By The Data Nerd, Founder & Compliance Engineer ·
OFAC SDN List
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List · Jurisdiction: United States
The Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list is OFAC's primary sanctions list, naming individuals and entities owned or controlled by sanctioned governments, terrorists, narcotics traffickers, and other threat actors.
Screen against OFAC SDN List (free, no API key)
curl "https://sanctionsai.dev/sanctions?name=Counterparty+Name"Free tier: 5 checks/day by IP. Real OFAC data, refreshed daily.
List at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| List name | OFAC SDN List |
| Full name | Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Entry count | ~19,086 names |
| Update frequency | Daily |
| Official source | https://www.treasury.gov/ofac/downloads/sdn.csv |
Scope and application
All US persons must block transactions with SDN-listed parties and file reports within 10 business days.
How sanctionsai.dev screens this list
sanctionsai.dev ingests OFAC SDN data daily from the US Treasury and vile/ofac-sdn-list GitHub releases. Every screening call checks your counterparty against the full SDN index in under 100ms, with an audit-ready receipt showing timestamp and list version.
Why this list matters for AI agents
AI agents that transact autonomously inherit strict liability for sanctions violations. Before any payment, your agent must screen the recipient against OFAC SDN List (and ideally all applicable lists). One API call before every transaction is the minimum viable compliance posture.
Frequently asked questions
How often is OFAC SDN List updated?
Daily. The sanctionsai.dev API refreshes its index daily so every screening call reflects the latest designations.
Who must comply with OFAC SDN List?
All US persons must block transactions with SDN-listed parties and file reports within 10 business days.
What is the penalty for violating this list?
For OFAC SDN, civil penalties start at $356,571 per violation or twice the transaction value. Criminal penalties reach $20 million and 30 years for willful violations. Other jurisdictions have comparable regimes.
How do I screen against this list?
Use the sanctionsai.dev API: GET /sanctions?name=...&wallet=...&country=... — returns matches with confidence scores in under 100ms.