Being targeted by an Interpol Red Notice can have widespread consequences that can significantly impact various aspects of your life. Not only can it lead to an arrest and extradition to the requesting country, but in addition, the effects of an Interpol Red Notice can be felt even before such measures are taken.

Among possibly hurting your reputation, being the suspect of an Interpol Red Notice makes it a risk to travel internationally. It can also prevent you from opening a bank account or lead to freezing your existing bank account.

To prevent a Red Notice, find out if a Notice exists in your name, or defend yourself against one, please get in touch with us. At Schlun & Elseven Rechtsanwälte, we have the experience and the means to support you through any matter concerning Interpol and extradition.

An Interpol Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. It serves as a request from one member state of Interpol (or an International Criminal Court or Tribunal) to law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a suspect. So, if in the country where the individual is located, an arrest is made because of the Interpol Red Notice, the suspect is at risk of being extradited to face charges in the requesting country.

The Red Notice must include data like the name, date of birth, nationality, and facial features of the suspect, as well as details about the crime they committed. There are several rules about what offences are assumed to issue an Interpol Red Notice. Excluded are offences like homosexual activity, abortion, prostitution, or bigamy.

The Interpol General Secretariat reviews the request to comply with their constitution and rules. If approved, the authorities of the country the suspect is located in can examine the Notice themselves and decide what legal value to give it. It is to be noted that Interpol itself cannot issue Red Notices independently and that having a Red Notice in your name does not mean you are convicted but considered innocent until proven guilty.

As mentioned above, being the target of an Interpol Red Notice can severely impact your life and personal freedom since the possible consequences of an Interpol Red Notice are widespread and possibly long-lasting.

Restricted Travel

Being the target of an Interpol Red Notice can hinder your ability to travel freely as it increases the risk of being arrested at the airport or any border crossing point where Interpol databases are checked, and your passport could trigger an Interpol alarm revealing your status as a wanted person. This heightened risk of apprehension can severely limit your freedom to travel without the constant fear of being detained.

Arrest and Detention

You may face lengthy extradition proceedings if you are arrested due to an Interpol Red Notice. During these proceedings, you are at risk of being detained for a period of time if a court evaluates you as at risk of flight. The extradition process itself can be arduous, requiring legal representation and potentially resulting in extended periods of time spent in custody.

Reputational Damage

Since some Interpol Red Notices are published on their website, severe damage to your reputation in private and business matters is likely. Possible outcomes are social isolation, public scrutiny and being stigmatized due to the association with criminal activity and being wanted by Interpol.

Getting a job can also be challenging because of the Notice posted online or when it is uncovered through further background checks. Such background checks can be particularly damaging if your profession requires licensing or credentials, as having an Interpol Red Notice against your name can jeopardize your ability to practice or maintain your professional standing. Regulatory bodies and employers may revoke or suspend licenses, certifications, or memberships, resulting in the loss of professional opportunities and income.

Personal Consequences

Interpol Red Notices can cause significant disruptions to many other aspects of your personal life that you may not have considered. One example of such is having bank accounts frozen. Banks and financial institutions may view the Interpol Red Notice and being wanted by international law enforcement agencies as a significant risk.

Extradition, Trials and Political-Motivated Red Notices

If not defended against the Red Notice properly, you must endure the extradition and criminal proceedings in the requesting country. This is especially dangerous if the Notice is requested for political reasons. It is, therefore, crucial to defend yourself legally as early as possible to avoid the beginning of extradition proceedings altogether.

Although Interpol claims to check the notices for indications of political motivation, countless Red Notices are still issued. They pose the risk of facing an unfair or no trial at all in the requesting country after being deported there.

If an extradition warrant is already issued, it is essential to fight it before the local courts and through Interpol itself. Our lawyers make sure to file all possible and required legal remedies to remove your Red Notice and your extradition warrant so you are not at risk of getting arrested time and time again.

The above-listed consequences are just some of those that can happen due to an Interpol Red Notice. For many people impacted by them, there are many more consequences, such as visa and residency permit problems, employment issues, family-related matters and more.

We aim to get the Interpol Red Notice against you deleted as efficiently as possible. Our services include checking if there is an Interpol Red Notice against you and, if so, why it exists. We thoroughly examine if the reason for your Interpol Red Notice issuance complies with Interpol’s rules and if there is any new information to challenge the Notice. Our lawyers are exceptionally qualified in determining whether political motivations lay behind the Notice and persist in demonstrating such matters to the adjudicators.

Afterwards, we send our reasoning to the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF), who will decide whether to remove the Red Notice. Our German extradition and Interpol lawyers are experienced in this process and have successfully removed countless Interpol Red Notices. Read more about our lawyers’ successful removal of an Interpol Notice from Saudi Arabian and the successful deletion of a Russian Interpol Red Notice.

Our multilingual lawyers are experts in Interpol and extradition matters. Our long-standing experience, knowledge of the complexities of international law and close contacts with extradition lawyers worldwide are at your service to bring peace back into your life. Please, contact us through our contact form. We are at your side throughout this whole process.