HomeINTERPOL CCF Lawyer for UAE Clients
Legal help with INTERPOL CCF requests for clients in the UAE. Assistance with data access, correction, deletion and review of INTERPOL records.
If you live or work in the United Arab Emirates and believe that INTERPOL processes personal data concerning you, the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) provides the formal procedure for requesting access to that data and, where appropriate, seeking its correction or deletion.
Our lawyers assist UAE-based clients with CCF requests concerning Red Notices, Diffusions and other personal data processed through the INTERPOL Information System.
The CCF procedure is separate from any arrest, extradition, immigration or criminal proceedings in the UAE. Its role is to determine whether INTERPOL’s processing of personal data complies with the Organization’s rules.
What Can the CCF Do for a Client in the UAE?
The CCF is INTERPOL’s independent body responsible for supervising compliance with the Organization’s data-processing rules.
For individual applicants, its functions include considering requests for:
- access to personal data;
- correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- deletion of non-compliant data; and
- revision of an earlier CCF decision where the applicable requirements are met.
The CCF does not decide whether a person should be extradited from the UAE, grant visas or residency status, or determine guilt or innocence in the underlying criminal case.
How Can You Find Out What INTERPOL Data Exists?
Where a person is uncertain whether INTERPOL holds information about them, an access request may be the appropriate first step.
The CCF asks the INTERPOL General Secretariat to check whether information concerning the applicant is being processed. Before information connected with the request is disclosed, the CCF consults the source of that data in accordance with its Statute.
An INTERPOL data access request can therefore help establish whether relevant information exists before a separate correction or deletion strategy is prepared.
Since 26 March 2026, CCF requests must be submitted through INTERPOL’s dedicated secure online portal. The portal is also used to exchange documents, view communications and follow the status of the request.
When Can INTERPOL Data Be Corrected or Deleted?
A CCF challenge should identify a specific compliance problem rather than simply argue that the underlying prosecution is unfair.
Depending on the circumstances, relevant issues may include:
- inaccurate or outdated information;
- data that is irrelevant or excessive in relation to its purpose;
- insufficient information about the individual’s alleged role;
- questions about the purpose of continued international police cooperation;
- human-rights issues relevant to Article 2 of INTERPOL’s Constitution;
- political, military, religious or racial elements relevant to Article 3; or
- changes in the underlying criminal proceedings.
INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data require information to be accurate, relevant, not excessive in relation to its purpose and up to date.
Article 3 must also be applied correctly. It prohibits INTERPOL from undertaking activities of a political, military, religious or racial character; it is not the provision dealing with minimum criminal-justice standards.
What Evidence Should Be Submitted to the CCF?
The supporting evidence depends on the issue being challenged.
Useful documents may include:
- the underlying arrest warrant or judicial decision;
- indictments or charging documents;
- decisions changing or terminating the national proceedings;
- evidence correcting inaccurate facts or identity information;
- documents showing the applicant’s actual role in the alleged events;
- relevant asylum or protection decisions;
- material concerning the political or wider context of the case; and
- subsequent developments affecting the purpose of continued INTERPOL processing.
The CCF may also request additional information from the applicant, the source of the challenged data, the INTERPOL General Secretariat or other relevant entities.
The submission should therefore connect each document to a specific compliance argument rather than simply provide a large collection of case materials.
How Does INTERPOL Cooperation Work in the UAE?
The United Arab Emirates participates in INTERPOL through its National Central Bureau in Abu Dhabi.
NCB Abu Dhabi connects UAE law-enforcement authorities with INTERPOL, other National Central Bureaus and the General Secretariat through INTERPOL’s secure I-24/7 network. NCBs exchange criminal data and support cross-border investigations in accordance with national law.
The role of NCB Abu Dhabi is different from that of the CCF.
The NCB participates in operational police cooperation. The CCF independently reviews whether personal data processed through INTERPOL complies with the Organization’s rules.
This distinction is important for UAE-based clients because a challenge to INTERPOL data and any national proceedings taking place in the UAE require separate legal analysis.
Does Filing a CCF Request Stop Arrest or Extradition Proceedings in the UAE?
No automatic suspension should be assumed.
Submitting an access, correction or deletion request asks the CCF to review INTERPOL data. The CCF expressly states that it is not a substitute for national judicial authorities responsible for extradition and does not assess the likely outcome of extradition proceedings.
A pending CCF request therefore does not by itself cancel a national warrant, suspend UAE proceedings or guarantee protection from detention.
Where the principal concern is the effect of an active Red Notice under UAE law rather than the CCF procedure itself, our INTERPOL Red Notice lawyer in Dubai can assess those separate issues.
How Long Does a CCF Request Take?
The timetable depends on the type of request.
The CCF states that an access request should generally be decided within four months after the request is declared admissible.
A request for correction or deletion should generally be decided within nine months after admissibility. The applicable period can be extended where the circumstances require additional time.
These periods should not be described as a guaranteed total duration from the first day a client contacts a lawyer, because admissibility is a separate procedural stage.
What Happens if the CCF Rejects the Request?
A CCF decision is not subject to an ordinary appeal.
However, an applicant can request revision where a newly discovered fact could probably have led the Commission to reach a different conclusion if it had been known during the original review.
The revision request must generally be submitted within six months after discovery of the new fact.
Simply repeating the same arguments or disagreeing with the original decision is not sufficient.
How Our CCF Lawyers Assist UAE-Based Clients
A UAE CCF case begins by identifying the exact problem with the INTERPOL data.
Our work may include reviewing the available case documents, preparing an access request, analysing information disclosed through the CCF procedure, identifying possible compliance issues and preparing a correction or deletion application supported by relevant evidence.
We also distinguish the CCF procedure from any separate UAE criminal, extradition or immigration issue so that each matter is addressed through the appropriate legal channel.
If you are based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or elsewhere in the UAE and need assistance with access to, correction of or deletion of INTERPOL data, contact our team for a confidential assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions — CCF Lawyer UAE
Can a lawyer submit a CCF request on my behalf from the UAE?
Yes. The CCF online portal allows an applicant or an authorised representative to submit access, correction, deletion and revision requests. If a representative acts for the applicant, the representation must be properly authorised.
Can the CCF refuse to disclose some information about my INTERPOL file?
Yes. Before disclosing information connected with a request, the CCF consults the owner of that information. Disclosure may be restricted where justified under the CCF Statute, so an access request does not always result in full disclosure of every document or data source.
Will my CCF request itself appear as a new INTERPOL alert?
No. INTERPOL states that the request itself is not recorded as a new entry in the INTERPOL Information System. Where data concerning the applicant already exists, the file may indicate that a request is currently under CCF review, but the content of the request is not communicated through that notation.
