How to check if a company is on a sanctions list: step by step with official sources

To check a company, search its exact name and known variants in the four main official lists: OFAC SDN (US), EU Financial Sanctions, UK Sanctions List and the UN Security Council list. Steps, links and what to do with a match.

Last updated: 2026-11-05

Short answer: search the company's exact legal name, its trading names and its transliterations in the four main official lists: the US OFAC Sanctions List Search, the EU consolidated financial sanctions list, the UK Sanctions List and the UN Security Council Consolidated List. Then check who owns the company, because an entity owned 50% or more by a listed person can be blocked even if its own name appears nowhere.

Key definitions

Sanctions list: an official register of persons, companies, vessels and organisations subject to restrictive measures, usually an asset freeze and a ban on making funds available to them.

Asset freeze: a prohibition on dealing with the funds or economic resources of a listed party, and on paying it directly or indirectly.

SDN list: the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list kept by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

50% rule: under US rules, and in a similar way under EU and UK ownership and control tests, a company owned 50% or more by one or more listed persons is treated as blocked.

The four official lists to check

List	Authority	Where to search	Covers
SDN and other OFAC lists	US Treasury, OFAC	Sanctions List Search	US sanctions, also relevant for USD payments
EU consolidated financial sanctions list	European Commission	EU dataset and EU Sanctions Map	All EU asset freezes
UK Sanctions List	UK government (FCDO, OFSI)	UK Sanctions List	All UK designations
UN Security Council Consolidated List	United Nations	UN list	UN sanctions regimes

Since 28 January 2026 the UK Sanctions List is the only source for UK designations: the old OFSI Consolidated List is no longer updated (source: GOV.UK, page checked on 5 November 2026).

Step by step

Collect the identifiers. Legal name, trading names, country, registration number, VAT number and address. The more identifiers you have, the easier it is to rule out false matches.
Search OFAC. Open the OFAC Sanctions List Search, type the name and lower the minimum name score to see close matches, not only exact ones.
Search the EU list. Use the EU Sanctions Map for a quick look or download the consolidated list from the EU open data portal.
Search the UK Sanctions List. Use the search tool or the CSV and XML files linked from the GOV.UK page.
Search the UN list. Open the UN Security Council Consolidated List in HTML, PDF or XML.
Try variants. Remove or change corporate suffixes (Ltd, LLC, d.o.o., GmbH), try transliterations from Cyrillic, Arabic or Chinese, and the names without punctuation.
Check the owners. Identify the shareholders and beneficial owners and search them too, then apply the 50% rule.
Record the result. Save the date, the lists searched, the names tried and the outcome. If you find a possible match, do not pay or ship until it has been reviewed.

Run a free name check against the official lists

Run a free name check against the official lists

Why small spelling differences matter

In November 2019 OFAC announced a settlement of USD 466,912 with Apple Inc. Apple had dealt with a Slovenian software company on the SDN list. Its screening missed the match because Apple's records said "SIS DOO" while the SDN list said "SIS d.o.o." (source: OFAC recent actions, 25 November 2019). Searching only the exact string is not enough.

What to do if you find a match

Do not tip off or pay. Pause the transaction.
Compare identifiers. Date of incorporation, address, registration number, nationality. Most hits on common names are false positives.
Document the review. Who checked, when, which identifiers matched or did not.
Get legal advice on blocking, reporting or licence obligations in your jurisdiction. Decisions remain the company's.

How to automate it

Manual searches work for a few names. For hundreds of customers and suppliers, Unicorn Intelligence checks all of them against the official lists every day and alerts you when something changes. It is an informational tool: legal decisions and obligations remain the company's.

Run a free test on all your contacts now and find out if there are any compliance issues.

Run a free test on all your contacts now and find out if there are any compliance issues.

New accounts also get a 50 $ credit.

FAQ

Is there one official list that covers all sanctions?

No. The US, the EU, the UK and the UN each publish their own lists. A company can be listed in one jurisdiction and not in another, so you need to check all the lists that apply to you.

Is checking the OFAC website enough for a European company?

No. A European company must apply EU sanctions, and often UK and UN measures too. OFAC matters as well when payments are in US dollars or involve US persons.

What is the 50% rule?

Under US rules a company owned 50% or more, directly or indirectly, by one or more blocked persons is itself treated as blocked. The EU and UK apply ownership and control tests with a similar effect.

Are the official search tools free?

Yes. The OFAC search, the EU Sanctions Map and data files, the UK Sanctions List and the UN list are free to use.

How should I handle names in other alphabets?

Search every transliteration you can find and use identifiers such as registration numbers and dates. Many listings include aliases in different spellings.

Does no result mean the company is safe?

It means no listing was found under the names you searched on that date. Owners, aliases and new listings can still change the picture, so checks should be repeated.

Where is the old UK consolidated list?

The OFSI Consolidated List closed on 28 January 2026. The UK Sanctions List is now the only source for UK designations.

Sources

Informative content: decisions and legal obligations remain yours.