# Sanctions Check — OFAC SDN Screening (`mfapitools/sanctions-check`) Actor Search the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) sanctions list by name, alias, address, or ID. Token-indexed for accurate partial-name matches across 19K entries. Pay-per-event: charged per query plus per match found, no subscription. Built for KYC and supplier screening. - **URL**: https://apify.com/mfapitools/sanctions-check.md - **Developed by:** [Mariano Ferreras](https://apify.com/mfapitools) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Agents - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.50 / 1,000 name screeneds This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Sanctions Check — OFAC SDN Screening, Pay-Per-Query > **Pay-per-event — zero monthly fee, zero subscription.** You pay for each query executed and each match found, nothing else. No seat licenses, no per-record data fees, no idle-month charges. --- ### What it does This actor searches the U.S. Treasury OFAC **Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list** — the primary sanctions screening list used for U.S. compliance — by name, alias, address, or identifier. It has two modes: - **`refresh`** — downloads the current OFAC SDN XML (~27 MB, ~19,000 entries) and builds a **token-based inverted index** in Apify's Key-Value Store: every name, alias, address city/country, and ID number is normalized and split into searchable word tokens, so partial-name queries resolve correctly against the full dataset instead of requiring an exact match. - **`query`** — searches that index by name or identifier with substring/fuzzy scoring, and returns every matching SDN record: entity name, type (Individual/Entity/Vessel/Aircraft), sanctions programs, aliases, addresses, ID numbers, and remarks. If you're looking for an **OFAC SDN API** without building your own XML parser and refresh pipeline, this gives you structured JSON matches for any name query, on demand or scheduled. --- ### Use cases - **KYC / customer onboarding** — screen a new customer, counterparty, or beneficial owner's name against the SDN list before account opening. - **Supplier / vendor due diligence** — check suppliers, contractors, or M&A targets for sanctions exposure before signing. - **AI agent compliance tool** — give an LLM agent a callable sanctions-screening function via the Apify MCP server (see below). - **Journalist / researcher due diligence** — quick name checks against public sanctions data. - **LatAm due-diligence profiles** — pair with `cuit-lookup` (AFIP/CUIT identity data) and `licitaciones-feed` (public tender awards) to build a combined counterparty profile. --- ### Input ```json { "mode": "refresh" } ```` ```json { "mode": "query", "query": "MADURO", "searchType": "all", "maxResults": 10, "minScore": 0.5 } ``` | Field | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `mode` | `refresh` | `query` | `query` | `refresh` downloads and rebuilds the index (run this at least once before querying). `query` searches the existing index. | | `query` | string | — | Name or identifier to search (case-insensitive). Required in `query` mode. | | `searchType` | `name` | `all` | `all` | `name` = match entity name only. `all` = also match addresses, IDs, and aliases. | | `maxResults` | integer | 20 | Maximum matches to return (1–100). | | `minScore` | number | 0.5 | Fuzzy match threshold: `1.0` = exact, `0.7` = substring, `0.5` = partial word. | **Workflow:** run once with `{ "mode": "refresh" }` (~30–45s, downloads + indexes the full list), then run `{ "mode": "query", "query": "..." }` for each name you want to screen. Schedule `refresh` daily (or at whatever cadence matches your compliance policy) to keep the index current — see [Freshness](#honest-limitations) below. *** ### Output Each match is one dataset row. Example — querying `"MADURO"` against a freshly refreshed index: ```json { "query": "MADURO", "name": "MADURO MOROS, Nicolas", "sdnType": "Individual", "programs": ["VENEZUELA", "IRAN-CON-ARMS-EO"], "remarks": "President of Venezuela.", "addresses": [ { "city": "Caracas", "country": "Venezuela", "address": "" } ], "ids": [], "aliases": [ { "name": "MADURO MOROS, Nicolas Maduro", "type": "aka" } ], "source": "OFAC-SDN", "sourceUrl": "https://sanctionslistservice.ofac.treas.gov/api/publicationpreview/exports/sdn.xml?uid=22790", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-24T00:00:00.000Z", "searchedAt": "2026-07-24T13:05:00.000Z" } ``` | Field | Type | Notes | |---|---|---| | `query` | string | The search term you submitted | | `name` | string | Matched entity's display name (`lastName, firstName` for individuals) | | `sdnType` | string | `Individual`, `Entity`, `Vessel`, or `Aircraft` | | `programs` | string\[] | Sanctions program codes (e.g. `VENEZUELA`, `SDGT`, `KINGPIN`) | | `remarks` | string|null | OFAC's free-text remarks field, when present | | `addresses` | array | City/country/address strings from the record | | `ids` | array | Passport / national ID / other identifiers, with type and issuing country | | `aliases` | array | Known AKA names, with alias type | | `source` | string | Always `"OFAC-SDN"` in v1 | | `sourceUrl` | string | Direct link back to the source dataset for this record | | `lastUpdated` | string | Timestamp of the OFAC file this index was built from | | `searchedAt` | string | Timestamp this query ran | A query that finds zero matches still runs and charges the `sanction-screened` event (a clean "not found" is a valid compliance result, not an error) — it just pushes no rows and charges no `sanction-match` events. *** ### Pricing (Pay-Per-Event) | Event | What triggers it | Price | |---|---|---| | `sanction-screened` | Per query execution (`mode: "query"`), even if zero matches | $0.003 | | `sanction-match` | Per match found and returned | $0.01 | | Actor start | One-time per run. Apify charges this event once per GB of run memory (minimum 1); this actor's default memory is 2048 MB (2 GB), so a standard run charges 2 actor-start events at $0.0005 each | $0.001 total/run | Each `query` is one search term per run (the input takes a single `query` string, not a batch array) — screening multiple names means multiple runs, each with its own actor-start + `sanction-screened` charge. **Real-world cost examples:** | Scenario | Runs | Matches | Est. cost | |---|---|---|---| | Clean name, no hits (typical KYC check) | 1 | 0 | ~$0.004 | | Common surname, several hits | 1 | 4 | ~$0.044 | | Bulk screen, 50 names, ~10% hit rate | 50 | 5 | ~$0.25 | **Measured platform cost:** ~$0.0004–0.0005 per query in Apify compute-unit terms (validated build 0.1.4, platform runs `ZmZvQSUWXes0L1dH8` and `4dMt9h3CY1CXRZZxn`) — at $0.003/query that's roughly 83–87% gross margin before the platform's own PPE cut. `refresh` runs (index rebuild) are not separately billed beyond the actor-start charge; they cost the developer ~$0.03/run in compute (~$1/month at daily cadence) and are intended to run on a schedule, not per-customer-query. *** ### Use with AI agents This actor is available as a tool for AI assistants via the Apify MCP server. Agents can call it to **screen a name against the OFAC SDN list** directly — no Apify console needed, just a single function call. #### MCP setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=mfapitools/sanctions-check", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` #### Example agent prompts - "Check if 'Nicolas Maduro' appears on the OFAC SDN sanctions list" - "Screen this list of 20 supplier names against U.S. sanctions before we onboard them" - "Is this company or any of its known aliases sanctioned?" The actor returns structured JSON with the same fields shown above, so an agent can reason over match strength (`programs`, `aliases`, `remarks`) without parsing raw XML. *** ### Honest limitations - **NOT a substitute for professional compliance software.** This is a name-search tool over a public dataset. It does not perform risk scoring, PEP screening, adverse media checks, or transactional/payment screening. - **OFAC SDN only in v1.** UN, EU, and UK sanctions lists are not covered. If your compliance policy requires multi-list screening, this covers only the U.S. SDN list. - **Query candidate retrieval requires a whole matching word (token), not an arbitrary substring.** A query for `"MADURO"` finds records because `MADURO` is indexed as a complete token. A query for `"MADUR"` (a sub-word fragment that is never itself a complete word in the index) will **not** retrieve any candidates — there's no entry for the fragment "MADUR", only for the full word "MADURO". Once a candidate record IS retrieved via a full-token hit, the existing substring/fuzzy scoring still evaluates the WHOLE query string against that record's fields for ranking — so `"MADURO MOR"` still scores well against `"MADURO MOROS, Nicolas"` (retrieved via the "MADURO" token, then scored as a partial-word match). Very short typos inside a single word (e.g. `"MADURRO"`) are not corrected — there is no edit-distance/phonetic matching. - **Multi-word queries use UNION, not intersection, of per-word candidates** — chosen deliberately to favor recall for a screening tool (a record shouldn't be silently dropped just because it only matched one of several query words). This means a two-word query where only one word is real can still surface a match; the score/ranking (not the candidate set) is what tells you how strong the match is. - **Freshness depends on how often you run `refresh`.** OFAC updates the SDN list as needed (sometimes daily). This actor does not auto-refresh — schedule `refresh` runs at a cadence that matches your compliance requirements, and treat `lastUpdated` on each result as the authoritative "as of" date. - **~19K entries — a small, focused dataset.** The value here is search/index convenience and structured output over the SDN list, not data volume. - **No fuzzy phonetic matching (e.g. Soundex).** Name variant spelling that shares no common whole-word token with the indexed name will not be found. *** ### Compliance - **Public-domain government data.** The OFAC SDN list is published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is explicitly public domain — no license, login, or API key is required to access it. - **Source:** `https://sanctionslistservice.ofac.treas.gov/api/publicationpreview/exports/sdn.xml`, the same file OFAC's own compliance tools and every commercial screening vendor ultimately index. - **Update cadence:** OFAC republishes the SDN list as needed (frequently, sometimes daily, whenever designations change). This actor reflects whatever version was present the last time `refresh` was run — it does not poll OFAC continuously. Run `refresh` on a schedule matching your risk tolerance. - **No sensitive personal data beyond the source record.** Output fields (name, aliases, addresses, ID numbers, remarks) mirror exactly what OFAC publishes in the SDN file — nothing is enriched, inferred, or sourced elsewhere. *** ### Changelog See [CHANGELOG.md](./CHANGELOG.md). # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): `refresh` downloads and indexes the latest OFAC SDN list (must be run at least once before queries). `query` (default) searches the stored index for matches. ## `query` (type: `string`): Name or identifier to search. Case-insensitive substring match. Only used in `query` mode. ## `searchType` (type: `string`): `name` = match against sdnEntry lastName + firstName only. `all` = also match addresses, IDs, and aliases. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of matches to return. ## `minScore` (type: `number`): Fuzzy match threshold (0 = everything, 1 = exact only). Scores: exact name=1.0, substring=0.7, partial word=0.5. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "query", "query": "Iran", "searchType": "all", "maxResults": 20, "minScore": 0.5 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "mode": "query", "query": "Iran", "searchType": "all" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("mfapitools/sanctions-check").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "query", "query": "Iran", "searchType": "all", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("mfapitools/sanctions-check").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "mode": "query", "query": "Iran", "searchType": "all" }' | apify call mfapitools/sanctions-check --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=mfapitools/sanctions-check", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Sanctions Check — OFAC SDN Screening", "description": "Search the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) sanctions list by name, alias, address, or ID. Token-indexed for accurate partial-name matches across 19K entries. Pay-per-event: charged per query plus per match found, no subscription. Built for KYC and supplier screening.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "CoqsDolYU5kNafkYD" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/mfapitools~sanctions-check/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-mfapitools-sanctions-check", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/mfapitools~sanctions-check/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-mfapitools-sanctions-check", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/mfapitools~sanctions-check/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-mfapitools-sanctions-check", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Run mode", "enum": [ "refresh", "query" ], "type": "string", "description": "`refresh` downloads and indexes the latest OFAC SDN list (must be run at least once before queries). `query` (default) searches the stored index for matches.", "default": "query" }, "query": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Name or identifier to search. Case-insensitive substring match. Only used in `query` mode." }, "searchType": { "title": "Search scope", "enum": [ "name", "all" ], "type": "string", "description": "`name` = match against sdnEntry lastName + firstName only. `all` = also match addresses, IDs, and aliases.", "default": "all" }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of matches to return.", "default": 20 }, "minScore": { "title": "Minimum match score", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 1, "type": "number", "description": "Fuzzy match threshold (0 = everything, 1 = exact only). Scores: exact name=1.0, substring=0.7, partial word=0.5.", "default": 0.5 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```