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What is OFAC?

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of 

the Department of the Treasury is responsible 

for the administration and enforcement of 

economic and trade sanctions against countries 

and groups that pose a potential threat to the 

national security, foreign policy, or economy of 

the United States.

What is in OFAC Data Source?

As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC 

publishes a list of individuals and companies 

owned or controlled by, or acting for or on 

behalf of targeted countries. It also lists 

individuals, groups, and entities, such as 

terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated 

under programs that are not country-specific. 

Collectively, such individuals and companies 

are called "Specially Designated Nationals 

(SDN)." Their assets are blocked and U.S. 

persons are generally prohibited from doing 

business with them.

What transactions are prohibited by 

OFAC?

Financial transactions and other dealings are 

prohibited with sanctioned or embargoed 

regions and governments. If needed, refer to 

the OFAC website in order to see which regions 

and governments have prohibited transactions 

and the details of these prohibitions.

Is there a cost for using OFAC?

No. OFAC is available at no cost to agencies 

enrolled in Do Not Pay (DNP).

Why does OFAC matter to my agency?

Failure to comply with OFAC regulations can result in 

substantial fines, possibly exceeding several million 

dollars. Agencies are responsible for ensuring 

payments comply with OFAC regulations.

How does DNP help our agency use OFAC as a 

data source?

The OFAC Public database is available in the DNP 

Portal for agency searches. Note that OFAC does not 

contain Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) nor 

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) information. Therefore, 

any Online Search using only TIN or UEI will not 

provide an OFAC match.

How do I gain access to OFAC in the DNP Portal?

Agencies must apply and be approved to access OFAC 

in the DNP Portal. Contact your Agency Lead or 

Agency Specialist for more information.

For which modules is OFAC available in the DNP 

Portal?

The OFAC database is available in Online Search, 

Batch Matching, Continuous Monitoring, and 

Application Programming Interface (API).

What do I do if I find a match in OFAC?

Your agency has its own internal controls to follow. 

Also consult the OFAC website for more information 

on how to validate a match along with the reporting 

requirements.

How frequently is OFAC updated within the DNP 

Portal?

Updates for the OFAC database occur on a daily basis.

What kind of information does a match in 

the DNP Portal return?

When conducting searches, the DNP Portal 

returns the data elements listed on the next page.

Important Links

Additional OFAC Information

FAQ’s

Do Not Pay

Data Correction Contacts

https://fiscal.treasury.gov/dnp/privacyprogram.html#data-correction-process

FAQs

https://fiscal.treasury.gov/dnp/faqs.html

DNP Website

https://fiscal.treasury.gov/dnp/

How To Fix Incorrect Data

DNP does not own the data that appears within 

OFAC and is unable to update its content.

Contact OFAC for data inquiries or disputes.

Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List

For faster delivery, email your petition to: 

ofac.reconsideration@treasury.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

Much of the information on this page is from OFAC’s website, https://www.treasury.gov/about/organizational-structure/offices/Pages/Office-of-Foreign-Assets-Control.aspx.
Data Elements Returned in the DNP Portal for OFAC

When a match occurs, the search criteria along with the corresponding OFAC data elements will be returned through the search method utilized within the DNP Portal.

The following includes subfield data elements selectable within the Portal. All subfields are automatically included in the report generated by the Save/Print Detail hyperlink.

Data Element Definition

Title

Position of the SDN (Specially Designated National) on the OFAC listing 

based upon citizenship, country, etc. Examples include Dr. and 

Director General. May be blank if SDN is not an individual.

Name Name of Specially Designated National (SDN). This can be a person's 

name, business name or even the name of a vessel.

Type Sanctions type: The only two valid values currently are I and B.

Type Description Description of Sanctions type code: The only two valid values currently 

are Individual and Business.

Remarks

Text field for additional information concerning the SDN. Examples 

could include aliases, passport information, position information such 

as "Secretary General" or "Military Leader", known organizations they 

are linked to, “all offices worldwide”, and any other narrative 

information about a sanctioned party.

Address 

Data Element Definition

Address 1 Street Address Line 1 of the Specially Designated National.

Address 2 Second line of Street Address of the Specially Designated National.

Address 3 Third line of Street Address of the Specially Designated National.

City City of the Specially Designated National.

State State/Province of the Specially Designated National.

Zip

Postal Code of the Specially Designated National. This can be either a 

US Zip code or international postal code.

Country Country of the Specially Designated National.

Identifications 

Data Element Definition

Country Country of Issue. Name of country that issued the ID/Registration 

document.

ID Type Type of ID/Registration. Possible values include Passport, Cedula, and 

Driver’s License Number.

ID Number Number that appears on the ID/Registration document.

Issue Date Issue Date of the ID / Registration document.

Expiration Date Expiration Date of the ID/Registration document.

Birthdates 

Data Element Definition

Date of Birth Date of birth for Specially Designated National.

Birthplaces 

Data Element Definition

Place of Birth Birth place location country information for Specially Designated 

National.

Citizenships 

Data Element Definition

Citizenship Country of citizenship for a Specially Designated National.

Nationalities Data 

Element Definition

Nationality Country of residence for a Specially Designated National.

Programs 

Data Element Definition

Program

Sanctions Program Name. It is a Specially Designated Nationals focus 

area. It indicates the sanctions program pursuant to which the person 

has been blocked, designated, or identified. Sample programs include: 

561LIST, CUBA, DPRK (North Korea Sanctions Regulations), IRAN, JADE, 

NPWMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions 

Regulations), and SYRIA.