France for the first time since his detention to visit Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered and where his family resides.
A judicial source confirmed that from July 10, Durov is authorised to leave mainland France for periods of up to 14 consecutive days, provided he informs the investigating judge at least one week beforehand. His travels are restricted exclusively to Dubai.
At that time, his identity documents and passport will be returned, though other judicial supervision conditions, including bail, will continue.
Telegram welcomed the Paris Court of Appeal’s ruling, which allows Durov to travel regularly to the United Arab Emirates without seeking prior judicial approval.

The company expressed optimism that the requirement to return to France every two weeks might be lifted later this year, enabling Durov to focus fully on his work and users.
Durov’s lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, criticised the ongoing judicial restrictions as “unfounded and disproportionate” relative to the charges against his client.
However, Durov’s requests to travel to the United States and Norway have been denied.
In an interview with Le Point, Durov described the travel ban as having a significant personal impact, lamenting missing the early months of his newborn son’s life and citing family health issues.
He denied all charges, which include complicity in operating a platform used for illicit transactions and illegal content, calling them “completely absurd.”
Durov also expressed disappointment with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had granted him citizenship, revealing a cooling of their relationship following allegations Durov made about France’s foreign intelligence service meddling in Romanian elections—claims denied by the DGSE.