Arrested abroad, or concerned that a foreign request could lead to your arrest? Our network includes a licensed lawyer where you are located.
Direct answer: an international arrest usually happens one of two ways — a formal provisional arrest request from the country pursuing you, or a local arrest triggered by an INTERPOL Red Notice or diffusion already on file. Provisional arrest is meant to hold a person only until a full extradition request arrives, within a deadline set by treaty — typically 40 to 90 days. What happens in the days immediately after arrest often shapes the entire case.
Global Lawyers Link is an international legal referral and coordination network, not a law firm licensed in any single jurisdiction.
Our network includes licensed lawyers in the relevant jurisdiction for your matter, working together on strategy from day one. Representation before any court is always handled directly by the network lawyer admitted to practice there.
An arrest abroad is rarely the first step in a case — it is usually the visible result of a request or alert filed earlier.
A formal, urgent request from the requesting state asking local authorities to arrest someone pending a full extradition request.
A Red Notice or diffusion already on file can prompt an arrest at a border or during a routine police check, treaty or not.
Most treaties require the full extradition request to arrive within a set window — commonly 40, 60, or 90 days — or the person must be released.
Provisional arrest generally requires the conduct to be a crime locally too, and evidence that the case is genuinely urgent.
The first hearing sets the tone for everything that follows. What is decided there is rarely reversed easily later.
Tell us what has happened and where. We will confirm what applies and bring in the right network lawyer — in confidence.
It depends heavily on the jurisdiction and the alleged offence, but bail is often possible with the right conditions and legal argument, even where a flight-risk presumption applies.
Provisional arrest is a stopgap measure to hold someone urgently; the formal request is the complete legal package that must follow within a set deadline for the case to continue.
In many countries, yes — a Red Notice can prompt a local arrest even before a formal extradition request has been submitted.
Ask for a lawyer and consular notification before answering questions or signing any documents, and avoid agreeing to a simplified or voluntary surrender until you have taken advice.
Tell us what has happened, the country involved, and any documents you have received. We will respond directly and confidentially, and bring in the right network lawyer if representation is needed.
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