Interpol Orange Notice
An INTERPOL Orange Notice is an international alert used to warn police about an event, person, object, process or modus operandi that represents a serious and imminent threat to public safety. It is intended to help authorities share urgent threat information and take appropriate preventive measures.
Unlike a Red Notice, an Orange Notice is not primarily designed to locate a wanted person for extradition. Its purpose is to warn INTERPOL member countries about threats that could cause serious injury to people or damage to property.
What Is an INTERPOL Orange Notice?
An INTERPOL Orange Notice is one of INTERPOL’s colour-coded international alerts. Under INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data, it may concern:
- an event;
- a person;
- an object;
- a process;
- a modus operandi.
The central requirement is that the subject of the alert represents an imminent threat to public safety and is likely to cause serious injury to people or serious damage to property.
Orange Notices have been used to share information about threats such as disguised weapons, explosives and other dangerous materials. INTERPOL has also used an Orange Notice to warn member countries about large-scale criminal trends considered to pose a serious and imminent public-safety threat.
An Orange Notice is therefore a preventive international police-cooperation tool rather than a criminal judgment or finding of guilt.
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What Is the Purpose of an INTERPOL Orange Notice?
The purpose of an INTERPOL Orange Notice is to allow authorities in different countries to receive and act on information about an immediate security threat.
Depending on the circumstances, the information may help police and other competent authorities:
- identify a dangerous object or material;
- recognize a previously unknown threat;
- prepare for a particular security risk;
- detect similar incidents in another country;
- exchange relevant intelligence;
- take preventive measures under national law.
INTERPOL’s rules state that National Central Bureaus and national entities receiving an Orange Notice should take appropriate measures in accordance with their own domestic laws. The Notice itself does not create one universal response that every country must follow.
What Types of Threats Can an Orange Notice Cover?
An Orange Notice is not limited to terrorism or dangerous individuals.
Dangerous Objects and Materials
Orange Notices can warn about objects capable of causing serious harm, including disguised firearms, explosive devices or hazardous materials.
For example, INTERPOL specifically identifies Orange Notices as a mechanism for warning authorities about disguised firearms that may not be detected through ordinary inspection methods.
Events and Processes
A Notice can also concern an event or process where authorities have identified an imminent public-safety threat.
This allows countries to share information before similar incidents occur elsewhere.
Modus Operandi
An Orange Notice may concern a dangerous method of committing criminal activity where that method itself presents an imminent threat.
This should not be confused with a Purple Notice, whose broader purpose includes sharing information about criminal methods, objects, devices and concealment techniques. An Orange Notice requires the additional element of an imminent public-safety threat.
Persons
An Orange Notice can also concern an individual, but the criteria are specific.
Under INTERPOL’s rules, the person must be considered an imminent threat to public safety or be preparing to commit, or about to commit, a particularly serious ordinary-law crime. The assessment must be based on previous criminal convictions and/or other reasonable grounds.
This is very different from using an Orange Notice simply because someone is wanted for prosecution.
Who Can Request an INTERPOL Orange Notice?
INTERPOL Notices are published by the General Secretariat following requests made through the Organization’s authorized channels.
For an Orange Notice concerning a person, the assessment of the imminent threat may come from a national law-enforcement authority or an international entity. For an object, event or modus operandi, INTERPOL’s rules require an assessment by a national law-enforcement authority.
Before publication, Notices are subject to INTERPOL’s applicable legal and data-processing requirements. INTERPOL states that requests for Notices are reviewed for compliance with its Constitution and Rules on the Processing of Data.
I would therefore remove the old statement that Europol or the UN can automatically “issue” an Orange Notice. That formulation is too broad.
Who Receives an INTERPOL Orange Notice?
INTERPOL Notices are made available through the Organization’s police information system so that member countries can consult and use the information for international police cooperation.
Depending on the nature of the threat, relevant national authorities may include police, border agencies, customs services or specialist security bodies. The exact response, however, is determined by national law and the responsibilities of the authorities in the receiving country.
An Orange Notice does not automatically require arrest, detention, asset freezing or any other particular enforcement measure.
Is There a Public INTERPOL Orange Notice List?
There is no comprehensive public Orange Notice list comparable to INTERPOL’s public Red Notice database.
Orange Notices are primarily circulated through INTERPOL’s secure channels. However, INTERPOL rules and practice allow extracts of certain Notices to be made public when the competent requesting authority authorizes publication.
For example, INTERPOL has previously released sanitized public versions of Orange Notices where informing the public could assist authorities in addressing a security threat.
Therefore, failing to find an Orange Notice through a public web search does not necessarily establish that no such Notice exists.
INTERPOL Orange Notice vs Red Notice
An Orange Notice and a Red Notice serve fundamentally different purposes.
| INTERPOL Orange Notice | INTERPOL Red Notice |
| Warns about an imminent public-safety threat | Seeks the location and provisional arrest of a wanted person |
| May concern a person, event, object, process or modus operandi | Concerns an individual wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence |
| Primarily preventive | Connected with criminal proceedings and possible extradition |
| Does not itself mean a person is wanted internationally | Indicates that a member country seeks international cooperation concerning a wanted person |
| Response depends on the type of threat and national law | Arrest consequences also depend on national law |
The distinction is important. A person being mentioned in an Orange Notice does not automatically mean that they are the subject of an international wanted-person request.
Can an Orange Notice Be Issued About a Person?
Yes, but only in specific circumstances.
INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data allow an Orange Notice concerning a person where the individual is assessed as representing an imminent threat to public safety or as preparing to commit a particularly serious ordinary-law crime.
The assessment must be supported by previous convictions and/or other reasonable grounds. Sufficient information about the threat must also be provided for the alert to be relevant.
An Orange Notice should therefore not be interpreted simply as an allegation that someone has committed a crime.
Can Information in an INTERPOL Orange Notice Be Challenged?
Where an Orange Notice contains personal data about an identifiable individual, that person may be able to use INTERPOL’s data-protection procedures.
The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) is the independent body responsible for handling requests for access to, correction of or deletion of personal data processed in the INTERPOL Information System.
Since 26 March 2026, CCF requests must be submitted through INTERPOL’s secure online portal.
However, the CCF procedure is specifically concerned with personal data. If an Orange Notice concerns only an object, event, process or general security threat and does not process personal data about an applicant, an individual CCF request may not be the appropriate procedure.
The CCF also does not decide criminal guilt or replace national courts and investigative authorities. Its role is limited to reviewing whether personal data are being processed in accordance with INTERPOL’s rules.
What Happens When the Threat Is No Longer Imminent?
An Orange Notice is connected to the existence of an imminent public-safety threat.
INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data provide that when the threat that justified publication is no longer imminent, the General Secretariat may, in consultation with the requesting National Central Bureau or international entity, replace the Orange Notice with another appropriate type of Notice.
This is another reason why an Orange Notice should not be treated as a permanent finding against a person, organization or event.
What Should You Do if an Orange Notice Contains Information About You?
If you believe an INTERPOL Orange Notice contains personal information about you, the first step is to determine exactly what data are being processed and what legal procedure is available.
Depending on the circumstances, this may involve:
- establishing whether INTERPOL holds personal data concerning you;
- reviewing the accuracy and current relevance of that information;
- identifying the country or authority responsible for the data;
- examining whether INTERPOL’s Constitution and data-processing rules have been respected;
- considering a CCF access, correction or deletion request where applicable;
- addressing any related national proceedings separately.
The appropriate strategy depends on the type of Orange Notice and the nature of the information involved.
Need Legal Advice About INTERPOL Data?
Where an Orange Notice contains personal data that may be inaccurate, outdated or inconsistent with INTERPOL’s rules, legal counsel can assess the available procedures and determine whether an application concerning access, correction or deletion may be appropriate.
Our lawyers advise on INTERPOL data-protection matters and related cross-border legal issues.
Contact our legal team for a confidential case assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
An Orange Notice does not automatically impose a travel ban or create a universal basis for detention. However, if the Notice concerns a person and has been circulated to relevant national authorities, it may lead to additional scrutiny or security checks depending on the receiving country’s laws and the nature of the threat described.
There is no single fixed duration that applies to every Orange Notice. Its continued circulation depends on whether the underlying threat remains relevant and imminent. If the threat is no longer considered imminent, INTERPOL may reassess the Notice and, where appropriate, replace it with another type of alert or discontinue its use.