INTERPOL Cases in Thailand
An INTERPOL alert surfaces in Thailand at immigration on entry or exit, and at the 90-day reporting counter. What follows is decided under local law, not by the Organization: immigration officers act first; the decision to hold rests with the police and prosecutors. 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 Thailand.
Immigration powers move faster than extradition and carry fewer protections. In practice removal on immigration grounds is the more common route, and it can happen before an extradition file is opened at all.
How it works locally
- Where it surfaces
- at immigration on entry or exit, and at the 90-day reporting counter.
- Who decides on holding
- immigration officers act first; the decision to hold rests with the police and prosecutors.
- Extradition
- the Extradition Act B.E. 2551 (2008) permits extradition on a treaty and, in its absence, on reciprocity, where the offence carries at least one year of imprisonment and the conduct is criminal in both states.
- Own nationals
- In principle, Thailand may surrender its own nationals in defined circumstances.
- 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 Thailand — 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 Thailand.
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 the legal nature of a red notice and how to find out whether one concerns you.
Frequently asked
Can I be detained on arrival in Thailand?
Detention is decided under local law rather than by the Organization. immigration officers act first; the decision to hold rests with the police and prosecutors — and the alert alone is rarely the whole basis.
Does Thailand extradite its own nationals?
In principle, Thailand may surrender its own nationals in defined circumstances. 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.