SanctionsLookup
Individuals
Automatically screen customers, businesses,
and payments in real time.
Directly from official government publishers, synced every 15 minutes.
*Unique subjects per list · data last updated
Handle sanctions compliance without flooding your team with alerts.
Every result includes the exact list version checked, for your audit trail.
We never store the names or personal data you submit for screening.
No downtime when you hit plan limit. Extra usage is billed automatically.
Proprietary fuzzy matching for name variations, backed by IDs and attributes.
Every match comes with a score and a human-readable reason.
Average response of ~200 ms, ideal for onboarding and payment screening.
Screen counterparties and transactions wherever compliance decisions happen.
| Use case | Who to screen | When to screen |
|---|---|---|
| Customer onboarding (KYC) | New customers | Before the account is opened |
| Business onboarding (KYB) | Companies, vendors, and UBOs | Before the relationship starts |
| Loan origination | Borrowers | Before a loan is approved |
| Payment processing | Senders and beneficiaries | Before a payment is released |
| Crypto transfers | Wallet addresses | Before a transfer is sent or accepted |
| Ongoing re-screening | Existing customers | After each list update |
Identify sanctions risk for individuals, entities, vessels, aircraft, and crypto wallets
Individuals
Entities
Vessels
Aircraft
Crypto wallets
For developers
Integrate sanctions screening into your application
with a single POST request.
Your own reference ID comes back with every result
Choose the lists each request screens against
One JSON response with scores, reasons, and list versionExample request
REST API
POST https://api.sanctionslookup.com/v1/screen Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY Content-Type: application/json { "subject": { "subject_ref": "cust_1024", "type": "INDIVIDUAL", "name": "Maria Gonzalez" } }
All plans cover:
OFACEUUNUKCanadaSwitzerlandAustralia1 screening = 1 subject screened. No lock-ins. Never cut off if you go over.
Book a quick call to talk through your setup, or get an API key and
make your first test calls with 100 free requests.
No annual lock-ins
Free tools and guides to improve your sanctions screening.
The API screens against seven official sources: the OFAC SDN List and the OFAC Non-SDN Consolidated Sanctions List (including SSI and FSE), the UN Security Council Consolidated List, the EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List, the UK Sanctions List (formerly the OFSI / HM Treasury consolidated list), Canada's Consolidated Autonomous Sanctions List, the Swiss SECO sanctions list, and Australia's DFAT Consolidated List. Every list comes directly from its government publisher and syncs every 15 minutes.
A name and a subject type are enough to run a screening. You can also send date of birth, country, and document IDs, which helps separate a real match from someone who only shares a name. Add your own reference ID and it comes back with the result, so you can tie each screening to a record in your system.
A proprietary fuzzy matching engine compares each name against the primary names and all listed aliases (AKAs) on every sanctions list. It handles spelling variations and transliterated names, so a sanctioned party is still found when the name is written differently in your system than on the list.
You get the matched list entry, a match score from 0 to 100, and a human-readable reason for the match. The API returns a score, not a verdict: you set the matching threshold per request, and your team reviews anything above it. A higher threshold means fewer false positives and fewer alerts to review.
No. The API screens against official government sanctions lists only and does not include politically exposed persons (PEP) databases or adverse media. Teams that need broader watchlist screening usually pair it with a dedicated PEP and adverse media provider.
Ongoing monitoring is done by re-screening. Send your existing customers through the same API on your own schedule, for example daily or after each list update, as part of ongoing customer due diligence (CDD). Every response states the list version, so you always know what each customer was last checked against. There is no separate monitoring product or webhooks to set up.
Yes. POST /v1/screen/batch supports up to 50 subjects per request, and you can mix individuals, companies, vessels, aircraft, and crypto wallets in the same call. Each subject counts as one screening, so three subjects in one request count as three screenings.
Every response, match or no match, includes the version of each list it was checked against, a timestamp, and your own reference ID. Save the response with your customer record and you have an audit trail showing who was screened, when, and against which version of each list.
No. Names, dates of birth, document IDs, and any other personal data you submit are used to produce the result and are never stored. Your customers' data stays out of a third-party system, which keeps data protection and vendor reviews simple.
Yes. Sanctions screening is a core control in any AML program. Use the API to screen individuals at onboarding (KYC), companies with their directors and UBOs (KYB), and senders and beneficiaries before a payment is released (transaction screening). It works as the sanctions screening layer inside your existing compliance workflow.
Yes. Every account gets 100 free screenings to test the integration, response structure, and matching quality. Get an API key, run your first requests in minutes, and move to a paid plan from $149/mo when you are ready. No annual contract.
