INTERPOL Blue Notice: What It Is, How It Works and How to Challenge It

Under INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data, a Blue Notice may be published to obtain information about, locate or identify a person of interest in a criminal investigation.

Importantly, the subject does not necessarily have to be a formally charged suspect.

A Blue Notice may relate to a person who has been convicted or charged, as well as a suspect, witness or victim.

For this reason, the existence of a Blue Notice does not by itself establish that the person has been formally accused of committing an offence.

Lawyers handling INTERPOL cases should examine both the person’s actual procedural status and the purpose for which the information is being processed.

How is a Blue Notice issued?

A National Central Bureau normally submits the request and provides information about the criminal investigation and the individual concerned.

The request is reviewed by the INTERPOL General Secretariat, which assesses whether the conditions for publication and the organization’s data-processing rules are satisfied.

The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files does not perform this initial publication function.

The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files, or CCF, instead supervises data-processing compliance and considers individual requests for access to, correction of or deletion of personal data.

Can a Blue Notice result in arrest?

A Blue Notice is not an international arrest warrant and is not itself a request for arrest.

That distinction separates it from a Red Notice.

However, information appearing in INTERPOL systems may result in national authorities identifying an individual, checking their status or requesting further information.

Any arrest or other coercive action would require an independent legal basis under the relevant national law.

A Blue Notice should therefore not be confused with an arrest warrant.

What information can be collected through a Blue Notice?

Authorities may seek information about a person’s identity, current location, relevant history or other information connected with the criminal investigation.

The request must have a legitimate and sufficiently defined international police-cooperation purpose.

INTERPOL’s rules also require sufficient information relating to the investigation and the individual for the requested cooperation to be effective.

Blue Notice vs. Red Notice

The central difference is purpose.

A Blue Notice seeks information, location or identification.

A Red Notice seeks the location of a wanted person and requests provisional arrest, where national law permits, pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

A Blue Notice does not automatically “turn into” a Red Notice.

If authorities later wish to obtain a Red Notice, a separate request must satisfy the applicable requirements, including the necessary judicial basis for seeking the person’s arrest.

Blue Notice vs. INTERPOL Diffusion

Member countries can also exchange information through an INTERPOL Diffusion.

A Diffusion allows a National Central Bureau to circulate a request directly to selected member countries or more broadly through INTERPOL channels.

Although Notices and Diffusions are different mechanisms, both involve the processing and international circulation of police information and remain subject to INTERPOL’s rules.

What other INTERPOL Notices exist?

Different Notices perform different functions.

A Green Notice is used to provide warnings about a person’s criminal activities where that person may pose a threat to public safety.

INTERPOL also currently uses the Silver Notice in a pilot phase to identify and trace criminal assets.

Neither should be confused with the information-gathering purpose of the Blue Notice.

How can you find out whether INTERPOL has information about you?

Searching INTERPOL’s public website is not conclusive.

Most Notices are restricted to law-enforcement use and are not fully available to the public.

If there are reasonable grounds for concern, it may therefore be necessary to examine how to determine whether you are wanted or recorded by INTERPOL.

A formal request to the CCF can be used to seek access to personal data processed in INTERPOL’s Information System.

Can a Blue Notice be challenged or removed?

Yes.

Where data processed through INTERPOL do not comply with its rules, an individual may seek correction or deletion.

Depending on the circumstances, grounds may include inaccurate or outdated information, misuse of INTERPOL channels, insufficient police purpose, human-rights concerns or incompatibility with Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution.

Specialist assistance may therefore be required for INTERPOL Blue Notice removal.

Since 26 March 2026, requests to the CCF must be submitted through its dedicated secure online portal.

Conclusion

An INTERPOL Blue Notice is primarily an investigative tool used to obtain information, locate or identify a person in connection with a criminal investigation.

It is not an international arrest warrant and should not be confused with a Red Notice.

Nevertheless, because Blue Notice data can circulate internationally between law-enforcement authorities, anyone affected should determine what data are being processed, why they were entered and whether they comply with INTERPOL’s rules.