A Guide to Europol and Interpol Databases: How They Work and What Data They Hold

Europol and Interpol databases are vast, separate information systems. Law enforcement agencies use them to share intelligence on criminals, suspects, and security threats, but that’s where the similarities end. Interpol’s system is global, connecting 196 member countries, while Europol’s is laser-focused on the European Union. Here’s the critical distinction: removing your data from Interpol does not automatically clear related alerts within EU systems like Europol or the Schengen Information System (SIS). This disconnect creates significant, and often shocking, legal challenges for individuals.

While both aim to fight cross-border crime, their legal foundations, geographical scope, and data processing rules are fundamentally different. Europol is governed by frameworks like Regulation (EU) 2016/794, while Interpol follows its own Rules on the Processing of Data (RPD). If you’re challenging data held by these organizations, understanding this lack of synchronization isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.

What Is Interpol and How Do Its Databases Function?

Interpol is an international organization, a channel for police cooperation among 196 member countries. It is not a police force. It has no agents with arrest powers. Instead, it facilitates communication and data sharing through a system of notices and databases managed from its General Secretariat in Lyon, France. In each member country, a National Central Bureau (NCB) serves as the primary point of contact, responsible for feeding and managing data.

All of this data processing is governed by INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data (RPD), which sets strict guidelines on the purpose, quality, and retention of information to ensure it serves the legitimate aims of police cooperation. The backbone of this system is the I-24/7 network, Interpol’s secure global communications platform that gives member countries real-time access to its databases.

What Are the 19 INTERPOL Databases?

The term “19 databases” is a common way to describe Interpol’s comprehensive suite of interconnected criminal data systems. Think of it not as nineteen separate lists, but as a single, powerful toolkit. Available to police in all 196 member countries via the I-24/7 network, these tools contain millions of records. Key examples include:

• Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD): A massive database with records on stolen or lost passports and identity documents. Its purpose is to stop wanted individuals from traveling under a false identity.
• Stolen Motor Vehicles (SMV): This system tracks stolen cars, trucks, and motorcycles that cross international borders.
• Nominal Database: The central repository holding names, aliases, dates of birth, and other biographical data on known international criminals and suspects.
• TDAWN (Travel Documents Associated with Notices): A tool that directly links a wanted person (via a Red Notice) to their passport in the SLTD database. If the document is ever scanned, it triggers an immediate alert.
• I-24/7 INTERPOL: This isn’t a database itself, but the secure network providing law enforcement access to all the other tools.

How Do I Check the INTERPOL Wanted List?

The “wanted list” on Interpol’s public website is only the tip of the iceberg. It shows just a small fraction of individuals subject to alerts. You can view summaries of certain Red Notices (for fugitives) and Yellow Notices (for missing persons), but only when the requesting country has authorized public disclosure. The vast majority of notices are restricted for law enforcement use only. They are not publicly searchable. The only way to know for sure if a restricted notice exists in your name is to file a formal request for access.

Can I Request an INTERPOL Background Check on Myself?

You can’t request a “background check” for something like employment screening. However, you have a fundamental right to know what data Interpol holds on you. To exercise this right, you submit a formal data access request directly to the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF). The CCF is an independent body that handles these requests. If it finds data on you, it will provide access while respecting necessary confidentiality rules—which means you may not see who requested the alert, but you will see that it exists.

How Does Europol’s Information System Differ from Interpol’s?

The Europol Information System (EIS) is the EU’s central criminal intelligence database, established under Regulation (EU) 2016/794. Unlike Interpol’s global reach, Europol’s mandate is specific: supporting EU Member States against serious crime and terrorism affecting two or more of them. It is the central hub for criminal intelligence analysis in Europe.

Europol’s role as an analytical powerhouse is a key difference. It doesn’t just store data. Its experts produce strategic reports, threat assessments, and operational analysis that directly guide investigations across the EU. Under Article 18 of the Europol Regulation, the EIS can process data on a wide range of people—suspects, convicted criminals, witnesses, even victims and contacts—as supplied by member states. This analytical focus is one of the key Interpol vs Europol differences with major legal implications.

What Are the Main Databases and Tools Used by Europol?

Europol runs several sophisticated systems to exchange information. The most critical is the Europol Information System (EIS), which saw over 3.1 million searches in a single quarter in 2025, showing just how central it is to European policing.

• The Europol Information System (EIS): This is the core repository for data on serious cross-border crime and terrorism. It allows national police to run “hit/no-hit” searches, instantly revealing if another country has information on a person or object and thereby connecting seemingly separate cases.
• Querying Europol Systems (QUEST): The technical interface that lets officers in Member States query Europol’s data directly from their own national systems. It offers a single-search capability across national, Europol, and other international databases.
• SIENA (Secure Information Exchange Network Application): The primary messaging network. It’s used by Member States, Europol, and approved third-party partners to exchange sensitive and restricted intelligence in a secure and user-friendly way.

How is Data Protection Guaranteed for These Powerful Systems?

Both organizations have detailed legal frameworks and independent oversight bodies to protect individual rights.

• Europol’s Data Protection Framework: Europol’s data handling is governed by its founding regulation. Specifically, Articles 30-32 set strict limits on data storage, mandate periodic review, and create a clear data protection regime. The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is the independent authority monitoring Europol’s compliance. If you believe your data is being processed unlawfully by Europol, the EDPS is a key avenue for redress.
• Interpol’s Data Protection Framework: Here, data processing is governed by the RPD. The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) is the independent, impartial oversight body ensuring all personal data handled by Interpol conforms to its rules. A core CCF function is deciding on individual requests for data access or deletion. For example, in the notable CCF Decision No. 12 (2018), the Commission found that a Red Notice’s data was non-compliant and ordered its deletion unless the NCB provided sufficient justification within one month. If that deadline is missed, the deletion becomes final.

Can I Challenge or Request Deletion of My Data from These Databases?

Yes. You have a legally enshrined right to request access to, correct, or delete your data from both Europol and Interpol databases. But the procedures are entirely separate and do not overlap.

• Challenging Interpol Data: The process starts with a formal request to the CCF. A deletion request can be based on several grounds: the data is inaccurate, irrelevant, processed unlawfully, or no longer needed. A common and effective argument is that a Red Notice violates Interpol’s own rules, such as being issued for a non-criminal matter or lacking “sufficient judicial data” (a valid arrest warrant or equivalent court decision), as required by Article 83 of the RPD.
• Challenging Europol Data: For data in the EIS, you can contact the relevant national authority in an EU Member State or Europol directly. By law, Europol must respond to access requests within three months. If you are not satisfied with their response, you have two primary options: lodge a formal complaint with the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) or seek a judicial remedy in a national court of an EU Member State. Understanding the practical consequences of Europol data is the first step toward building a defense.

What Is the “Data Disconnect” Between Interpol and Europol?

The most dangerous issue for any individual is the total lack of automatic data synchronization between Interpol’s global systems and the EU’s databases, like the Europol Information System (EIS) and the Schengen Information System (SIS II). This is not a theoretical problem. A person can successfully fight to have an Interpol Red Notice deleted by the CCF in Lyon, only to be arrested weeks later upon entering an EU country like Germany or Spain. Why? Because a corresponding European Arrest Warrant (EAW) or SIS alert, based on the very same case, was never removed.

This happens because the national authority behind the Red Notice often issues a separate, parallel alert within EU systems. When the CCF orders the Red Notice deleted, it only scrubs the data from Interpol’s own servers. It doesn’t—and legally cannot—force an EU Member State to withdraw its national or EU-level alerts. The problem? The alert in the EIS or SIS remains active. This means you could celebrate a Red Notice victory one day, only to be detained at a German airport the next because the EU alert is still live. Navigating this requires a two-track legal strategy managed by Europol defence lawyers who are fluent in both Interpol and EU law.

This article is published by an independent law firm for informational purposes only and does not represent or claim affiliation with any government body, international organization, or official authority.