Watchlist Lookup

List names, match rules, and a form for a documented screening.

Watchlist Lookup

OFAC Name Check

Quick answer. An OFAC name check runs the name through Sanctions List Search, notes the confidence you used, and compares any hit to date of birth, address, and ID. An OFAC lookup runs a name through Sanctions List Search and reads the program code. The SDN list is blocked persons. The consolidated list holds other OFAC sanctions lists. A weak name match is a question, not a conclusion.

Official office

Office of Foreign Assets Control

Open the official search

Steps

  1. Open Sanctions List Search

    Use the treasury.gov tool, not a scraped copy.

  2. Set and record the threshold

    OFAC does not recommend a number. Your policy does. Write it down.

  3. Read the program code

    SDN and non-SDN restrictions are not the same.

  4. Download the list if you must archive it

    Note the file date from the Sanctions List Service.

An OFAC name check is a structured comparison

Record the date, the name string you typed, and the program code if a row came back. OFAC tells users to pay attention to program codes because the tool now holds more than the SDN list.

False matches are expected. Clearing them is a documented decision, not a second click that deletes the row.

Program codes decide the kind of hit

OFAC publishes SDN data in CSV, XML, and PDF on the Sanctions List Service. The search tool is for one name. The files are for a program that needs the whole list. Technical questions go to the contact OFAC prints, not to a random vendor.

An OFAC name check should store the exact string, the slider setting, and every returned identifier. Clearing a false match means writing which identifier did not match.

Common mistakes

  • Treating every row as an SDN block.
  • Skipping aliases.
  • Failing to record the search date.
  • Using a consolidated-list hit as if it were an SDN block without reading the program.

Questions

What is the SDN list?

OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list. U.S. persons generally may not deal with them.

What is the consolidated sanctions list?

OFAC’s collection of non-SDN sanctions lists. Read the program code before you decide what the hit requires.

How do I check a name?

Type it in Sanctions List Search, note the confidence, and compare identifiers on any row that returns.

Sources reviewed