SanctionsLookupCanada Sanctions List Download (XML, PDF)
Download the official Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List from Global Affairs Canada as XML or PDF. It covers all 5,708 individuals, entities and ships sanctioned under Canadian law.
Last list change 16 days agofiles served by the official international.gc.ca
XML
For automated imports
For reading and reference
What the Canadian consolidated sanctions list download contains
Global Affairs Canada publishes the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List. It gathers individuals, entities and ships named under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (JVCFOA), the Sergei Magnitsky Law.
The official list page is explicit that the file is administrative. It is not a regulation and it does not have force of law. The regulation named on each row is what decides the prohibition.
The list leaves two Canadian lists out:
- People sanctioned only under the United Nations Act
- Terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code by Public Safety Canada
Programs on the page include Russia, Belarus, Iran, China, Myanmar, Venezuela, Haiti, Moldova, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and the Magnitsky regulations, among others. One row names the regulation, the schedule, an item number, the name, aliases, and a listing date. Ships add a ship type and an IMO number.
Download formats: XML and PDF
Global Affairs Canada provides the current list as HTML, PDF and XML. The HTML is the web page. The files to download are:
- XML (
sema-lmes.xml): one bilingual document. Element names carry both English and French, such asLastName-NomDeFamilleandDateOfListing-DateDinscription. This is the file to parse. - PDF (
sema-lmes.pdf): the same rows, for reading. It is a poor feed for a screening system.
A person is a given name plus a family name. An entity is the name in EntityOrShip. A ship is the same name field plus an IMO number. Aliases are one blob, and a non-Latin spelling often sits in that blob after a language label such as Russian: or Arabic:. Dates of birth are sometimes a full date, sometimes a year, and sometimes an Excel serial number.
How often the official download files are updated
There is no fixed schedule. Canada adds, amends and removes names by regulation. A listing usually applies when the regulation is registered, and the text then appears in the Canada Gazette.
Global Affairs Canada warns that regulations change often, so the consolidated file can lag the regulation that is already in force. The XML has no publication id and no generation date. The listing date on each row is not the date of the file.
How to automate the Canadian sanctions list download
To screen against the list yourself, download sema-lmes.xml, detect when the bytes change, parse people, entities and ships, and re-screen after every update. Item numbers restart inside each schedule, so they are a weak key if a schedule is renumbered.
The file will not tell you which prohibition applies. You still have to read the regulation named on the row. It also will not contain UN listings or the Criminal Code terrorist-entity list.
Our Canadian sanctions screening API keeps this XML in sync and returns a match score with the list version and file hash used for that check. The same request can include the UN list, OFAC, EU, UK and the other lists we cover.
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FAQ
Is the Canadian sanctions list free to download?
Yes. The XML and PDF files are free and need no registration.
Does the consolidated list have force of law?
No. Global Affairs Canada publishes it for administrative purposes. The regulations under the Special Economic Measures Act and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act are the legal authority. The regulation and schedule named on each row decide which prohibitions apply.
Does the Canadian list include UN sanctions?
No. The file covers Canada's own sanctions under SEMA and the Magnitsky Law. People sanctioned only under the United Nations Act, and terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code, are not in this download. Screen the UN list separately if you need those names.
Why can a new Canadian listing be missing from the file?
A regulation usually takes effect when it is registered, and it is then published in the Canada Gazette. Global Affairs Canada warns that the consolidated list can lag those regulations.
What identifiers does the XML actually contain?
People have a given name, a family name, aliases, a date of birth and a listing date. Entities have a name and aliases. Ships have a name, a ship type and an IMO number. There is no passport field and no national ID field. Item numbers restart inside each schedule, so they are not a stable id across the whole file.
How are aliases and original-script names stored?
Aliases sit in one text field, not in separate good-quality and low-quality lists. A non-Latin spelling is often inside that field after a language label such as Russian: or Arabic:.
How do I screen names against the Canadian sanctions list?
Downloading the file is only the first step. Screening means matching names, aliases and IMO numbers against every record and keeping up with each update. Simple exact-match lookups miss spelling variations and produce false positives. Canadian sanctions screening API