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How do I screen a supplier against sanctions lists?

Search the supplier’s legal and trading names, and the names of its directors and beneficial owners, against the official sanctions lists that apply to you: usually the US OFAC SDN list, the EU consolidated financial sanctions list, the UN Security Council consolidated list and the UK Sanctions List, plus lists such as Switzerland’s SECO and Australia’s DFAT where relevant. Use fuzzy name matching to catch spelling and transliteration variants, then confirm or rule out each hit with identifiers such as date of birth, nationality, address or registration number. A similar name alone is not a sanctions match.

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How to check it manually

  1. Decide which regimes apply: where you and the supplier are, the currency you pay in, and where the goods or services go. Many companies screen against the US, EU, UN and UK lists as a baseline.
  2. Collect every name to screen: the legal name, former and trading names, and each director and beneficial owner.
  3. Search each list with its official tool or file: OFAC Sanctions List Search, the EU consolidated list (also searchable in the EU Sanctions Map), the UN Security Council consolidated list, the UK Sanctions List, SECO’s list for Switzerland and DFAT’s consolidated list for Australia.
  4. Use fuzzy matching (similar spellings, word order, transliterations such as Mohammed / Muhammad) so you do not miss a listed party; expect more hits as a result.
  5. For each hit, compare the identifiers on the listing (date of birth, nationality, passport or registration number, address, aliases) with what you know about your counterparty. Discard it only when an identifier clearly differs, and note why.
  6. Check ownership: under OFAC’s 50 Percent Rule, an entity owned 50% or more in aggregate by blocked persons is itself blocked even if it is not named on the list. EU and UK guidance also treat entities owned or controlled by listed persons as subject to restrictions.
  7. If the supplier will work on World Bank-financed projects, also check the World Bank’s list of debarred firms and individuals. It is a procurement debarment list, not a sanctions list.
  8. Record what you searched, the list versions or dates, the hits and how you resolved them. Screen again before renewals and payments, because lists change.

What it tells you

  • Whether a name on your list matches a designated person, entity or vessel on the lists you searched, on the day you searched.
  • The legal basis and programme for a confirmed listing, and the identifiers needed to tell a true match from a namesake.

What it doesn’t tell you

  • That a company is safe: owners and controllers can be sanctioned while the company itself is not listed, which is why directors and owners are screened too.
  • Export-control restrictions, such as the US Entity List, which are separate from sanctions lists.
  • Whether a sector-specific restriction applies to your transaction (for example limits on certain financing or goods) when the counterparty is not subject to an asset freeze.
  • Anything about lists you did not search.

How SONAR automates it

SONAR screens the company and each director and owner it extracts against 8 lists: OFAC SDN, EU Consolidated, UN Security Council, UK Sanctions List, Swiss SECO, Australian DFAT, World Bank Debarred and OpenSanctions Consolidated. The lists are downloaded and screened locally, and each must be under 24 hours old at screening time, or the report shows it as stale.

Matching is fuzzy, so possible matches are shown with the matched name, the list and the listing details, for you to confirm or dismiss. A confirmed sanctions match is a FLAG.

SONAR is a due-diligence tool for checking vendors, partners, resellers and suppliers. It compiles public-record data. It is not a regulated AML / KYC provider, does not verify identity documents, and is not legal advice.

You can try it on 2 companies a month for free, no card needed; every report includes a receipt for each source it used.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a false positive in sanctions screening?

A hit where your counterparty’s name resembles a listed name but it is a different person or company. Fuzzy matching produces them by design; you resolve them by comparing identifiers such as date of birth, nationality or registration number.

Why does a name match need corroboration?

Names are not unique, and transliterated names have many spellings. Treating every name match as a sanctions hit would block innocent namesakes, while ignoring them could miss a real listing. Identifiers on the listing decide which it is.

Do I need to screen directors and owners, or just the company?

Screen them too. A company can be owned or controlled by a sanctioned person without being named on a list, and OFAC’s 50 Percent Rule treats entities owned 50% or more by blocked persons as blocked.

Is OpenSanctions an official list?

No. OpenSanctions is an aggregator that compiles official sanctions lists and other public data into one dataset. It is useful for coverage, but the official publisher’s list is the authority for a listing.

Has the UK OFSI Consolidated List been replaced?

Yes. According to GOV.UK, the UK Sanctions List is now the only source for all UK sanctions designations, and the OFSI Consolidated List of Asset Freeze Targets closed on 28 January 2026.

Official sources

Run these checks on a company you’re about to sign

Registry record, owners, sanctions, PEP, ICIJ Offshore Leaks and adverse media in one report, with a receipt for every source. 2 free reports a month, no card.

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