Interpol Red Notice

The International Criminal Police Organization plays a key role in combating transnational crime. Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. One of its main functions is the coordination of the search for suspects and convicted individuals across various jurisdictions, often through an international alert. For this, Interpol uses different types of notices, among which the most well-known and serious is considered to be the Red Notice.

A Red Notice is an official request distributed through Interpol channels to more than 190 member countries, asking to locate and provisionally arrest a specific individual sought based on charges or a conviction in another country, which may involve an arrest warrant.

A Red Notice is used when the law enforcement authorities of a country have evidence that an individual has committed a crime and there is a court order or arrest warrant. If there are grounds to believe that the suspect has left the country’s territory, they can appeal to Interpol to issue the notice to arrest the individual pending legal proceedings.

If someone has been convicted of a crime but has fled from justice, the state also has the right to submit a request for issuing a notice. When there is a need to extradite the detained individual, the red notice provides formal grounds to provisionally arrest someone and the transfer of relevant materials to the court of the country where the detention took place, adhering to Interpol’s regulations.

Formally, a red notice is merely an appeal for assistance in locating and detaining, so each specific law enforcement agency decides how exactly to respond within the framework of national legislation, as well as compliance with Interpol’s rules. Participation in Interpol does not impose an unconditional obligation on a country to carry out an arrest based on a red notice, but in practice, most states consider it a significant reason for detention.

Apart from the well-known Red Notice, Interpol uses several other types of notices, differing in colours and purposes:

If you encounter any of the notifications or want to know how they may affect you and your business, consult our specialists for, consult our specialists for timely legal support and qualified assistance regarding notices.

The main purpose of a red notice is to assist law enforcement agencies in locating and detaining an individual who is wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. If someone is found on the territory of an Interpol member state, the local police may temporarily detain the person sought until the competent authorities of the country that initiated the demand confirm the extradition request.

Red notices facilitate the prompt exchange of information between law enforcement officers of different countries. This helps coordinate joint actions in the search for suspects and accelerates data processing and the process of information sharing during international investigations.

On the official Interpol website, there is a section where some “Red Notices” are posted. However, it should be understood that not all notices are made publicly available, and the authorities of the requesting state may ask the general secretariat not to make the notice public for investigative or security reasons related to Interpol’s files. Additionally, the data may be updated with a delay, so current information might be missing.

If your name is not in the public section of the website, it does not necessarily mean that a red notice against you does not exist. If you want to find out whether there is any information about you in Interpol’s databases, you can send an official request to the CCF. To do this, you need to:

CCF conducts checks of Interpol’s databases and provides an official response. However, the response may only contain vague wording or even lack specific information if it concerns confidential information held by the general secretariat. In case of violations being detected, the Commission may recommend deleting or correcting the relevant data in accordance with the established rules.

If you suspect that a red notice might be issued against you, or want to ensure that your name is not in Interpol’s databases, do not risk acting alone; instead, seek qualified assistance. Our legal company will conduct a professional check, help competently draft a request to the CCF, and ensure the protection of your interests at all stages of the process.

There are clear requirements and procedures for issuing a red notice by Interpol, aimed at preventing abuse and ensuring the protection of human rights, especially in cases of serious crimes and politically motivated searches.

To request a red notice, a country must have a court order or an arrest warrant (if the individual is only suspected or accused), or a court sentence (if the individual has already been convicted of a crime). That is, a red notice cannot be issued simply at the initiative of law enforcement agencies without the proper judicial procedure, similar to an international warrant.

Interpol’s mechanisms are intended for combating serious crimes. The Interpol system should not be used for minor offences or in cases where a political, politically motivated, racial, religious, or any other improper context is evident. As a rule, the publication of a red notice requires a minimum upper limit of punishment, especially in such cases. (from 1 year of imprisonment).

Under Article 3 of the Interpol Constitution, the organisation prohibits any activities or interventions of a political, military, religious, or racial character. This means that a request for a red notice may be rejected for political reasons.

Each notification must comply with the statutory objectives of Interpol — assisting national legal agencies in their fight against criminal offences while respecting fundamental human rights. The requesting state must confirm that the request is focused on a criminal offence, not a civil or administrative dispute, and also complies with the principle of proportionality (the search is genuinely necessary, and other measures cannot yield results).

To issue a red notice, the requesting jurisdiction completes the Interpol form, which must include the following information:

After receiving a request for a red notice, the Interpol specialists verify compliance with statutory principles, the completeness of the provided information and documentation, the alignment of the crime with the criteria of seriousness, and the possibility of initiating extradition proceedings.

If the notification meets all the requirements, an Interpol red notice is published and becomes available to the law enforcement agencies of Interpol member nations. If questionable points or a lack of evidence are identified, the organisation may refuse publication.

A red notice may be revoked if the case has political, military, racial, or religious motivation or is politically motivated. or other political reasons. Another possible basis is a violation of human rights if proper legal procedures were not followed when issuing the notice, there are no genuine grounds for criminal prosecution, or the request was used to pursue business opponents.

First of all, it is important to ensure that the red notice exists. To do this, you can send a request to the CCF Commission or check Interpol’s public database. However, not all notices are published in open access.

Lawyers analyse the legality and validity of the notification, check whether articles of the Interpol Charter have been violated, whether grounds for terminating the criminal case come into effect, etc. At this stage, all necessary evidence is collected (court rulings, human rights conclusions, expert assessments).

If a notice violates Interpol’s statutory principles or contradicts human rights, a complaint is submitted to the CCF. This independent body reviews the collected materials and may request additional evidence from the requesting country or the applicant. If violations or inconsistencies with Interpol’s statutes are identified, the CCF recommends the removal of the data. Generally, this process takes some time, but after the procedure, the red notice ceases to be valid, and the risk of detention abroad is significantly reduced.

It is necessary to competently substantiate why the notification violates the statutory principles of Interpol or contradicts human rights. A lawyer will help to form the argumentation, collect the necessary certificates, verdicts, and conclusions.

With a competent approach, the chances of successfully and quickly removing the red notification increase. Without qualified assistance, there is a risk of receiving a refusal or facing prolonged bureaucratic procedures.

A Red Notice doesn’t have a fixed validity period and remains in the Interpol system until it is removed or canceled. It can be withdrawn by the requesting state if the criminal case is closed, the statute of limitations has expired, or extradition is no longer required. It can also be deleted by the CCF Commission if the notice violates the organization’s statutory principles. For example, if it is political or contradicts human rights.

Transnational Repression Accountability and Prevention (TRAP) Act is a regulatory act adopted in 2022 in the United States, aimed at combating transnational repression, including ensuring cooperation with international organisations. Its goal is to prevent the use of international search tools, as outlined in the Trap Act. Its goal is to prevent the use of international search tools as an instrument of political pressure and unlawful persecution, while ensuring transnational repression accountability.

The law obliges the US government:

The first and most obvious consequence is the possibility of being detained in any Interpol member state, as if there were an international warrant in effect for the individual sought. If border services find a red notice in the database, a person may be held in custody until the issue of extradition is resolved. Even if detention does not occur, a foreigner may be denied a visa or entry into the country, citing information from the Interpol database.

Individuals listed in the Interpol database may face rejection when applying for residence permits, permanent residency, or citizenship in other countries. Immigration authorities check Interpol databases and deny such applications upon receiving a notice of an international search. Even if you have previously obtained a visa or residence permit, the authorities may revoke previously issued documents after information about your search appears in Interpol’s database.

Banks and financial institutions are increasingly checking clients through international databases and sanctions lists. The presence of a Red Notice may lead to the blocking of active accounts or refusal to open them, especially if linked to International crimes. In cases of suspected involvement in economic crimes, assets may be frozen even without a court verdict.

Upon learning about the red notice, partners may cease cooperation, fearing reputational or legal risks. In areas where it is necessary to obtain special permits or licences, being wanted by Interpol may become a reason for refusal to issue or cancellation of an already existing permit.

Despite Interpol’s strict rules, this tool is often used improperly, even for political persecution. Some countries use the Interpol system to pursue opposition members, entrepreneurs, journalists, and other individuals posing a threat to the authorities, manipulating Interpol’s files.

A Red Notice is often used to search for political dissidents criticizing the current regime, activists, and human rights defenders. Authorities may use Interpol to exert pressure on entrepreneurs and investors who have come into conflict with state structures or oligarchs. In some cases, Red Notices have been used to block assets and extradite businessmen.

Sometimes Interpol finds itself involved in private disputes, such as business conflicts, when one party uses legal agencies to secure the issuance of a red notice against a competitor. People who are illegitimately targeted through Interpol should consider filing a claim before the CCF or working with an attorney who regularly handlessuch cases.

If you suspect that you have become a victim of a politically motivated or unlawful search by Interpol, it is important to contact an experienced lawyer as soon as possible. With qualified assistance, competent solicitors will help check the status of the notice and prepare a defense strategy. Our law firm specializes in protecting clients’ interests in Interpol, challenging unlawful notices, and preventing extradition.

A red notice in itself is not an international arrest warrant; rather, the notice is a request for cooperation and does not oblige member countries to carry out extradition. However, in practice, it is often used as a basis to temporarily detain a wanted person until an official extradition request is received.

When an individual with a red notice crosses the border or is in a country cooperating with Interpol, the local authorities may detain them and notify the requesting state of their location, as well as refer the case to court, where the legality of extradition will be decided.

However, each country independently determines whether it will comply with an extradition request based on its own rules, national legislation, international agreements, and political factors.