Unlike most international organizations, INTERPOL does not have a unified agreement on privileges and immunities. Instead, it relies on individual agreements with member countries, concluded on a case-by-case basis as required.
However, as INTERPOL work has grown and evolved , it needs a more unified approach to ensure the Organization can operate efficiently and effectively.
INTERPOL’s privileges and immunities are practical safeguards to protect the Organization’s neutrality, its information, and its ability to support member countries combat transnational crime.
Key benefits include:
Facilitating International Mobility
INTERPOL officials often travel across borders to support operations, training or in urgent situations such as major events, crises, or natural disasters. Privileges, such as simplified visa procedures, ensure they can move quickly and carry out their duties without delay. The Agreement ensures a member country has access to rapid international support when it is needed most.
Safeguarding Neutrality
INTERPOL’s role is strictly to facilitate international police cooperation. Privileges and immunities help ensure that the Organization is not influenced by the national laws or political pressures of any single country which could undermine its neutrality.
Protecting Sensitive Information
INTERPOL operates as a neutral, non-political platform to coordinate critical international law enforcement activities such as tracking fugitives and managing global databases. The General Agreement guarantees that information shared by member countries remains confidential and inviolable. No third party can access or interfere with it, reinforcing national security and trust in INTERPOL’s systems.
Ensuring Independence
Privileges and immunities ensure staff can carry out their duties without being subject to foreign legal processes, arrests or disruptions, simply because they are foreign officials. Functional immunity and protections safeguard staff while carrying out their official duties at INTERPOL meetings.