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INTERPOL Yellow Notice
What is a Yellow Notice?
An INTERPOL Yellow Notice is an international alert issued to locate a missing person, often a minor; or identify a person who is unable to identify themselves.
Yellow Notices are published under Article 90 of the Rules on the Processing of Data (“RPD”) and are not criminal alerts. They are humanitarian in nature.
When can a Yellow Notice be issued?
Under Article 90(2), a Yellow Notice may only be published if all of the following conditions are met:
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The disappearance or discovery has been officially reported to and recorded by the police.
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The whereabouts of the missing person or the identity of the discovered person are unknown to the police.
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If the person is an adult, applicable national privacy laws do not prevent the request.
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Sufficient identifying data has been provided to enable identification.
The issuance of a Yellow Notice is typically published in cases involving parental abduction, criminal abduction (kidnapping), unexplained disappearances, vulnerable persons, and unidentified individuals.
Can a Yellow Notice be issued for adults?
Yes, but only if national privacy laws permit it. Under Article 90(2)(c) of the RPD, where the person concerned is an adult, the requesting country must ensure that domestic privacy legislation does not prohibit the issuance of the notice.
However, police must consider:
(a) Whether the adult left voluntarily
(b) Whether there is evidence of coercion or trafficking
(c) Whether the case has an international dimension
Adults have legal autonomy, so international alerts require stronger justification than in child abduction cases.
Is a Yellow Notice a criminal alert?
No. A Yellow Notice is not equivalent to a Red Notice and does not seek arrest or extradition. Its purpose is humanitarian:
(a) To reunite missing persons with families; or (b) To establish the identity of vulnerable individuals.
Who can request the issuance of a Yellow Notice?
Yellow Notices are requested by a country’s National Central Bureau (“NCB”) through INTERPOL channels. Private individuals cannot directly request publication. The disappearance must first be reported and recorded by national police authorities.
Does every missing person get an INTERPOL Yellow Notice?
No. Not every missing person is placed on the INTERPOL Yellow Notice list.
A Yellow Notice is typically issued only if:
(a) There is credible evidence the person may be outside their home country
(b) There is a cross-border element
If a disappearance appears purely domestic, national databases are usually considered sufficient.
Does a Yellow Notice mean the person will be stopped at airports?
A Yellow Notice increases international visibility and can flag the individual in law enforcement systems. However, it does not confer arrest powers; it does not guarantee border interception; and it depends on operational cooperation between member states.
Can I look up a Yellow Notice?
Only a portion of INTERPOL Yellow Notices are published on the public website. These are made available when there is an operational reason to seek public assistance.
Many Yellow Notices, however, remain restricted to law enforcement databases. These are accessible only to police authorities in INTERPOL member countries through secure channels. Restrictions may apply due to investigative sensitivity, privacy and data protection considerations, safeguarding concerns or ongoing operational strategy.
Therefore, if a name does not appear on INTERPOL’s public website, this does not automatically mean that no Yellow Notice exists.
If you believe your data – or your child’s data – may be processed in INTERPOL’s systems, you may be eligible to submit a Data Access Request to the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (“CCF”).
What is a Data Access Request?
A Data Access Request to CCF enables you to ask whether INTERPOL processes data concerning you, request confirmation of the existence of a Yellow Notice, or seek access to personal data held in INTERPOL’s files.
The CCF will assess the request and determine whether data exists, whether disclosure is permissible and whether confidentiality restrictions apply.
Can a Yellow Notice be challenged or Deleted?
Yes. Like all other INTERPOL Notices, a Yellow Notice can be challenged if it does not comply with INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data (“RPD”).
On what legal grounds can a Yellow Notice be removed?
CCF ordered the deletion of Yellow Notices in several instances. Among the strongest grounds relied upon by the CCF are the following:
a) The person’s location is already known to authorities.
b) The Notice no longer fulfils the purpose under Article 90 RPD.
c) There are competing court decisions between countries.
Can a Yellow Notice be removed in Custody or Parental Child Abduction Cases?
Yes. An INTERPOL Yellow Notice can be challenged even in custody disputes and parental child abduction cases. Although parental child abduction is not automatically excluded from INTERPOL cooperation, the CCF has consistently emphasised that INTERPOL is not the appropriate forum to resolve international custody disputes, it cannot adjudicate between competing national court decisions, and its mechanisms must not be used as leverage in private family conflicts.
If the child’s whereabouts are already known to authorities, or if the case essentially concerns conflicting custody rulings between two countries, the legal basis for maintaining a Yellow Notice may collapse. In such circumstances, the CCF may order deletion.
Does removing a Yellow Notice resolve the Custody Dispute?
No. Removing a Yellow Notice does not decide custody.
Deletion simply means that INTERPOL will no longer:
(a) Process the personal data in its databases,
(b) Circulate the notice internationally,
(c) Provide law enforcement visibility under the Yellow Notice framework.
Custody rights remain strictly within the jurisdiction of national courts.
The CCF does not rule on which parent has lawful custody. It only assesses whether the data processing complies with INTERPOL’s rules, including necessity, proportionality, and proper purpose under Article 90 RPD.
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