What a Red Notice is and how it works

A Red Notice is an INTERPOL request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. It is important to understand: this is not an international arrest warrant. INTERPOL cannot arrest people, and each country decides on detention under its own law.

The notice is published at the request of the initiating country through its National Central Bureau, provided the request complies with INTERPOL's Constitution.

A Red Notice can restrict international travel, lead to detention at borders, denied entry and visa problems. During compliance checks, banks may refuse service or freeze operations.

At the same time, a notice is not proof of guilt — the presumption of innocence applies.

Flying with an active Red Notice carries a risk of detention, especially during layovers in third countries. Such a decision should be made only after an individual legal assessment of the route and the data.

A notice can be challenged through the independent Commission for the Control of Files (CCF). Grounds include the political character of the case, human-rights violations, inaccurate data, expired time limits and lack of dual criminality.

A conscientious specialist does not guarantee deletion but builds a sound position and improves the chances.