An urgent interim request is filed with the CCF to block an incoming foreign notice before it is published or synchronised. The request must document the urgency — an imminent flight, a pending arrest — and the Commission can grant provisional measures within days. This is the crisis remedy that intercepts a notice before it causes harm.
The urgent interim request is the most time-critical filing in Interpol practice. It is used when there is evidence that a foreign notice is about to be circulated — for example, communication from the foreign authority, a media report, or information from a credible source — and the client needs to prevent the notice from becoming active at border systems before it can be challenged. The request asks the CCF to grant provisional measures, temporarily blocking the notice's dissemination while a full deletion petition is prepared.
When an Urgent Interim Request Is Appropriate
- Imminent circulation: Evidence that a foreign authority is about to circulate a notice — communication from the authority, a media report, or credible information from a source with knowledge of the proceedings.
- Imminent travel: A booked flight within days or weeks, where any active notice would trigger detention.
- Pending arrest risk: Evidence that a foreign prosecutor has issued a warrant and is about to request Interpol circulation.
Critical Warning
An urgent interim request must be filed immediately upon learning that a notice may be circulated. The window for intercepting a notice before it becomes active at borders can be hours to days. Contact counsel as soon as you have any indication that a foreign authority is about to circulate a notice.
How to Document the Urgency
The documentation of urgency is the most critical element of an urgent interim request. The Commission does not expedite based on assertion; it requires concrete evidence. For imminent travel, a flight booking or itinerary showing the date and route is the standard evidence. For a pending visa decision, the immigration authority's request for additional documentation or the application deadline is the evidence. For arrest risk, communication from the foreign authority, a media report, or credible information from a source with knowledge of the proceedings.
The documentation must be specific. "I have a flight soon" is not sufficient — the flight booking with the date, route, and airline is required. "I am under investigation" is not sufficient — the communication from the foreign authority, the media report, or the source's information is required. Counsel ensures that the documentation is concrete, specific, and credible.
What Provisional Measures Achieve
When the CCF grants provisional measures, it instructs the General Secretariat to temporarily block the dissemination of the data to border systems, NCBs, and other channels. The data is not deleted — it remains in Interpol's database — but it is not circulated to the systems that would trigger a detention. The effect is that the alert becomes temporarily invisible at borders, and the client can travel without risk while the full deletion petition is pending.
Provisional measures are temporary. They remain in force while the deletion petition is under review, and they lapse when the Commission renders its decision on the merits. If the Commission orders deletion, the data is permanently removed. If the Commission denies the deletion petition, the provisional measures lapse, and the data becomes active again. This means the interim request is a bridge, not a solution — the full deletion petition must proceed in parallel.
In one case, a client learned on a Friday that a foreign prosecutor had issued a warrant. The client had a flight booked for Monday. Counsel filed an urgent interim request on Saturday, supported by the flight booking and the information about the warrant. The Commission processed the request on Sunday and confirmed that a diffusion had been circulated on Friday evening. The client deferred the flight, and counsel filed a deletion petition with a request for provisional measures. The Commission granted provisional measures within ten days, blocking the diffusion's dissemination. The full deletion decision followed eight months later.
The Communication Channel for Urgent Requests
Urgent interim requests are communicated to the CCF Secretariat through the same channel as standard requests, but with additional marking and follow-up. Counsel files the request through the standard channel, marks it as urgent, and follows up with the Secretariat by telephone or secure email to confirm receipt and to emphasise the urgency. The Secretariat is responsive to genuine urgency, and the follow-up ensures that the request is not lost in the standard processing queue.
The follow-up is critical because the Secretariat receives hundreds of requests per year, and an unmarked request may not be identified as urgent until it reaches the standard review stage. Counsel's follow-up — typically within 24 hours of filing — ensures that the Secretariat identifies the request as urgent and prioritises it. The combination of correct filing, urgency marking, and prompt follow-up maximises the probability that the request is processed within the urgent timeline.
What to Do in Practice: Secure Your Clearance
An urgent interim request is the crisis remedy that intercepts a notice before it causes harm. If you have evidence that a foreign notice is about to be circulated, contact counsel immediately. The CCF can grant provisional measures within days, blocking the notice's dissemination while a full deletion petition is prepared.
If you suspect your name is on an international watchlist or have an upcoming flight, do not leave your freedom to chance at a passport terminal. A confidential Interpol lookup or a comprehensive Pre-Travel Legal Check filed through Swiss legal counsel secures absolute clarity within days. Contact our Basel office confidentially to secure your legal travel shield.