HomeINTERPOL Yellow Notice
An Interpol Yellow Notice is a valuable law enforcement tool used to locate missing persons worldwide. While designed as a humanitarian tool, Yellow Notices can have serious personal and professional consequences when misused.
For expatriates, business executives, and global professionals, Interpol Yellow Notices can trigger travel restrictions or detention by border officials, cast doubt on your reputation, and expose you to unwarranted investigations. These risks are compounded by the international visibility of Interpol systems, where a single colour-coded notice can disrupt your travel plans and cause long-term damage to your credibility.
Our lawyers combine deep knowledge of Interpol’s framework with cross-border legal expertise to review the legal basis of any notice and petition for its deletion or correction. We will analyze the situation, file a complaint with the relevant authorities, and represent your interests at the international level.
Do not allow external decisions to dictate your life — contact us today.
What is an INTERPOL Yellow Notice?
An INTERPOL Yellow Notice is one of the international alerts used to help national law enforcement agencies locate missing persons across national borders. That makes it a valuable law enforcement tool for finding minors and individuals who cannot identify themselves (for example, due to amnesia, accidents, or illness).
Unlike an Interpol Red Notice, which is associated with a person’s criminal activities, prosecution, and extradition, a Yellow Notice is not connected to criminal charges. It’s a humanitarian tool intended solely to help local law enforcement agencies share critical information linked to the whereabouts or identity of a person.
This type of notice contains basic identification data such as name, date of birth, physical characteristics, photograph, circumstances of disappearance, and possible travel routes. In some cases, the notice is published on INTERPOL’s official website in the section on missing persons, particularly when minors are involved.
It is essential to recognize that this instrument can be utilized in situations of conflict, such as parental disputes between parents of different nationalities. In such cases, there is a risk of improper use of the notice, and legal assistance may be required to file a complaint for its cancellation.
When is an INTERPOL Yellow Notice Issued?
An INTERPOL Yellow Notice is issued when there is a need to locate a missing person or identify an individual who is unable to provide their personal data. However, only law enforcement agencies can get a yellow notice published through the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB). The request is based on a domestic law enforcement investigation and is forwarded to INTERPOL’s General Secretariat for review and publication through international channels.
The most common cases where member countries request yellow notices include:
- Disappearance of minors, especially in cases of parental abduction, international removal without the consent of the other parent, or risk of violence.
- Missing elderly persons or patients with amnesia or mental disorders.
- Foreign citizens in another country without documents and unable to provide personal details.
- Persons missing in conflict zones, natural disasters, or humanitarian crises.
- Suspected cases of human trafficking, illegal migration, or exploitation of vulnerable persons.
INTERPOL may consider issuing a notice if the disappearance is transnational in nature and there is a risk that the person may move across several countries, particularly in cases involving children or victims of organized crime.
If you wish to initiate an international search or suspect that a Yellow Notice has been improperly issued against you, our Interpol lawyers are ready to provide full support. We will prepare the necessary documents, file a complaint to protect your rights, and, if needed, seek cancellation of the notice through the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF).
How to Report a Missing Person through INTERPOL
The first step to help locate missing persons is to notify the local police authority. That may be done by close relatives, guardians, legal representatives, as well as social services or medical institutions.
The required information includes:
- Full identifying information of the missing person (name, surname, date of birth, nationality).
- Last known whereabouts of the individual.
- A recent photograph.
- Medical or behavioral specifics.
- Possible reasons for disappearance ( criminal abduction, escape, illness, etc.).
- Potential travel routes or cross-border connections.
The national authorities must register the report and initiate a national search process.
If the disappearance is deemed transnational, the case is referred to the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL (NCB). The NCB is responsible for:
- Verifying the accuracy of the information received.
- Requesting additional details from investigators or family members.
- Assessing the necessity of an INTERPOL notice.
- Preparing and forwarding the official international request.
At this stage, accuracy and completeness of the data are critical, as they directly affect the speed of publication.
Once approved, the NCB submits the request to INTERPOL’s General Secretariat via the secure I-24/7 system, attaching:
- All identification and personal details.
- Evidence or descriptions proving the cross-border nature of the disappearance.
- Known hypotheses about the case.
- Supporting documents (e.g., court decisions in child abduction cases).
INTERPOL verifies compliance with its Constitution and international law. If the request meets the requirements, the General Secretariat issues the Yellow Notice and circulates it to all member states.
The duration of a Yellow Notice is not limited and depends on the circumstances of the case. It may be updated, corrected, or withdrawn at the request of the issuing state.
Once published, the international search involves:
- National missing persons databases.
- International immigration and visa control systems.
- Police and immigration services of member states.
- Media cooperation.
Information is shared with airport security, border officials, and social services.
If the person is located, the requesting country must promptly notify INTERPOL. After this, the notice is cancelled, the data is removed from the database, and member countries are informed of the case’s closure.
If the global police alert was issued erroneously or misused, a request may be submitted to the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) for deletion.
How Lawyers Can Help in Cases of INTERPOL Yellow Notices
Errors at the stages of submission, execution, or appeal of a Yellow Notice can delay the search or lead to violations of rights. Only a lawyer familiar with INTERPOL rules and international law can properly prepare and submit requests to local law enforcement and the National Central Bureau, ensuring compliance with INTERPOL requirements, and monitor the international process.
If a loved one has gone missing, relatives often do not know where to begin. A lawyer can determine whether the situation qualifies for a Yellow Notice, quickly gather the necessary documents and evidence, submit the request to the police, monitor the notice’s publication, and track the dissemination of information.
Sometimes, Yellow Notices are issued improperly — for example, in parental custody disputes or as a tool of political or administrative pressure. In such cases, our lawyers submit a request to the CCF for removal of the notice. We prepare an evidentiary basis, referencing INTERPOL’s Constitution and international legal standards, to ensure justice. We represent the client’s interests at all levels: communication with authorities, control of documentation, and monitoring the status of the notice.
Contact us immediately for an initial consultation and to plan further actions without delay. Whether you are searching for a missing loved one or have become the target of an erroneous notice, legal assistance is the key to protecting your rights and resolving the problem effectively.
