There is widespread misunderstanding – not only in the media but also among legal practitioners – about what an INTERPOL Red Notice actually is. Many assume that a Red Notice automatically leads to arrest or guarantees extradition. In reality, the legal consequences of a Red Notice are far more nuanced.

Below, I address the five most frequently asked questions clients raise regarding INTERPOL Red Notices and extradition proceedings, based on both practice and recent jurisprudence.

1. Is an INTERPOL Red Notice a pre-condition for extradition?

No. A Red Notice is not a legal prerequisite for extradition. Extradition is fundamentally a state-to-state process, governed by bilateral or multilateral treaties and domestic legislation. Many extradition requests proceed entirely outside the INTERPOL system through diplomatic or judicial channels. Within the European Union, for example, extradition operates through the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), a judicial cooperation mechanism that does not require the issuance of a Red Notice. Similarly, extradition under bilateral treaties often occurs without INTERPOL’s involvement.

A Red Notice may facilitate international cooperation, but it is neither mandatory nor determinative.

2. Does a Red Notice mean extradition is inevitable?

Absolutely not. A Red Notice is not an arrest warrant. It is a request circulated by one INTERPOL member state to others, seeking the location and possible provisional arrest of a person pending extradition.

Crucially, Red Notices are issued without judicial oversight. Each country independently decides whether to act on a Notice, in accordance with its own domestic law, constitutional safeguards, and international human rights obligations. A Red Notice does not override national sovereignty.

Extradition is frequently refused on grounds such as:

a) Political motivation

b) Risk of torture or ill-treatment

c) Lack of fair trial guarantees

d) Procedural or evidentiary deficiencies

3. Extradition was refused. Why is the Red Notice still active?

This is one of the most common and legitimate concerns clients raise. A refusal of extradition in one country does not automatically result in the deletion of the corresponding Red Notice. Unless a separate and successful application is made to INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), the Notice remains active.

As a result, individuals may continue to face border detentions, travel restrictions and police questioning in third countries.

Significantly, the CCF has consistently clarified that a refusal of extradition alone is insufficient to justify deletion. In Decisions 2018-03 (§ 46) and 2018-15 (§ 37), the Commission held that it must examine the reasons for refusal. In Decision 2019-05 (§ 26), the CCF confirmed it pays “specific attention” to whether those reasons align with INTERPOL’s own legal framework.

4. Can a Red Notice be deleted simply because there is no extradition treaty?

As a general rule, no. The absence of an extradition treaty, or the existence of dual nationality, does not render a Red Notice non-compliant with INTERPOL rules. This position has been consistently reaffirmed in CCF Decisions 2019-03 (§ 40) and 2018-06. However, human rights considerations are different. In CCF Decision 2019-03, the Commission examined a domestic court’s refusal to extradite on the grounds of a real risk of inhuman or degrading treatment and the denial of the right to a fair trial. These findings were grounded in violations of Articles 3 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and stemmed from systemic deficiencies in the requesting state’s justice and prison systems.

While domestic rulings are not binding on INTERPOL, the CCF held that such judgments cannot be ignored. When combined with concerns of necessity and proportionality, they formed a “body of corroborating evidence” leading the Commission to conclude that retention of the Red Notice violated Article 2 of the INTERPOL Constitution, which mandates respect for fundamental human rights.

5. What is the practical impact of a domestic court’s refusal to extradite on INTERPOL proceedings?

The impact is twofold.

a) Strategic litigation value: A favourable extradition judgment – particularly one grounded in human rights violations – can serve as highly persuasive evidence before the CCF. While other states may still act on the Notice, such rulings materially strengthen deletion requests.

b) Strengthening INTERPOL accountability: Recent CCF jurisprudence demonstrates an increasing willingness to engage seriously with domestic judicial findings, reinforcing INTERPOL’s obligation to respect human rights and proportionality in international police cooperation.

Key takeaway

An INTERPOL Red Notice is not a conviction, not an arrest warrant, and not a guarantee of extradition. Its legal impact depends on domestic law, human rights safeguards, and proactive legal strategy. Understanding these distinctions – and acting decisively before the CCF – is essential to protecting fundamental rights in cross-border criminal proceedings. To delete a Red Notice, the presence of a Red Notice does not guarantee extradition.