OFAC SDN List: How to Search, Read Results, and Resolve Matches

Every OFAC search runs two algorithms at once on the name you enter: Jaro-Winkler for character similarity and Soundex for phonetic matching. Most compliance teams don't know this. They type a name into sanctionssearch.OFAC.treas.gov, get a score back, and treat it like a yes-or-no answer. It isn't. The OFAC SDN list holds tens of thousands of designated individuals and entities, plus blocked vessels, and it changes multiple times per month. We talk to export managers who run names against the SDN manually and still miss hits. Not because they're careless. Because they don't understand what the score actually means.

The OFAC SDN list covers more than names

The OFAC sanctions list bundles the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list with multiple non-SDN lists into one searchable dataset. The SDN list alone names individuals, companies, groups, maritime vessels, and aircraft across more than 30 sanctions programs — program tags range from SDGT (Global Terrorism) to UKRAINE-EO13661 to NPWMD (Nonproliferation).

Each SDN entry carries identifying data beyond the name. For individuals: date of birth, nationality, passport numbers, known aliases. For entities: registration numbers, addresses, vessel IMO numbers, aircraft tail numbers. All of that becomes your primary tool during match resolution.

Here's what catches most teams off guard. The OFAC list also captures entities not explicitly named through the 50% ownership rule. If a designated person owns half or more of an entity, that entity carries the same restrictions, even if it never shows up in a search result. Haas Automation found this out in January 2025, settling for $5,533,600 after OFAC determined the company never dug into the ownership structures of 8 blocked Russian entities. None of those names appeared on the SDN list directly. The screening came back clean. The ownership didn't.

Running an OFAC search that actually works

OFAC's Sanctions List Search at sanctionssearch.OFAC.treas.gov accepts name, ID number, address, city, state/province, and country as input fields. A separate dropdown filters by list type. Only the name field triggers fuzzy logic. Every other field runs exact character matching, which means a single typo in an ID number returns zero results.

The slider bar at the top controls the minimum name score threshold. Set it to 100 and you get exact matches only. Drop it to 70 or 80 and you pull in a wider net of phonetically or visually similar results. OFAC does not recommend a specific threshold. Per FAQ 250, each organization makes its own determination.

We've talked to compliance teams running their threshold at 90 who wonder why they miss transliterated Arabic or Cyrillic names. "Mohamad" versus "Muhammad" versus "Mohammed" produces different scores depending on where you set that slider. Drop it to 75 and the result set changes entirely. One chemical distributor we spoke with in Q1 2025 missed a match on a Turkish supplier because the name was transliterated with a "K" instead of a "Q." Their threshold was set at 85. The match scored 78.

One detail that trips up smaller exporters: the ID field uses exact character matching, so "A12345678" and "A-123-456-78" can produce different results. Run both versions. Takes 30 seconds.

What the OFAC search score actually tells you

The number next to each OFAC screening result measures similarity between your input and the list entry. Not probability. A score of 95 does not mean 95% chance of a true match, and a score of 72 does not mean you can move on. We've seen teams treat high scores as confirmed positives and scores below 80 as automatic clearances. Both approaches create the kind of exposure that shows up in OFAC enforcement releases.

OFAC runs two scoring techniques in parallel every time you search. First technique: the tool compares your entire name string against full name strings on the OFAC list using Jaro-Winkler. Second: the tool splits your input into separate name parts and checks each one independently using both Jaro-Winkler and Soundex. Whichever technique scores higher becomes the result you see.

That split-name approach catches things the full-string comparison misses. "John Smith" as a single string produces one result. Split into "John" and "Smith" and matched separately, it can surface partial matches against entries where the first name or last name aligns but the other doesn't. We had a client discover a blocked entity match they'd been missing for months because their internal system only ran full-string comparisons.

Anything below the minimum threshold never surfaces at all. The system pre-filters using edit distance, keeping only names at least 50% similar based on character operations needed to transform one string into the other. Results you never see got screened out before scoring even began.

How to handle a potential OFAC SDN list match

A hit on an OFAC check does not mean you found a sanctioned party. It means you found a name similar enough to an OFAC list entry to require further review. That distinction matters when your logistics team wants to release a shipment sitting in the warehouse and your compliance analyst is looking at a score of 83 on a common Arabic name.

Compare all available identifying information against the SDN entry details first. Date of birth, nationality, passport number, address. OFAC entries carry multiple data points for exactly this reason. A "Mohamed Hassan" born on March 12 in Cairo with passport number X12345 either matches your counterparty's documentation or it doesn't. The name alone tells you almost nothing.

Then document your determination. Whether true positive or false positive, record why you made that call and what data points you compared. OFAC's Enforcement Guidelines at 31 CFR Part 501, Appendix A list sanctions compliance program quality as a factor in penalty calculations. Your paper trail directly affects how OFAC evaluates your program if enforcement ever materializes.

One pattern we see repeatedly: a company clears a potential match over the phone, moves on, then faces the same name 6 months later with zero record of the first review. The analyst does the same work again from scratch. And if that second instance turns out to be a true match, the missing documentation from round one becomes an aggravating factor in OFAC's penalty math.

For confirmed matches: block the transaction, file a blocked property report with OFAC within 10 business days. The shipment doesn't move.

The free OFAC tool has hard limits for business screening

OFAC's Sanctions List Search exists for individual, manual lookups. Treasury's FAQ 287 states directly that automated systems cannot run continuous searches through the tool. If you're screening counterparties across dozens or hundreds of transactions per month, the free tool becomes a bottleneck. We've talked to a machinery parts exporter processing 150 orders per week who spent 12 analyst-hours just on manual OFAC checks. That's $840 per week in labor before a single match even gets reviewed.

The tool also covers only OFAC lists. No BIS Entity List entries. No State Department debarred parties. No non-U.S. sanctions lists from the EU or UK. A company shipping dual-use electronics to a distributor in the UAE needs to screen against far more than the SDN. The BIS Consolidated Screening List alone aggregates 13 separate U.S. government screening sources.

Screening frequency creates a third problem. The OFAC sanctions list updates multiple times per month, sometimes multiple times per week during active designation periods. In 2025 alone, OFAC delisted 518 Syrian parties while redesignating 139 Assad-affiliated actors. That single policy shift required immediate rescreening of every counterparty with a Syrian connection. Manual rescreening at that volume doesn't work past a handful of trade partners.

Lenzo automates OFAC sanctions screening alongside 50+ global watchlists, closing the gap between list updates and your next transaction. For teams running more than a few names per week, automated sanctions screening software replaces the manual lookup cycle entirely.

FAQ

What lists does the OFAC Sanctions List Search tool cover?

The tool covers the SDN list and the Non-SDN Consolidated Sanctions List. That consolidated dataset includes the Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI) List, the Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE) List, the Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions (NS-MBS) List, and the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex (NS-CMIC) List, among others. It does not cover the BIS Entity List, State Department lists, or any non-U.S. government sanctions lists.

Does OFAC recommend a specific match threshold score for screening?

No. OFAC states in FAQ 250 that it cannot recommend a specific threshold because each search involves unique circumstances. Each organization sets its own minimum score based on internal assessments. Setting the threshold too high misses transliteration variants. Too low, and the screening hits pile up with false positives that burn analyst hours without producing real leads.

Can I use OFAC's search tool for automated batch screening?

OFAC explicitly prohibits automated systems from continuously running searches through the Sanctions List Search tool, per FAQ 287. The tool exists for individual manual lookups only. Companies with regular screening volume need a commercial sanctions screening solution or direct integration with OFAC's downloadable data files in XML or CSV format from the Sanctions List Service portal.

How often does the OFAC SDN list get updated?

There's no fixed schedule. OFAC updates the SDN list on a rolling basis, sometimes several times per week. Treasury publishes delta files showing what was added, modified, or removed. Subscribing to OFAC's email notification service at OFAC.treasury.gov provides alerts each time a change drops.

What happens if I find a true match on the OFAC list?

Block the transaction and file a blocked property report with OFAC within 10 business days. Continuing to process after identifying an SDN match creates strict liability exposure. Maximum civil penalty: $377,700 per violation as of January 2025. Criminal penalties for willful violations reach $1 million and 20 years imprisonment under IEEPA.

The gap between SkyGeek's $22,000 settlement and GVA Capital's $215.9 million penalty comes down to one thing: whether the company had a screening process that generated auditable records, or relied on ad-hoc name checks that left no paper trail when OFAC came asking.