An Interpol Red Notice is an international police alert requesting authorities to locate and provisionally arrest a person wanted for prosecution or punishment. It is not an international arrest warrant. Each country decides whether to act under its own laws, while extradition requires separate legal procedures.

An Interpol Red Notice is an international alert requesting law enforcement authorities to locate and provisionally arrest a person wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. It helps countries cooperate when suspects or convicted individuals cross international borders.

However, a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant and does not automatically authorize an arrest in every country.

What does an Interpol Red Notice mean?

A Red Notice alerts police agencies that a person is wanted by a country or an international tribunal.

It is based on an existing national arrest warrant or judicial order and typically includes identifying details, criminal allegations and information about the relevant legal proceedings.

The notice assists international police cooperation but does not establish criminal guilt.

How are Interpol Red Notices issued?

A member country's National Central Bureau may request a Red Notice through Interpol.

The organization's General Secretariat reviews requests through its Notices and Diffusions Task Force to ensure compliance with Interpol's rules.

Notices must satisfy legal requirements, including restrictions against improper political, military, religious or racial interference.

Can an Interpol Red Notice lead to arrest?

Yes, but an arrest is not automatic.

Each country applies its own laws when determining whether a Red Notice provides grounds for provisional arrest. Interpol cannot require national authorities to arrest someone.

Only authorities with jurisdiction in the country concerned can carry out an arrest.

Red Notice vs extradition: What is the difference?

A Red Notice helps authorities identify and locate wanted individuals, while extradition is the legal process through which one country requests a person's surrender.

Even after an arrest linked to a Red Notice, extradition requires separate legal consideration under applicable national laws and international agreements.

Interpol does not itself approve or conduct extraditions.

How can the public check Interpol Red Notices?

Interpol maintains an online database containing Red Notices authorized for public release.

However, most notices are restricted to law enforcement agencies. A person's absence from the public database does not establish that no Red Notice exists.

Notices may also be reviewed or cancelled if they fail to meet Interpol's rules.

The Red Notice system supports international investigations, but arrest, extradition and criminal responsibility remain subject to the laws and legal proceedings of the countries involved.