INTERPOL Cases in the United Arab Emirates
An INTERPOL alert surfaces in the United Arab Emirates at passport control in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and increasingly during bank account opening or review. What follows is decided under local law, not by the Organization: the Public Prosecution takes the decision on holding a person; the police act on it. 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 the United Arab Emirates.
A travel ban can be imposed independently of any extradition request. Deleting the alert does not automatically lift a ban imposed locally, and lifting a ban does not remove data held internationally. Both have to be dealt with, in the right order.
How it works locally
- Where it surfaces
- at passport control in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and increasingly during bank account opening or review.
- Who decides on holding
- the Public Prosecution takes the decision on holding a person; the police act on it.
- Extradition
- the courts deal with an extradition request if one follows, and the process is not quick.
- Own nationals
- In principle, the UAE does not as a rule surrender its own nationals.
- 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 the United Arab Emirates — 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 UAE.
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 an Interpol red notice is and how to find out whether one concerns you.
Frequently asked
Can I be detained on arrival in UAE?
Detention is decided under local law rather than by the Organization. the Public Prosecution takes the decision on holding a person; the police act on it — and the alert alone is rarely the whole basis.
Does UAE extradite its own nationals?
In principle, the UAE does not as a rule surrender its own nationals. 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.