Interpol Yellow Notice
A Yellow Notice from Interpol is an international alert issued to assist in locating missing persons, including children and vulnerable adults. But what should you do if such a notice affects you or your loved ones, jeopardizing reputation, freedom of movement, and access to justice?
We understand how sensitive and complex such cases can be. Our team of international lawyers has real experience in working with Interpol, the General Secretariat, and national bureaus. We promptly analyze the legal grounds of the notice, submit requests for data access, and, in case of violations, initiate the procedure for appealing and removing the record from Interpol’s databases. Our advantages: dozens of successfully completed cases in the field of international searches, deep knowledge of the CCF Commission’s rules, a confidential approach, and protection of client interests worldwide.
What is a Yellow Notice of Interpol?
The Yellow Notice of Interpol is a special type of international alert designed to search for missing persons, primarily children, as well as adults unable to identify themselves, including victims of abductions, disasters, or individuals with mental disorders.
Unlike the red notice, which is associated with criminal prosecution, the yellow one has a distinctly humanitarian nature. It helps law enforcement agencies of different countries quickly determine a person’s whereabouts, restore contact with their family or guardians.
The initiator of the request can be either a national police agency, official guardianship authorities, or even diplomatic institutions. After verifying compliance with the requirements, Interpol places the information in its database and, if necessary, publishes a notice on its public portal.
Yellow notices play an important role in cross-border movements of missing persons – for example, in cases of illegal relocation of children by one parent to another country or in situations where contact is lost with an elderly relative suffering from dementia. Thanks to the Interpol system, even countries that do not have cooperation agreements with each other can coordinate actions to protect vulnerable categories of citizens.
It is important to note that the presence of a yellow notice may affect the ability to cross borders and require additional legal procedures for its removal or adjustment. In such cases, it is crucial to enlist the support of professional lawyers knowledgeable in international law and mechanisms of interaction with Interpol.
The Role of Interpol and the System of Color-Coded Notices
Interpol is an international criminal police organization uniting law enforcement agencies from 196 countries. Its main task is coordinating efforts to combat transnational crime, including terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, cybercrime, and much more. In addition to assisting in investigations and arrests, Interpol plays a key role in locating missing persons and exchanging important information between countries.
One of the most important tools of Interpol is the system of color-coded notices—international alerts, each of which serves a specific function. These notices help law enforcement agencies of different countries act quickly within a unified mechanism:
- Red Notice — a request for the arrest or temporary detention of a person with the aim of subsequent extradition. Used for the search of individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes;
- The blue notice helps to establish the whereabouts, identity, or travel routes of a suspect, not necessarily accused of a crime;
- Green Notice — aimed at warning other countries about a person posing a potential threat (for example, prone to violence or previously convicted of serious offenses);
- Yellow Notice — used to locate missing persons, especially minors, or to identify individuals unable to provide their personal details;
- Black notice — published with the purpose of identifying unidentified bodies, usually in cases of disasters or military conflicts;
- Orange notice — warns of a threat from specific objects or events, such as explosive devices or hazardous substances;
- Purple notice — contains information about methods and techniques used by criminals (for example, smuggling methods);
- Special UN notice — applies to individuals or organizations subject to UN Security Council sanctions.
Each notification serves a specific purpose and activates international cooperation among law enforcement agencies. Proper understanding and legal assessment of the content of the notification are especially important in the context of protecting the rights of individuals to whom it applies.
The main goals and objectives of the Yellow Notice
The main goal of the Yellow Notice is to quickly disseminate information about a disappearance through the international law enforcement network to expedite the search and prevent possible crimes, including abductions and human trafficking.
At the same time, a yellow notice is applied to establish the identity of people who cannot identify themselves. For example, due to mental illness, injury, or young age. Such cases are especially important during natural disasters, migration crises, or major catastrophes, when the number of unidentified individuals sharply increases.
Yellow notices help unite the efforts of states in addressing issues affecting individual rights and safety, and in some cases become a decisive factor in the successful resolution of complex humanitarian situations. Commissions on juvenile affairs, charitable organizations, and social services often use this mechanism in their practice.
If you are looking for a person abroad or have discovered information related to such a notification, we are ready to provide you with qualified legal support, including interaction with Interpol, submitting requests, and accompanying the entire procedure.
Who can become the subject of a Yellow Notice?
A Yellow Notice from Interpol can be issued for any person whose whereabouts are unknown and whose safety is a concern for law enforcement agencies. Most often, such individuals are missing minors, both as a result of abductions and for other reasons, including running away from home or losing contact with their family.
The notification may also concern adults if there are strong reasons to believe that they have disappeared under suspicious or dangerous circumstances. For example, in conflict zones, during migration, natural disasters, or in cases where a person suffers from mental disorders. This is especially relevant for elderly people with dementia, people with disabilities, or individuals who have become victims of human trafficking.
In addition, the yellow notice applies to those who have already been found but cannot provide information about their identity. For example, due to injury, psychological condition, or age. This allows authorities in other countries to assist in identification and re-establishing contact with relatives.
Who and how initiates the issuance of a Yellow Notice?
Unlike the red notice, which is aimed at arresting crime suspects, the yellow one has a humanitarian nature. The procedure for its issuance is strictly regulated and requires an official request through national authorities.
NCB
Each country that is part of Interpol has its own National Central Bureau, which serves as the main contact point with the international organization. It is the NCB that is authorized to send official requests to the Interpol General Secretariat for issuing notices of any color. The application is submitted in the prescribed form through the secure I-24/7 system, with justification of reasons and all available data about the individual attached (photo, fingerprints, date and place of disappearance, medical characteristics).
Local law enforcement agencies
The police, migration services, and other authorized local bodies can act as initiators of issuing a notification; however, they cannot do this directly. All materials are transferred to the NCB, which conducts a check for compliance with Interpol’s requirements, after which the application is either approved and forwarded further or rejected.
Private individuals
Citizens, relatives of missing persons, as well as representatives of private organizations or lawyers can initiate an appeal to the law enforcement agencies of their country with a request to launch the procedure. This is especially relevant in cases of international child abductions, migration crises, or disappearances abroad. However, such appeals must undergo a process of internal verification and approval by state structures. Private individuals do not have direct access to the Interpol system and cannot submit notifications independently.
What information is contained in the Yellow Notice?
The main element of the notification is data that allows for the unambiguous identification of a person. It includes full name (if available), date and place of birth, gender, citizenship, distinctive features (birthmarks, tattoos, scars), photographs, fingerprints, or other biometric data (if available).
The notification briefly but clearly states under what circumstances the person disappeared (was abducted, left home and did not return, got lost in another country) or was found (found unconscious or in a state that does not allow self-identification). The date and place of disappearance or discovery are indicated.
If a person’s health can affect their ability to report about themselves (dementia, mental disorder, physical injury), this information is also included in the notification. Such details help in assessing the individual’s vulnerability and choosing methods for their search or protection.
Each notification contains an indication of the NCB of the country that sent the request. Contact persons, phone numbers, email addresses, and other information necessary for operational interaction are specified if information about the person mentioned in the notification is received.
In some cases, additional elements may be added: a description of clothing, a vehicle that may be associated with the missing person, social connections, the presumed direction of movement, references to court decisions, etc.
The process of issuance and actions under the Yellow Notice
The process begins with the submission of an official request to issue a yellow notice. This step can be initiated by the National Central Bureau, law enforcement agencies, or private individuals through national authorities. The request includes identification data, circumstances of disappearance or discovery, information about health conditions, and other details that may assist in the search.
After receiving the request, the General Secretariat of Interpol in Lyon conducts a preliminary check:
- Compliance with the Charter and regulations of Interpol;
- The absence of political, military, racial, or religious subtext;
- Sufficiency of data for placement.
If the application meets the criteria, the notification is published in the secure I-24/7 system, accessible to all member states.
The Yellow Notice is not made publicly available on the Interpol website, except in cases where permission for publication is obtained from the requesting country and the family of the missing person. Typically, the notice is automatically distributed to all Interpol member countries, becomes accessible for use by law enforcement agencies, border services, migration authorities, and consular institutions, and can be used in local search databases or at international airports and border crossing points.
Upon receiving a notification, each country independently decides how to respond: conduct database checks, notify border checkpoints about the need to pay attention to a person matching the description, report any found information to Interpol, assist in identifying the located individual. It is important to emphasize that each country acts based on its national legislation. Interpol does not have the authority to enforce any actions.
The yellow notice is not an international arrest warrant and does not entail any obligations regarding the detention of a person. Its main purpose is humanitarian: to find missing people or assist those who cannot report their whereabouts. Legally, the notice does not create obligations for extradition, does not require the use of force or detention, does not violate the principle of presumption of innocence, and cannot be appealed as a judicial act since it is not a court decision.
Can yellow notifications be issued unfairly?
Despite the humanitarian nature of yellow notices, in some cases, errors and abuses are possible. Situations occur where the notice is used for personal purposes. For example, in family disputes over children or when attempting to exert pressure in migration processes.
It happens that a notification is submitted without sufficient grounds or with distorted data, especially if national law enforcement agencies do not conduct proper verification before submitting a request to Interpol.
Also, the system lacks automatic legal protection for the person who has become the subject of the notification: a person may not know that a notification has been published about them and may face problems when crossing the border.
Although a yellow notice is not an arrest warrant, its presence may cause delays, interrogations, or administrative restrictions. It is important to understand that the procedure for submitting and reviewing a notice requires enhanced oversight and transparency. If there are doubts about the validity of the notice, legal assistance should be sought. Through lawyers, it is possible to achieve the removal of an incorrect notice and protect the rights of the affected individual.
What to do if you have information about a Yellow Notice?
If you have information about the person mentioned in the yellow notice, it is extremely important to act competently and within the law. Even if the situation seems obvious, unauthorized actions or sharing information with third parties may not only cause harm but also violate legal norms.
The first step should be to contact local law enforcement agencies or the National Central Bureau of your country. Under no circumstances should you take action on your own, especially if it concerns minors or people in a vulnerable state. In some cases, a legal assessment of the situation is also necessary if you are unsure how to proceed or fear the consequences.
Legal support is especially important if you are directly involved in the situation: found a person, learned important details, or are mistakenly associated with the case. Our lawyers will help properly document the information, protect your interests, and ensure legal security.
