An African migrant posing as an ‘unaccompanied minor’ turned out to be 47-years-old, according to local media.

The man told French police that he was a 16-year-old from Guinea in order to “take advantage of the procedure to welcome unaccompanied minors in France,” Sud Ouestreports.

He even provided a birth certificate stating that he was born in 2002.

However, officers discovered the man had recently applied for a visa in Spain.

“The Charente police force, faced with the exponential increase in the number of unaccompanied minors, has strengthened its control system, and in particular has approached the Spanish authorities,” Sud Ouest explains.

“Thus, Angoumoisins police discovered that the man had made a visa application in Spain, in 2017, with his passport as support. The latter indicates that he is in fact aged 47-years-old.”

The man was then detained and ordered to leave French territory immediately.

A similar case had reportedly unfolded the day before when a 21-year-old Malian told French police he was 16.

After a coordinated investigation with Spanish authorities, the Malian was also ordered to leave France.

A 2017 report by Die Welt revealed that 43% of the nearly 56,000 migrants in Germany claiming to be under the age of 18 were actually adults.