The SLTD database holds records of passports reported as lost, stolen, or revoked. A passport in the SLTD triggers automatic detention at borders. If your passport was reported lost and later recovered, an erroneous SLTD entry can persist and cause detention unless cleared through the issuing authority and verified through a CCF access request.
The Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database is one of Interpol's most operationally important tools, and it is also one of the most common causes of border detentions that have nothing to do with criminal alerts. The database holds records of travel documents that have been reported as lost, stolen, invalidated, or revoked by their issuing authorities. When a passport is scanned at a border, the terminal queries the SLTD, and a match triggers automatic detention — the officer is instructed to hold the passenger until the passport's status is clarified.
How the SLTD Works
When a passport is reported lost or stolen, the issuing authority (the passport office or foreign ministry) enters the passport number into the national database and transmits the record to Interpol through the NCB. Interpol adds the record to the SLTD, which is queried at every international border. If the passport is later found or recovered, the issuing authority should remove the SLTD entry — but this does not always happen.
The problem of erroneous or stale SLTD entries is well-documented. A passport reported lost during a travel disruption — a missed flight, a hotel checkout, a moment of panic — and later recovered within hours may remain in the SLTD if the recovery was never reported to the issuing authority. The passport holder may travel for years without issue, until a border officer's terminal finally surfaces the entry and detention follows.
In some cases, the issuing authority enters the passport into the SLTD after a renewal — the old passport is invalidated and added to the SLTD, but if the holder continues to travel on the old passport (which some countries permit for a transition period), the SLTD entry will trigger detention. In other cases, a passport reported stolen and later recovered is re-issued to the holder without the SLTD entry being cleared, creating a persistent false flag.
Critical Warning for Travelers
If your passport was ever reported lost or stolen — even temporarily — and later recovered, verify that the SLTD entry has been cleared before you travel. An erroneous entry triggers automatic detention at any international border, regardless of whether any criminal alert exists.
How to Check for an SLTD Entry
The SLTD is part of Interpol's information system, and a CCF access request reaches it alongside the criminal notice records. The request should explicitly ask whether any SLTD entry exists on your passport, to ensure the Commission searches the database comprehensively.
- CCF access request: Counsel files a CCF access request asking whether any notice, diffusion, data record, or SLTD entry exists in your name or on your passport. The Commission searches the full database, including SLTD, and responds in writing.
- Issuing authority verification: Counsel contacts the issuing authority (the passport office or consulate that issued the passport) to confirm that the passport is valid and that no lost/stolen report is active in the national database.
- Resolution: If an erroneous SLTD entry is found, counsel obtains confirmation from the issuing authority that the passport is valid and requests removal of the SLTD entry. The issuing authority notifies Interpol, and the entry is cleared.
Resolving an Erroneous SLTD Entry
If the audit reveals an erroneous SLTD entry, the resolution is administrative but must be handled promptly. Counsel contacts the issuing authority, confirms that the passport is valid, and requests removal of the SLTD entry. The issuing authority verifies its records, confirms that the lost/stolen report was either erroneous or has been resolved, and notifies Interpol through the NCB. Interpol removes the entry from the SLTD, typically within days to weeks.
In one case, a client experienced repeated unexplained delays at border control — longer questioning, secondary inspections — without understanding why. A CCF access request revealed an SLTD entry from a passport reported lost during a missed connection five years earlier. The passport had been recovered within hours, but the SLTD entry had never been cleared. Counsel obtained confirmation from the issuing authority that the passport was valid, the entry was removed within ten days, and the client's subsequent travel was without incident. Without the audit, the SLTD entry would have continued to cause disruption indefinitely.
What to Do in Practice: Secure Your Clearance
An SLTD entry is not a criminal matter, but it causes the same operational consequence: detention at a border. If your passport was ever reported lost or stolen, or if you have experienced unexplained border delays, a CCF access request can identify whether an erroneous SLTD entry exists. If one does, the resolution through the issuing authority is straightforward but must be initiated through counsel.
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.