OFAC API

OFAC API

OFAC-API.com provides commercial sanctions screening against 25+ global data sources including OFAC SDN, EU, UN, UK OFSI, PEP, INTERPOL, FinCEN, and more. Sources are refreshed every 2 minutes.

Entity Types

Screenable entity types: person, organization, vessel, aircraft.

Data Sources

Common source codes (pass as array in sources):

• SDN — OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (US)
• NONSDN — OFAC Consolidated non-SDN list (US)
• EU / FSF — EU Financial Sanctions
• UN — UN Security Council Consolidated Sanctions
• FCDO / OFSI — UK sanctions (FCDO list, OFSI)
• PEP — Politically Exposed Persons
• INTERPOL — INTERPOL Red Notices
• DPL — US BIS Denied Persons List
• DFAT — Australian DFAT sanctions
• SECO — Swiss sanctions and embargoes
• SEMA — Canadian Special Economic Measures Act
• FINCEN — FinCEN 311 and 9714 Special Measures
• SAM — US SAM Procurement Exclusions
• MAS — Singapore MAS Targeted Financial Sanctions
• DNSL — Dutch National Sanctions List

Full list: SDN, NONSDN, DPL, UN, EU, FSF, BFS, FCDO, OFSI, DFAT, SECO, SEMA, PEP, INTERPOL, FINCEN, SAM, MAS, DNSL, FHFA, HUD, LEIE, LKTL, MXSAT, REPET, TOUA, LFIU.

Search vs Screen

• Search returns a broader, less restrictive result set — best for research and enhanced due diligence. Does not consider dissimilarity.
• Screen uses fuzzy matching with both similarity and dissimilarity analysis — best for automated compliance screening (onboarding, transactions). Reduces false positives.

Both accept up to 1000 cases per request.

Workflows

Quick sanctions check: Search a name against SDN + EU + UN. Review matches above score 85. Look up full entity details by ID for any hits.

KYC onboarding screen: Screen a person with name, DOB, citizenship, and nationality against all sources. Use min_score of 80-90. Flag any matches for manual review.

Batch compliance: Screen up to 1000 names in a single request. Filter by entity type to reduce noise (e.g., exclude vessels when screening individuals).

Entity research: Look up a known sanctioned entity by ID to get full details including aliases, addresses, programs, and identification documents.

Gotchas

• Source selection matters: Default is SDN only. For full coverage, pass all relevant source codes explicitly.
• Score threshold: Default min_score is 80. Lower scores (60-79) increase recall but also false positives. For production compliance, use 80-95.
• Subscription required: All endpoints require an active ofac-api.com subscription; a free 30-day trial is available.