Automate OFAC sanctions screening against
the SDN and Consolidated (Non-SDN) lists.
All OFAC sanctions lists synced every 15 minutes to keep pace with new designations.
19,457 entries · 7m ago
The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List is OFAC’s main blocking list for designated parties.
Lists
If you confirm a match
BlockBlock the designated party’s property and interests in property. Prohibit transactions and report blocked property to
OFAC within 10 business days.
486 entries · 7m ago
OFAC’s Consolidated Sanctions List combines six non-SDN lists. Legal obligations depend on the list and program.
Lists
If you confirm a match
RestrictApply applicable restrictions for the list, such as financing limits, investment bans, or account prohibitions. Some entries
also require partial blocking.
Handle OFAC compliance without flooding your team with alerts.
Every OFAC 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 OFAC 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 OFAC 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 { "subject": { "subject_ref": "cust_1024", "type": "INDIVIDUAL", "name": "Maria Gonzalez", "details": { "date_of_birth": ["1985-06-15"] } }, "options": { "sources": ["ofac_sdn", "ofac_cons"] } }
All plans cover:
OFAC
EU
UN
UK
Canada
Switzerland
Australia1 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
Technical guides and deep dives for building reliable screening systems
OFAC screening checks people, companies, vessels, and crypto wallets against the sanctions lists published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A match means the party may be subject to blocking or other restrictions, so the relationship or transaction needs review before it goes ahead.
SanctionsLookup OFAC API screens against the seven OFAC sanctions lists: the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List and the six lists in OFAC's Consolidated Sanctions List: Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI), Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE), Correspondent Account or Payable-Through Account Sanctions (CAPTA), Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions (NS-MBS), Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies (NS-CMIC), and Non-SDN Palestinian Legislative Council (NS-PLC). Use the sources option to screen against SDN only, Consolidated only, or both.
OFAC publishes list changes without a fixed schedule. SanctionsLookup checks for new OFAC changes every 15 minutes. Every response states the list version it was screened against, including OFAC's publish date, our download time, and the file's SHA-256 hash, so you have evidence for your audit trail.
All U.S. persons must comply with OFAC regulations, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, companies organized in the U.S., and anyone in the United States. Many non-U.S. companies that deal in U.S. dollars or with U.S. partners screen too. OFAC violations are strict liability, so civil penalties can apply even without intent. See real cases in our OFAC enforcement database.
Names are fuzzy-matched against each listed party's primary name and all aliases (a.k.a.) published by OFAC, so spelling variants and common transliterations still match. Every match returns a score and the reasons behind it. Add date of birth, nationality, or ID numbers to help separate true matches from false positives, and set min_score to control what counts as a match for you.
Under OFAC's 50 Percent Rule, any entity owned 50% or more, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, by blocked persons is itself blocked, even if it is not on the SDN List. The API screens against the names OFAC publishes, so an unlisted subsidiary will not match on its own. Screen the company's beneficial owners (UBOs) as well, and treat a match on an owner as a red flag for the company.
Yes. It works as the sanctions screening step in your AML program: screen individuals during KYC, and companies and their UBOs during KYB, before onboarding, loans, or payments. The API returns a match score rather than a verdict, so your own workflow decides what happens next.
OFAC doesn't set a fixed frequency and expects a risk-based approach. Because lists change without notice, the safest practice is to re-screen your customer base after each list update. We don't store your customer list, so re-screening runs from your side: send existing customers through the API, up to 50 per batch request.
Average response time is about 200 ms, and most requests finish under 300 ms, depending on the number of subjects and attributes. The batch endpoint (POST /v1/screen/batch) screens up to 50 subjects per request.
One screening is one subject, so a batch request with three subjects counts as three screenings. New accounts get 100 free screenings to test the integration and matching. Paid plans start at $149/month, and usage over your plan limit is billed at your plan's rate instead of being blocked.
SanctionsLookup
