INTERPOL Blue Notice

Understanding INTERPOL Blue Notices, Diffusions, their legal basis and their practical consequences.

What is a Blue Notice?

An INTERPOL Blue Notice is an international police cooperation tool used to collect information, locate, or identify a person of interest in a criminal investigation. Unlike a Red Notice, an INTERPOL Blue Notice does not seek arrest. Instead, it assists national authorities by enabling the exchange of information through INTERPOL’s channels in relation to individuals connected to an ongoing criminal inquiry.

What is a Blue Diffusion?

Blue Notices are the same as Blue Diffusions. The only difference is that the Diffusions are circulated directly by a member country’s National Central Bureau to all or some other member countries.

Who Can Be the Subject of a Blue Notice?

Under Article 88 of INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data, a Blue Notice may be issued in respect of a person who:

1. Has been convicted

2. Formally charged

3. Is considered a suspect

4. Is considered a witness

5. Is considered a victim of an alleged crime.

Its purpose is strictly investigative: authorities must be seeking additional information relating to the individual’s identity, possible criminal background, or current location that is relevant to the criminal investigation.

What Are the Criteria for Issuing an INTERPOL Blue Notice?

A Blue Notice may only be published where sufficient and reliable data are provided to allow meaningful international cooperation. This includes adequate information about the criminal investigation and the individual concerned. Crucially, INTERPOL requires sufficient identifiers before publication. Where the person is identified, this generally means core biographical details – such as name, sex, and date of birth – combined with physical descriptions, biometric data (DNA or fingerprints), or official identity documents. Alternatively, a high-quality photograph supported by at least one additional identifier may suffice. When the person is unidentified, publication requires reliable identifiers, such as a clear photograph, fingerprints, or a DNA profile.

What's the Difference Between a Red and a Blue Notice?

The key difference lies in purpose and legal effect. An INTERPOL Red Notice seeks the location and provisional arrest of a person for the purpose of extradition or similar judicial action. An INTERPOL Blue Notice, by contrast, is an investigative tool used to collect information and locate or identify a person of interest in a criminal investigation, and it does not request arrest. Additionally, the legal threshold for issuing a Blue Notice is significantly lower than that for a Red Notice.

A Red Notice generally requires:

i) A valid arrest warrant or judicial decision

ii) Allegations of a serious ordinary-law offence

iii) Offence punishable by a minimum of 2 years’ imprisonment.

A Blue Notice, however, may be issued without any arrest warrant and even where the individual has not been charged or convicted.

Does a Blue Notice Lead to Arrest?

No. An INTERPOL Blue Notice does not request arrest and is not, in itself, an international arrest warrant. However, the absence of an arrest request does not preclude serious legal or practical consequences. While a Blue Notice does not impose a formal travel ban, it may result in secondary checks at border control, increased questioning by immigration or police authorities, delays or refusals of entry in certain jurisdictions. In practice, many States treat the existence of a Blue Notice as a risk indicator, triggering enhanced scrutiny at the borders.

Does a Blue Notice Lead to Police Contact or Surveillance?

Yes. Individuals subject to a Blue Notice may experience:

i) Police questioning or informal interviews

ii) Requests for cooperation by national authorities

iii) Increased monitoring or intelligence gathering

Although these measures are framed as cooperative rather than coercive, they can be intrusive and destabilising.

Can a Blue Notice Be Used as a Step Toward a Red Notice?

Yes. In many cases, a Blue Notice functions as a precursor to a Red Notice. Information obtained through a Blue Notice may later be used to build a case for issuing a Red Notice, support extradition requests or justify escalation within INTERPOL’s systems. Therefore, early intervention is critical.

Is a Blue Notice Visible to the Public?

Generally, no. Blue Notices are not published on INTERPOL’s public website. However, they are accessible to law enforcement authorities worldwide, making their effects global yet opaque. An Access Request to INTERPOL’s CCF is the legal avenue to get information on whether your data has been processed by INTERPOL.

Why Is the Blue Notice-Red Notice Distinction Important?

Understanding the distinction is critical because:

i) The absence of an arrest warrant does not mean the absence of risk

ii) Early legal intervention at the Blue Notice stage can prevent escalation

iii) Challenging a Blue Notice may stop a future Red Notice from being issued

From a defence perspective, Blue Notices should never be treated as benign.

How often are INTERPOL Blue Notices used?

INTERPOL Blue Notices are used very frequently and consistently.

Data from 2014 to 2024 (below) show that between 2,000 and over 4,000 Blue Notices are published every year, with more than 19,000 Blue Notices currently outstanding. This places Blue Notices as the second-most commonly used INTERPOL instrument, surpassing Yellow and Green Notices in volume.

This sustained usage demonstrates that Blue Notices are not exceptional measures, but a routine investigative tool within INTERPOL’s system.

What do the statistics show about INTERPOL Blue Notices?

The data support a clear conclusion. Quantitatively, Blue Notices are one of the most frequently used INTERPOL tools. Qualitatively, Blue Notices function as a parallel enforcement mechanism, capable of producing real-world consequences without the legal safeguards associated with arrest-based measures.

Statistics Available at Interpol's Website.

An INTERPOL Blue Notice is not a Red Notice, but it is the second most commonly used INTERPOL mechanism and may still lead to border questioning and travel complications.

INTERPOL Blue Notice

Red Notices

Green Notices

Yellow Notices

Blue Notices

Silver Notices