HomeProtect Your Assets from INTERPOL Silver Notices and diffusions
With illicit financial flows, transnational crimes, fraud, and corruption generating staggering profits, asset recovery efforts can be challenging for law enforcement agencies worldwide. In fact, 99% of criminal assets remain unrecovered, and criminals are increasingly looking for ways to conceal their proceeds.
To close this gap, Interpol’s new Silver Notices and Diffusions have become crucial tools for law enforcement agencies to recover criminal assets across national borders. These Interpol colour-coded notices facilitate international cooperation in tracing illegal assets and have serious consequences for high-value individuals. That includes freezing of assets, cross-border litigation, and scrutiny from financial regulators.
The solution is proactive protection. By ensuring transparent documentation, robust compliance, and legal structuring of your assets, you can reduce exposure and protect your property. Our legal team specializes in Interpol’s regulatory framework, helping you challenge unjust notices and protect your wealth.
What is an INTERPOL Silver Notice?
A Silver Notice is a new type of Interpol colour-coded notice introduced in 2025 to help member countries locate assets linked to criminal activities and initiate recovery efforts. The legal framework governing this notification covers both tangible and intangible assets belonging to criminals, including real estate properties, vehicles, financial accounts, and businesses. It also includes other properties that may have been acquired or used in the course of criminal activities like organized crime, corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, or transnational fraud.
Unlike other, more well-known INTERPOL notices, the Interpol Silver Notice does not target the arrest of individuals and is not part of the eight classical INTERPOL notice categories. Instead, it represents an innovative information-sharing mechanism. Its primary purpose is to facilitate cooperation between countries in locating and monitoring assets without imposing coercive measures. However, countries can use the information in silver notices and diffusions as a basis of bilateral engagement for asset seizure, confiscation and recovery.
Key features of the Silver Notice:
- No arrest or coercive measures — purely informational.
- Targets assets rather than a person’s criminal activities
- Not publicly listed on INTERPOL’s website, ensuring confidentiality.
- Can be circulated to all member states or selected jurisdictions via diffusion.
- It may be issued even without a court judgment if an individual is under criminal investigation for offenses punishable by at least 4 years of imprisonment.
If your assets are subject to a Silver Notice, you should immediately consult a lawyer. We will assess the legality of the notice, safeguard your interests, and, if necessary, submit a complaint to the CCF.
Objectives and Functions of the Silver Notice
The Silver Notice serves several important purposes:
- Asset tracing — enabling countries to officially request information to identify assets linked to suspects under investigation, particularly abroad.
- Locating property — identifying the whereabouts of real estate, vehicles, or other assets across jurisdictions without requiring lengthy Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) procedures.
- Accessing financial intelligence — requesting data on ownership structures, sources of funds, and beneficiaries of assets, which is vital in corruption, offshore money-laundering schemes, and fraud cases.
- Ongoing monitoring — confidential tracking of assets such as bank accounts or company registrations to prevent transfers or concealment while investigations are ongoing.
Pilot Project and Future Use
In January 2025, INTERPOL launched a pilot program introducing the Silver Notice to enhance asset recovery efforts to fight transnational organized crime globally. The initiative addresses a critical issue: only 1% of illicit assets are successfully recovered worldwide.
The concept was officially presented in Resolution GA-2023-91-RES-11 at INTERPOL’s 91st General Assembly in Vienna, establishing the framework and legal basis for this tool.
- The first Silver Notice was issued at Italy’s request in an investigation by Guardia di Finanza in Palermo, targeting senior mafia figure-linked assets under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
- The pilot project involves 52 countries and territories, including the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, China, UAE, Brazil, and other member countries.
- Each state has a quota: a maximum of 10 notices/diffusions and up to 500 data requests regarding assets.
- All notices undergo legal review by INTERPOL’s General Secretariat to ensure compliance with the INTERPOL Constitution and the prohibition of politically motivated actions.
Although Silver Notices are not yet part of the eight official INTERPOL colors, they are expected to become a permanent tool after the pilot phase if proven effective. These notices enhance international police cooperation to disrupt criminal networks through tracing and seizing illegal profits across different jurisdictions.
Legal Implications of a Silver Notice
While a Silver Notice is not grounds for arrest, it can indirectly affect a person’s rights and freedoms:
- Border authorities may impose stricter checks on individuals linked to notified assets.
- Businesses or individuals may face visa refusals, licensing restrictions, or business operation bans.
- Banks and regulators may freeze accounts or block transactions related to suspected assets.
Although it is not a confiscation order, information from a Silver Notice can trigger national investigations or MLA requests, which may lead to asset freezes, blocked property transactions, or temporary seizures.
For companies engaged in international trade, Silver Notices may also disrupt exports by triggering customs delays or additional scrutiny of goods.
At present, the legal status of Silver Notices remains uncertain:
- No official notification procedure for asset owners.
- No public registry.
- No established appeal process specifically adapted for Silver Notices.
This creates legal uncertainty and risks of arbitrary restrictions without due process.
Risks and Potential Abuses
The main risks associated with Silver Notices include:
- Political misuse — governments may target opposition figures, refugees, or business rivals under the guise of anti-corruption or financial crime investigations.
- Pre-emptive restrictions without court orders — banks, registrars, or customs may act on a notice before legal review, limiting property rights without due process.
- Lack of transparency — as Silver Notices are confidential, asset owners may be unaware until restrictions are imposed.
- Collateral damage — business partners, investors, and family members may face consequences if their assets are wrongly linked.
These risks echo the criticisms surrounding politically motivated Red Notices, raising concerns about potential misuse of the new mechanism. However, Interpol rules allow individuals to challenge unjust or erroneous Interpol Silver Notices.
How We Can Help Protect You from Silver Notices
Our legal team has extensive experience in INTERPOL-related cases and asset protection. We provide:
- Legal review of the notice — assessing compliance with the INTERPOL Constitution and identifying unlawful or politically motivated elements.
- Filing a complaint with the CCF — preparing evidence-based applications to challenge unlawful notices based on Interpol’s legal framework.
- Negotiations with authorities and financial institutions — defending your interests before banks, regulators, and law enforcement.
- Confidential legal strategy & reputation protection — ensuring your case is handled discreetly while minimizing business disruption.
If your assets have been affected by a Silver Notice or yif ou have received information about such an INTERPOL request, contact us immediately. We will provide professional defense, swift response, risk mitigation, and a tailored strategy to help you regain control over your assets.
