Sanctions Screening API - OpenSanctions PEP, Watchlist Match

Screen people, companies, vessels and crypto wallets against global sanctions lists, politically exposed persons (PEPs), debarment, crime and regulatory watchlists with your own OpenSanctions API key, and get one clean, scored dataset row per candidate entity.

Works with the official hosted OpenSanctions API on api.opensanctions.org: the /match entity screening API (fuzzy, cross-script name matching that also weighs birth date, nationality, registration numbers and IMO numbers), the /search text search with facets and filters, and the /entities endpoint for full records with sanction designations, family, associates and ownership links. Paste customer, supplier or counterparty names and get back the match score, sanctioned and PEP flags, risk topics, sanction program IDs, countries, dates of birth, aliases and source lists, ready to download as JSON, CSV or Excel, schedule for re-screening, or feed into KYC, KYB, AML and onboarding workflows. Bring your own API key.

BYOK, route-checked but not live-tested: every path, parameter and enum comes from the OpenSanctions OpenAPI definition (api.opensanctions.org/openapi.json) and documentation, and each route was confirmed with a probe (documented paths answer 401 "Invalid API key" to an invalid key, invented paths 404 "Not Found"), but the actor has not been run against a live OpenSanctions key.

What it does

• Entity screening (match): scores each name or detailed entity against the OpenSanctions database with the documented /match API and returns ranked candidates with a score from 0 to 1, a match flag at your threshold, and the matched alias. Covers Person, Company, Organization, LegalEntity, Vessel, Airplane, CryptoWallet, Security and PublicBody.
• Precise screening with details: add birth dates, nationality, country, jurisdiction, registration, tax, LEI or IMO numbers per entity to cut false positives, and a ref of your own (customer ID) that is copied to every row.
• Scope and filters: screen against everything, or just consolidated sanctions, PEPs, crime, debarment, enforcement, regulatory, wanted, maritime, EU, US or securities collections; filter by risk topic (sanction, sanction.linked, role.pep, role.rca, debarment, reg.warn and more), include or exclude source lists such as us_ofac_sdn or eu_fsf, and re-screen only entities changed since a date.
• Text search: keyword search with entity type, country, topic, dataset and property filters (such as properties.programId:EU-UKR), paged up to your row limit.
• Entity details: the full record for any OpenSanctions entity ID, with nested sanction designations (authority, program), addresses, identification documents, relatives, associates, owners and subsidiaries. Merged IDs are followed to the canonical entity. Free on your OpenSanctions plan.
• Pay only for results: screens with no match, unknown IDs and requests the provider refuses are recorded as a free row that says why, never charged.

How to get an API key

Get a key on the OpenSanctions API page (opensanctions.org/api). Business use runs on prepaid credit bundles; OpenSanctions issues free keys for public-interest work (journalism, civil society advocacy and academic research). Copy the key from your account (opensanctions.org/account), paste it into the API key field, or set the DATA_API_KEY secret. The key is sent only to api.opensanctions.org in the Authorization: ApiKey ... header the API requires and is removed from everything the actor logs.

Input

Field	Modes	Description
mode	all	match (default), search or entity
names	match	One name per line, screened as entityType, up to 1,000
entityType	match	Person (default), Company, Organization, LegalEntity, Vessel, Airplane, CryptoWallet, Security, PublicBody
entities	match	JSON list of detailed entities: schema, FollowTheMoney properties, optional ref
threshold	match	Match score threshold, 0 to 1 (default 0.7)
algorithm	match	best (default), logic-v2, ofac, name-based, name-qualified, logic-v1, regression-v1
resultsPerEntity	match	Candidates per entity, 1 to 500 (default 5)
onlyMatches	match	Keep only candidates at or above the threshold (default true)
searchQuery	search	Keywords, with the documented search syntax
searchSchema	search	Thing (any, default) or one of the entity types
countries	search	Two letter ISO codes, such as ru
filters	search	field:value property filters, such as properties.programId:EU-UKR
fuzzy	search	Allow fuzzy query syntax (default false)
entityIds	entity	OpenSanctions entity IDs, such as Q7747 or NK-...
nested	entity	Include linked entities (default true)
dataset	match, search	Collection scope: default, sanctions, peps, crime, debarment, enforcement, regulatory, wanted, maritime, eu_sanctions, us_sanctions, securities, special_interest
topics	match, search	Risk topics to keep
includeDatasets / excludeDatasets	match, search	Source dataset names, such as us_ofac_sdn
changedSince	match, search	Only entities updated since a date, such as 2026-01-31
maxResults	all	Row ceiling for the run (default 100)
requestsPerMinute	all	Pacing, default 60
apiKey	all	Your OpenSanctions API key (or the DATA_API_KEY secret)

Example: screen three customers against sanctions lists only, with a strict threshold.

{
    "mode": "match",
    "dataset": "sanctions",
    "threshold": 0.8,
    "entities": [
        { "ref": "cust-1001", "schema": "Person", "name": "Arkadii Rotenberg", "birthDate": "1951", "nationality": "ru" },
        { "ref": "cust-1002", "schema": "Company", "name": "Stroygazmontazh", "jurisdiction": "ru" },
        { "ref": "cust-1003", "schema": "Person", "name": "Jane Example", "birthDate": "1984-02-11", "nationality": "gb" }
    ]
}

Example: PEP check for a list of names.

{
    "mode": "match",
    "dataset": "peps",
    "entityType": "Person",
    "names": ["Olaf Scholz", "Jane Example"]
}

Example output

An illustrative screening row, shaped like the documented /match response (values are an example, not a guaranteed result). The full OpenSanctions record is kept under record; only part of it is shown.

{
    "mode": "match",
    "modeLabel": "Entity screening (match)",
    "recordType": "match",
    "input": "Aleksandr Zacharov",
    "queryRef": "cust-2001",
    "found": true,
    "entityId": "NK-aU5ybkbRFJucf8YMwsJvDw",
    "caption": "Alexander Vyacheslavovich ZAKHAROV",
    "schema": "Person",
    "score": 0.92,
    "isMatch": true,
    "topics": ["sanction", "corp.disqual", "debarment"],
    "sanctioned": true,
    "pep": false,
    "datasets": ["us_ofac_sdn", "eu_fsf", "gb_fcdo_sanctions", "ch_seco_sanctions"],
    "countries": ["ru"],
    "birthDates": ["1965-09-21"],
    "aliases": ["Aleksandr Vyacheslavovich ZAKHAROV", "Zacharov Aleksandr Vjačeslavovič"],
    "positions": ["Owner of LLC CST"],
    "programIds": ["EU-UKR", "US-RUSHAR", "GB-RUS"],
    "sanctionAuthorities": null,
    "identifiers": ["183111242406"],
    "sourceUrls": ["https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/Details.aspx?id=45937"],
    "target": true,
    "firstSeen": "2023-07-19T18:02:43",
    "lastSeen": "2026-04-27T06:40:02",
    "lastChange": "2026-04-24T10:57:01",
    "mergedFrom": null,
    "nameMatch": "Zacharov Aleksandr Vjačeslavovič",
    "profileUrl": "https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/NK-aU5ybkbRFJucf8YMwsJvDw/",
    "record": { "id": "NK-aU5ybkbRFJucf8YMwsJvDw", "schema": "Person", "score": 0.92, "match": true, "explanations": { "name_match": { "score": 0.92 } } },
    "retrievedAt": "2026-10-19T09:00:00.000Z",
    "note": null
}

FAQ

What is OpenSanctions?

OpenSanctions (OpenSanctions Datenbanken GmbH, Berlin) consolidates international sanctions lists (OFAC SDN, EU Financial Sanctions Files, UN Security Council, UK HM Treasury and FCDO, Swiss SECO and many more), a global dataset of politically exposed persons and their relatives and close associates, debarment and procurement exclusion lists, wanted and criminal lists, and regulatory warnings into one de-duplicated entity graph. Key sanctions lists are fetched at least four times a day under its API terms.

Do I need my own OpenSanctions API key?

Yes. This is a bring-your-own-key actor: it calls OpenSanctions with your key, under your account and the OpenSanctions API terms. A missing, rejected or out-of-credit key ends the run cleanly with a status message that explains what to change, and nothing is charged.

How much does OpenSanctions charge, and what does this actor cost?

OpenSanctions bills prepaid credits: one credit per screened entity on /match, one per /search request (page), and /entities lookups are free; only successful (HTTP 200) answers count. This actor charges 0.01 USD per entity record it returns, on top of that. Screens with no match, unknown IDs and refused requests are never charged.

How accurate is the matching, and how do I reduce false positives?

The /match API scores candidates with the logic-v2 algorithm by default, which compares names across scripts and transliterations and then weighs supporting or contradicting facts. Add a birth date, nationality, country or a registration, tax, LEI or IMO number to each entity, use the most specific entity type, and raise the threshold from 0.7 to 0.8 or 0.85 for low tolerance screening. Every row keeps the score and the full explanation under record.

Can I use it for continuous monitoring?

Yes, as OpenSanctions documents it: schedule the actor to re-screen your counterparties, optionally with changed since set to the date of the last run so only updated entities come back, and use the free entity details mode to re-check entity IDs you already resolved. Alert state and case management stay on your side.

What happens when a name has no match?

The row comes back with found set to false and a note saying there was no match in the chosen scope (and how many weaker candidates were left out below the threshold). It is never charged.

What happens if my key is wrong or my credits run out?

A 401 (wrong key) ends the run cleanly with the API's own words, and so does an empty credit balance. A 429 means the key reached its request quota; it is waited out a few times and then ends the run. Server errors are retried.

Pricing

Event	Price	Charged for
sanctions-entity-record	0.01 USD	Each candidate entity, search result or entity record OpenSanctions returns

Keyword map

OpenSanctions API, sanctions screening API, PEP screening, politically exposed persons check, AML screening, KYC screening, KYB, watchlist screening, OFAC SDN check, EU sanctions list, UN sanctions, UK sanctions list, adverse list check, debarment check, sanctions name matching, fuzzy name matching, counterparty screening, vessel sanctions IMO check, crypto wallet sanctions, continuous monitoring, compliance automation.

Terms and data use

Use of the hosted OpenSanctions API is governed by the General Terms and Conditions for the OpenSanctions API (opensanctions.org/docs/terms/api/202609). Section 7.2 grants you the right, for the term of your contract, to obtain the data through the API and to store and display it for internal purposes or within your own products or services offered to third parties. Section 7.3 forbids duplicating or scraping the data collection or significant parts of it (7.3(a)), selling, renting or lending it (7.3(b)), making it publicly accessible (7.3(c)), passing it on or distributing it in whole or in substantial parts (7.3(d), (e), (l)), editing its contents (7.3(f)), using it for marketing (7.3(g)) or to compete directly with OpenSanctions (7.3(h)). Section 7.4 states the rights are granted to you alone and not in favor of your technical service providers or other third parties. There is no storage or cache time limit. Run this actor with your own key, keep the results inside your own organization or products, and do not publish, resell or bulk export them; redistribution needs an OpenSanctions reseller licence. This actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenSanctions.