INTERPOL Green Notice - Meaning, Consequences and Removal
An INTERPOL Green Notice can have significant practical consequences for the person concerned. During international travel, border checks or police controls, it may cause authorities to become aware of an individual and take the information stored within the INTERPOL system into account.
A Green Notice is often confused with an INTERPOL Red Notice. However, the two instruments serve fundamentally different purposes.
A Green Notice is not an international arrest warrant and not an international request for arrest. Its purpose is to warn law enforcement authorities in other INTERPOL member countries about a person who is considered a possible threat to public safety because of previous criminal activities.
Because a Green Notice is generally not publicly visible, individuals may only become aware of such a record during travel, at a border crossing or following another interaction with law enforcement authorities.
Anyone who knows or suspects that a Green Notice exists should first determine what information is actually stored in the INTERPOL Information System, which authority provided the information and whether the requirements for maintaining the international warning are still met.
What Is an INTERPOL Green Notice?
INTERPOL uses different colour-coded Notices for different forms of international police cooperation.
A Green Notice is used to warn other countries about the criminal activities of a particular person.
Under Article 89 of INTERPOL's Rules on the Processing of Data, a Green Notice may only be published if certain requirements are met.
In particular:
- →The person is considered a possible threat to public safety.
- →This assessment is based on an evaluation by a national law enforcement authority or another authorised international entity.
- →The assessment is based on previous criminal convictions or other sufficient grounds.
- →Sufficient information concerning the alleged threat is available to make the warning relevant to other countries.
A previous criminal conviction may therefore form the basis of a Green Notice. However, a conviction is not always required. INTERPOL's rules also allow other sufficient grounds to support the relevant risk assessment.
The decisive question is therefore not merely whether a criminal matter existed in the past. It is also whether the international warning is based on a sufficiently reliable foundation and whether maintaining it remains justified.
Is a Green Notice an International Arrest Warrant?
No.
An INTERPOL Green Notice is neither an international arrest warrant nor a request for other countries to arrest and extradite the individual concerned.
This is one of the fundamental differences between a Green Notice and a Red Notice.
The primary purpose of a Green Notice is to provide an international warning. Law enforcement authorities in other INTERPOL member countries are informed that, based on the information provided, the person is considered a possible threat to public safety.
Any specific measures subsequently taken by national authorities are governed by the law of the respective country.
A Green Notice itself does not automatically authorise an arrest.
Green Notice and Red Notice - What Is the Difference?
The distinction is particularly important for anyone affected by an INTERPOL record.
A Red Notice concerns a person wanted by a country for prosecution or to serve a sentence. Through INTERPOL, other countries are asked to locate the person and, subject to their national law, potentially arrest the person or restrict their liberty with a view to extradition proceedings.
A Green Notice, by contrast, does not generally pursue extradition. Its purpose is to warn other countries about a person who is considered a possible threat to public safety.
In simplified terms:
- →Red Notice: international alert aimed at locating a wanted person and potentially facilitating arrest and extradition
- →Green Notice: international police warning concerning a person considered a possible threat
However, even a Red Notice is not an independent international arrest warrant. Whether an arrest based on a Red Notice is legally possible depends on the law of the country in which the person is located.
"A Green Notice is not an international arrest warrant. That does not mean it should be underestimated. The decisive questions are why a person has been classified internationally as a possible threat and whether that assessment is still justified today."
- →Tom Beisel, Attorney at Law
What Consequences Can a Green Notice Have When Travelling?
The fact that a Green Notice is not an arrest warrant does not mean that it has no practical consequences.
The relevant information may be available to competent authorities in INTERPOL member countries. If the person is checked at a border or during another police measure, the international warning may therefore become relevant.
The possible consequences depend on the country concerned and its national law.
Depending on the circumstances, they may include:
- →additional questioning,
- →more extensive identity or security checks,
- →transmission of information to other authorities,
- →national preventive or public security measures,
- →immigration or entry-related checks.
The Green Notice itself does not order any of these measures.
For people who travel internationally on a regular basis for professional or private reasons, such a record may therefore cause significant practical difficulties even though there is no international request for arrest.
Green Notices in Cases Involving Sexual Offences
One particularly relevant area concerns individuals who are considered to pose a risk to children.
INTERPOL expressly states that Green Notices may be used, among other purposes, to warn other countries about travelling sex offenders.
The purpose is cross-border prevention. Countries should be able to receive information about individuals for whom existing information indicates a relevant risk of further offences.
However, this does not mean that every investigation concerning an alleged sexual offence automatically results in a Green Notice.
The mere opening of a criminal investigation in Germany is not automatically sufficient. The additional requirements under INTERPOL's rules must also be satisfied. In particular, there must be a sufficient basis for considering the person a possible threat to public safety.
If the criminal proceedings are later discontinued, the person is acquitted or the factual basis of the original assessment changes substantially, it should therefore be examined whether the international record remains justified.
How Can You Find Out Whether a Green Notice Exists?
A Green Notice usually cannot be identified simply by carrying out an online search.
Many INTERPOL records and Notices are intended exclusively for law enforcement authorities. The fact that a person's name does not appear on INTERPOL's public website therefore does not necessarily mean that no data concerning that person is being processed.
The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files - CCF is particularly important when seeking information about personal data stored within INTERPOL.
A person may apply to the CCF to determine whether personal data concerning them is being processed in the INTERPOL Information System.
The application may also be submitted by an authorised lawyer on behalf of the person concerned.
Since 26 March 2026, applications to the CCF must generally be submitted through the secure online portal established for this purpose.
The CCF itself does not charge a fee for the procedure.
However, applicants should be aware that INTERPOL cannot necessarily disclose every piece of information without restriction. The CCF may have to consult the source of the data. As a result, there may be limitations on the information that can ultimately be disclosed to the applicant.
Can an INTERPOL Green Notice Be Deleted?
Yes.
Once published, a Green Notice cannot simply be maintained indefinitely regardless of its factual basis and continuing purpose.
INTERPOL's rules impose requirements both on the original publication of the Notice and on the continued processing of the information.
Three issues are particularly important when examining whether a Green Notice can be deleted.
1. The Requirements for the Green Notice Must Continue to Be Met
Under Article 89 RPD, the individual must still be capable of being considered a possible threat to public safety.
A Green Notice is not intended merely to create a permanent international record that a person was once involved in criminal proceedings.
On the other hand, the passage of time alone does not automatically require the deletion of a Green Notice that was originally lawful.
The current circumstances must therefore be examined.
Does sufficient evidence of a present risk still exist?
Have there been any further relevant incidents since the original matter?
Has the underlying criminal case changed?
Is the information on which the warning is based still accurate and complete?
These questions may become central in deletion proceedings.
2. The Data Must Be Accurate, Relevant and Up to Date
Article 12 of INTERPOL's Rules on the Processing of Data imposes clear requirements concerning the quality of stored information.
Personal data processed through the INTERPOL Information System must, in particular, be:
- →accurate,
- →relevant,
- →not excessive in relation to its purpose, and
- →up to date.
This is particularly important for Green Notices when the factual circumstances have changed since the original publication.
Relevant changes may include:
- →a subsequent acquittal,
- →discontinuation of the criminal proceedings,
- →reversal of an earlier decision,
- →demonstrably incorrect factual allegations,
- →new exculpatory evidence,
- →a substantial period of time without any further relevant incidents,
- →an outdated risk assessment.
However, not every discontinuation of criminal proceedings has the same significance.
A final acquittal or proof that an allegation was false may provide substantially stronger grounds for deletion than a procedural termination in which it was never conclusively established that the original suspicion was unfounded.
It is therefore necessary to examine precisely why and on what basis the underlying criminal proceedings were concluded.
3. The Purpose of the Green Notice Must Still Exist
Article 81 RPD is also highly relevant.
The authority that requested a Notice must withdraw the warning and ask INTERPOL to cancel it if the requirements for the Notice are no longer met or if the authority no longer wishes to maintain it.
The INTERPOL General Secretariat must also cancel a Notice under the circumstances provided for in the rules where the requirements for publication are no longer satisfied.
This means that a Green Notice does not remain lawful indefinitely merely because it may have been justified when it was originally published.
Its continued maintenance must also comply with INTERPOL's rules.
What Grounds May Support the Deletion of a Green Notice?
A deletion request should never merely state in general terms that the record is unfair or disproportionate.
The arguments should address the specific factual background and INTERPOL's applicable rules.
Depending on the individual case, relevant arguments may include:
- →There is no specific current assessment that the person presents a threat.
- →The alleged threat is based exclusively on events that took place a long time ago.
- →The underlying investigation has been discontinued.
- →The person has been acquitted.
- →The original allegations have proved inaccurate or incomplete.
- →New exculpatory evidence has emerged.
- →There have been no further relevant incidents for a substantial period of time.
- →The stored information is no longer up to date.
- →The information is no longer relevant to the original purpose.
- →The processing of the data is excessive in relation to its purpose.
- →The original purpose of the international warning no longer exists.
- →The requirements of Article 89 RPD were never met or are no longer met.
Which arguments are strongest will depend primarily on the underlying criminal proceedings, their outcome and the risk alleged by the authority that provided the data.
The Particular Importance of an Acquittal or Complete Exoneration
A particularly important situation may arise where the individual has been cleared of the exact allegations that originally gave rise to the international data processing.
Article 52(2) RPD contains an important rule in this context.
Under that provision, temporary continued storage as "criminal history" is not permitted where the individual has been cleared of the allegations that originally resulted in the data being recorded.
This does not mean that every type of termination of criminal proceedings automatically requires the immediate deletion of all INTERPOL data.
However, the rule demonstrates the significant weight that genuine criminal exoneration may have when assessing whether data may continue to be processed.
It is therefore necessary to distinguish carefully between, for example:
- →an acquittal,
- →discontinuation because there is insufficient evidence to proceed,
- →discontinuation because of minor culpability,
- →discontinuation subject to conditions or instructions,
- →another form of termination of criminal proceedings.
For a successful deletion request, the decisive question is not only whether the criminal proceedings ended, but also why they ended.
How Can a Green Notice Be Challenged Before INTERPOL?
The CCF is responsible for reviewing the processing of personal data within the INTERPOL Information System.
In principle, three different types of application are available:
- →a request for access to stored data,
- →a request for correction of stored data,
- →a request for deletion of stored data.
In many cases, an access request is the appropriate first step because it helps clarify what information is actually being processed.
Where sufficient information about the record and its basis is already available, it may be appropriate to request correction or deletion directly.
A deletion request should not consist of only a few general statements.
It should provide a structured explanation of:
- →the factual circumstances underlying the record,
- →the authority or country that supplied the information,
- →the development and outcome of the underlying proceedings,
- →changes in circumstances since the original record was created,
- →the specific INTERPOL rules that are relevant,
- →why continued processing or maintenance of the Green Notice is no longer justified.
Where available, court decisions, decisions discontinuing proceedings and other exculpatory documents should be submitted.
What Does the CCF Examine?
The CCF is not an international appellate court for national criminal proceedings.
It therefore does not generally decide whether a foreign criminal court reached the "correct" result or how the criminal case should have been decided on the merits.
Its central role is to review the processing of personal data within INTERPOL's systems.
The decisive question is therefore:
Is the storage and continued processing of the data compliant with INTERPOL's rules?
A strong deletion request must be focused on exactly this issue.
Data quality, accuracy, current relevance, purpose limitation, the requirements governing the relevant Notice and other provisions of INTERPOL's regulatory framework therefore play a central role.
How Long Does a CCF Procedure Take?
The CCF first examines whether an application is admissible.
Different time limits then apply under the CCF Statute.
A decision on a request for access to stored information is generally to be made within four months from the date on which the request becomes admissible.
Requests for correction or deletion are generally to be decided within nine months after the request has been declared admissible.
Proceedings may take longer in certain circumstances.
Where a Green Notice is currently causing substantial practical problems, it should therefore also be examined whether action can be taken directly against the national source of the data in parallel with the CCF proceedings.
What Role Does the German Federal Criminal Police Office Play?
The German Federal Criminal Police Office - Bundeskriminalamt, BKA - is INTERPOL's National Central Bureau for Germany.
Operating as "INTERPOL Wiesbaden", the BKA handles the exchange of information between Germany, INTERPOL and law enforcement authorities in other member countries.
If a Green Notice is based on information supplied by German authorities, or German authorities are otherwise involved in the international processing of the data, the national level may therefore be relevant in addition to proceedings before the CCF.
Depending on the circumstances, it may be necessary to determine:
- →What information was transmitted?
- →Which German authority initiated the transmission?
- →On what legal basis was the information transmitted?
- →Is the information still accurate and up to date?
- →Does the original risk assessment still exist?
- →Does the German authority still wish to maintain the international warning?
- →Is the German authority required to initiate a correction or withdrawal?
This can be particularly important where the factual situation in Germany has changed, for example because criminal proceedings have been discontinued, the person has been acquitted or new exculpatory evidence has emerged.
Does a Successful CCF Decision Also Delete German Police Records?
Not automatically.
The CCF reviews the processing of personal data within the INTERPOL Information System.
German national police databases must be distinguished from INTERPOL's international systems.
Successful deletion of data at INTERPOL therefore does not necessarily mean that all related information held by the Bundeskriminalamt, a German State Criminal Police Office or another German police authority is automatically deleted as well.
Conversely, correction or deletion of the underlying national information may have a significant impact on whether an international record based on that information can lawfully continue to be maintained.
"Successful deletion at INTERPOL does not automatically mean that national police records have also been deleted. International and national data records must be examined separately."
- →Tom Beisel, Attorney at Law
In appropriate cases, both levels must therefore be examined and, where necessary, challenged in parallel.
Green Notice Suspected or Confirmed - What Should You Do?
Anyone who becomes aware of a possible Green Notice should not immediately assume that an international arrest warrant exists.
Instead, the matter should be clarified systematically.
The key questions are:
- →What type of INTERPOL record actually exists?
- →Which country or authority supplied the information?
- →What factual circumstances form the basis of the Green Notice?
- →What risk assessment supports the international warning?
- →Is the stored information accurate and up to date?
- →What was the outcome of the underlying criminal proceedings?
- →Have there been any further relevant incidents?
- →Are there separate national police records?
- →Should an access request be made first or is a deletion request already appropriate?
- →Should parallel action be taken against the national source of the data?
The more clearly these issues can be established and documented, the more effectively an unlawful or outdated international record can be challenged.
Frequently Asked Questions About INTERPOL Green Notices
Can I Be Arrested Because of a Green Notice?
A Green Notice itself is not an arrest warrant and is not an international request for arrest. Any specific action that authorities in a particular country may lawfully take on the basis of the stored information is governed by that country's national law.
Is a Green Notice Public?
Green Notices are generally intended for international law enforcement information exchange. A simple search of INTERPOL's public website is therefore not sufficient to determine with certainty whether information concerning a particular person is being processed.
Does a German Criminal Investigation Automatically Result in a Green Notice?
No. The mere opening of criminal proceedings does not automatically result in a Green Notice. The additional requirements of Article 89 RPD must be satisfied.
Is a Previous Criminal Conviction Required for a Green Notice?
Not necessarily. Article 89 RPD refers to previous criminal convictions but also permits other sufficient grounds to support the relevant risk assessment.
What Happens After an Acquittal?
An acquittal can provide a significant basis for reviewing the continued international processing of the person's data and, where appropriate, requesting deletion. The precise relationship between the allegations, the original Green Notice and the acquittal must be examined.
Is Discontinuation of Criminal Proceedings Enough to Have a Green Notice Deleted?
Not automatically. The reason why the proceedings were discontinued and the facts that remain after the termination of the case must be examined. Complete exoneration must be distinguished from a procedural termination subject to conditions or without a final determination that the allegation was unfounded.
Can a Lawyer Submit an Application to the CCF?
Yes. An authorised lawyer may submit an application to the CCF on behalf of the person concerned.
Does the CCF Charge a Fee?
The CCF itself does not charge a fee for applications for access, correction or deletion.
How Long Does a Green Notice Deletion Procedure Take?
A decision on a request for correction or deletion is generally to be made within nine months after the request has been declared admissible. Proceedings may take longer in individual cases.
Are All German Police Records Deleted After Successful Removal at INTERPOL?
No. INTERPOL data and German national police records are separate data systems. Whether national records can also be corrected or deleted must be examined separately.
Legal Representation in INTERPOL Green Notice Cases
A Green Notice is not an international arrest warrant. Nevertheless, it can have substantial consequences for the individual concerned, particularly during international travel, border controls and police checks.
The decisive issue is therefore not simply whether there was once a criminal allegation.
The relevant questions are whether the requirements for the international warning were actually satisfied, whether they continue to be satisfied and whether the information stored remains accurate, up to date, relevant and proportionate to the purpose for which it is being processed.
I represent clients throughout Germany and internationally in INTERPOL-related matters and advise in particular on:
- →access requests concerning data stored by INTERPOL,
- →Green Notices and other INTERPOL records,
- →correction and deletion requests before the CCF,
- →proceedings involving the Bundeskriminalamt and other German authorities,
- →the underlying criminal proceedings,
- →INTERPOL Red Notices,
- →international wanted-person alerts,
- →extradition detention and extradition proceedings.
If an INTERPOL Green Notice exists against you, or you suspect that such a record may exist, the first step should be to establish what information is actually being processed and on what basis.
A targeted strategy for access, correction or deletion can then be developed.
Have you been informed that an INTERPOL Green Notice exists against you, or did you first become aware of an international police record during a border check? The first step is to establish exactly what information is stored and whether the requirements for its continued processing are still met. I advise and represent clients before the CCF and the competent German authorities throughout Germany and internationally. Contact me directly to have your case reviewed.
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