Mutual legal assistance treaty

Signing of the Protocol of Exchange of the Instrument of Ratification of a MLAT between India and the United States in 2005

A mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) is an agreement between two or more countries for the purpose of gathering and exchanging information in an effort to enforce public or criminal laws. A mutual legal assistance request is commonly used to formally interrogate a suspect in a criminal case, when the suspect resides in a foreign country.