What “INTERPOL Georgia” actually means
Georgia participates in INTERPOL through the National Central Bureau in Tbilisi, a department within the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Bureau connects Georgian law-enforcement bodies with the INTERPOL General Secretariat and other National Central Bureaus through secure police-cooperation channels.
Georgia became an INTERPOL member on 29 September 1993. The Georgian Bureau exchanges police information, transmits requests, performs database checks and coordinates international wanted-person work. It is not a foreign police force operating independently in Georgia, and it does not replace Georgian investigators, prosecutors, courts or the Minister of Justice.
A person is not “wanted by INTERPOL” as an autonomous prosecuting authority
The person is wanted by a member country or an international tribunal. INTERPOL provides a regulated communication and data-processing system. It does not determine guilt, issue a national arrest warrant, prosecute the case or decide whether Georgia will extradite the person.
Red Notice, Diffusion and national warrant
These expressions are often used as though they were interchangeable. They are not. The exact instrument, requesting country, underlying judicial decision and circulation status should be verified before advising on travel, arrest risk or extradition.
Red Notice
A request published by the INTERPOL General Secretariat to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar lawful action. It is based on an arrest warrant or court order from the requesting jurisdiction, but it is not itself an international arrest warrant.
Wanted Person Diffusion
A request circulated directly by a member country's National Central Bureau to all or selected member countries. Diffusions must comply with INTERPOL's Constitution and data-processing rules, but their circulation route differs from a Red Notice.
National judicial decision
The underlying foreign warrant, detention order or enforceable judgment supplies the national basis for the request. Its validity, current status, offence, sentence, limitation issues and connection to the identified person require separate examination.
Most Red Notices are restricted to law-enforcement use, and Diffusions are not ordinarily displayed in the public wanted-person search. Failure to find a name on the public INTERPOL website does not prove that no data or international request exists.
How INTERPOL information can produce an arrest in Georgia
Article 3 of Georgia's Law on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters recognises INTERPOL channels as a means of international criminal cooperation. Article 30 then provides the domestic framework for arresting and applying a restraint measure to a person wanted by foreign law-enforcement authorities.
Under Article 30(1)(c), a person may be arrested when internationally wanted by a foreign law-enforcement authority and the required legal grounds and supporting information exist. This does not mean that every database indication produces automatic arrest. Authorities must verify identity and the request, comply with Georgian procedure and place continued restraint before a Georgian judge.
Alert or database match
Police or border authorities identify a possible international wanted-person record and verify the person's identity.
Arrest and notification
If the statutory ground is used, the arresting authority must immediately inform the prosecutor responsible for procedural supervision.
Application within 48 hours
The prosecutor must apply to the magistrate judge at the place of arrest for an extradition restraint measure within 48 hours.
Judicial restraint decision
The judge decides whether extradition detention or another available restraint measure is justified in the circumstances.
Appeal
The decision may be appealed within seven days. The Investigative Chamber of the Court of Appeals reviews the appeal within five days.
Extradition proceedings
The foreign request, supporting documents, legal barriers and permissibility of extradition are addressed through a separate statutory process.
Article 30 does not authorise indefinite automatic custody
The consolidated law provides an initial extradition-detention period of three months, capable of three-month extensions when required for the extradition process, but not more than twice. A magistrate judge may change or cancel detention or another restraint measure at any stage. Every application and extension should be tested against the current documents, elapsed time, individual circumstances and available alternatives.
INTERPOL circulation and extradition are separate legal questions
A Red Notice or Diffusion may explain why a person is located or provisionally arrested, but it does not decide extradition. Georgian proceedings must examine the requesting state's materials and the statutory conditions and barriers. The court considers permissibility; the Minister of Justice performs the decision-making function assigned by the international-cooperation law.
Defence work may include checking whether the identity match is reliable, whether the foreign decision remains valid, whether the factual and legal materials support the request, whether extradition is barred by Georgian law or international obligations, and whether detention is proportionate while those issues are resolved.
Do not consent to simplified extradition merely to shorten immediate uncertainty
Under Article 34², consent is expressed before a Georgian court and is final. The judge must verify that the person understands the consequences, has had the opportunity to obtain qualified legal assistance, and has reviewed the file with counsel. A defender and, when needed, an interpreter must participate. Simplified extradition can also remove the ordinary restriction on prosecution for other pre-transfer offences, making informed advice essential before consent.
Rights and immediate defence priorities
Know the asserted basis
Request the arrest record, the stated legal ground, the requesting country, available case identifiers and the material relied upon for the identity match and restraint application.
Use qualified Georgian counsel
Extradition detention and Georgian court applications require domestic procedural representation even where foreign counsel is already handling the underlying criminal case.
Request interpretation
A person who does not adequately understand Georgian should request an interpreter before substantive questioning, signing a record or expressing any position on simplified extradition.
Preserve consular and medical needs
A foreign national should raise consular notification, health, medication, family notification and detention-condition issues promptly without confusing consular support with legal defence.
Access, correction and deletion through the CCF
The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files is the independent body that handles individual requests for access to, correction of and deletion of personal data processed in the INTERPOL Information System. An application can be made by the person or an authorised representative; applications are free and confidential.
Since 26 March 2026, new applications are normally submitted through the CCF's secure online portal. A properly prepared case should identify the requested remedy and provide focused evidence, not merely argue the merits of the foreign prosecution in general.
Incorrect identity, biographical or case data
A warrant or prosecution that was withdrawn, quashed or materially changed
Political, military, religious or racial character prohibited by Article 3
Human-rights, refugee-status or data-quality issues relevant to INTERPOL compliance
Correction or deletion from INTERPOL's system does not automatically cancel the originating country's warrant, terminate its prosecution or dispose of a Georgian extradition case. Conversely, a refusal of extradition may be important evidence for an INTERPOL challenge but does not always remove data automatically. The international-data and Georgian-court strategies should therefore be coordinated.
Documents that should be collected early
- The Georgian arrest record, restraint motion and court ruling
- The Red Notice extract, Diffusion or official confirmation available to counsel
- The underlying foreign warrant, charge decision or judgment and certified translation
- Proof of identity and material addressing a possible mistaken or partial match
- Decisions changing, suspending, quashing or closing the foreign proceedings
- Refugee, asylum, human-rights or prior extradition decisions where relevant
- Previous CCF correspondence and proof of any correction already notified
- A complete travel, residence, health and family chronology relevant to restraint
How counsel can assist
Georgian defence counsel can respond to an airport or police arrest, verify the legal basis and identity match, attend the restraint hearing, seek an alternative measure, appeal detention, analyse the extradition request and coordinate with foreign counsel. Where INTERPOL data may be inaccurate or non-compliant, counsel can also prepare or coordinate a CCF request without presenting it as a substitute for the Georgian proceedings.
Early coordination is especially important when the foreign allegation, the INTERPOL record and the Georgian materials use different names, transliterations, dates, offence descriptions or procedural terminology. A single mistranslated or outdated document should not be allowed to define the entire case.
Frequently asked questions
Is an INTERPOL Red Notice an international arrest warrant?+
No. A Red Notice is an international request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar lawful action. It is based on a national arrest warrant or court order, but every member country decides under its own law whether to arrest.
Can a Red Notice lead to arrest in Georgia?+
It can. Article 30(1)(c) of Georgia's Law on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters permits arrest where a person is internationally wanted and the required legal grounds and information exist. The alert does not itself decide detention or extradition: Georgian prosecutors, courts and the Minister of Justice perform separate statutory functions.
What is the difference between a Red Notice and a Diffusion?+
A Red Notice is published by the INTERPOL General Secretariat following a request from a National Central Bureau. A Diffusion is circulated directly by one National Central Bureau to all or selected member countries. Both must comply with INTERPOL's Constitution and data-processing rules.
Can I prove that I am not wanted by searching INTERPOL's public website?+
No. Most Notices are restricted to law-enforcement use, and Diffusions are generally not shown in the public search. A negative public search is therefore not confirmation that INTERPOL holds no data about a person.
What happens after an internationally wanted person is arrested in Georgia?+
The relevant prosecutor must be notified immediately and must apply to a magistrate judge within 48 hours for a restraint measure. The judge's decision may be appealed to the Investigative Chamber of the Court of Appeals within seven days; the Chamber reviews the appeal within five days.
How long can extradition detention last in Georgia?+
The consolidated law provides an initial three-month period that may be extended by three months when extradition work requires it, but not more than twice. Detention or another restraint measure may also be changed or cancelled by a magistrate judge. Application in a specific case requires review of the current order, dates and statutory grounds.
Can the CCF remove or correct INTERPOL data?+
The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files can decide requests for access, correction or deletion of data processed in INTERPOL's Information System. Applications are free and confidential. Since 26 March 2026, requests are normally submitted through the CCF's secure online portal.
Does deletion by the CCF cancel the foreign arrest warrant or Georgian extradition case?+
No. A CCF decision concerns processing through INTERPOL. It does not annul a national arrest warrant, foreign prosecution or Georgian court decision, and a requesting country may use lawful non-INTERPOL channels. INTERPOL and Georgian remedies therefore need coordinated but separate work.
Should a person consent to simplified extradition to leave detention sooner?+
Not before specialist advice. Consent is expressed before a Georgian court, is final and cannot be withdrawn. The court must verify access to qualified legal assistance, and a defence lawyer and, where needed, an interpreter must participate. Simplified extradition can also have important consequences for prosecution of other pre-transfer conduct.
Primary sources for this guide
INTERPOL rules, foreign case status and Georgian legislation can change. Verify the current record and consolidated Georgian text before relying on a deadline, detention position or remedy.
Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs — National Central Bureau of INTERPOL↗︎INTERPOL — Georgia member-country profile↗︎INTERPOL — Red Notices↗︎INTERPOL — Notices and Diffusions↗︎INTERPOL — Notice and Diffusion compliance review↗︎Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files — requests procedure↗︎Law of Georgia on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters↗︎