INTERPOL Cases in Germany
An INTERPOL alert surfaces in Germany at the border, at a routine police check, and in residence procedures. What follows is decided under local law, not by the Organization: the police detain and a judge must review the detention promptly. The procedure before the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files is the same everywhere and is set out separately — this page covers only what is specific to Germany.
Germany separates admissibility from the decision to grant. A request can be admissible and still be refused, which means two different arguments are available and they are made to different bodies.
How it works locally
- Where it surfaces
- at the border, at a routine police check, and in residence procedures.
- Who decides on holding
- the police detain and a judge must review the detention promptly.
- Extradition
- the Higher Regional Court decides on admissibility of extradition; the federal authorities decide whether to grant it.
- Own nationals
- In principle, Germany does not surrender its own nationals to non-EU states.
- What is separate
- Any national warrant, and any travel or exit restriction imposed locally. Neither is affected by deleting international data.
What we do, and what we do not
We act on the international record: establishing what is held, and applying to have it deleted where the grounds are made out. Where a matter is live before the authorities of Germany — a detention hearing, an extradition request, an exit ban — we work with counsel admitted there rather than advising outside our own admission. The two run in parallel and use much of the same evidence.
What that work involves, stage by stage: our red notice removal service in Germany.
Before the jurisdiction matters
Two countries matter in any file: the one that made the request and the one you are standing in. They raise different questions, and separating them comes first. If you have not yet established what is on file, start with what is recorded in a red notice and how to find out whether one concerns you.
Frequently asked
Can I be detained on arrival in Germany?
Detention is decided under local law rather than by the Organization. the police detain and a judge must review the detention promptly — and the alert alone is rarely the whole basis.
Does Germany extradite its own nationals?
In principle, Germany does not surrender its own nationals to non-EU states. The rule is usually constitutional or statutory rather than discretionary, and it does not prevent prosecution at home for the same conduct.
Will deleting the alert lift a local restriction?
No. Any travel ban, exit restriction or national warrant is a separate record held by a different authority, and has to be dealt with separately.