# Sanctions Watchlist Monitor: OFAC, UK, EU & UN Alerts (`tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist`) Actor

Ongoing sanctions monitoring for your customer or supplier list. Re-screens names against OFAC SDN, UK, EU and UN lists every run and flags only NEW matches (and removals) since the last run. Schedule it daily for continuous KYC/AML screening.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist.md
- **Developed by:** [Tudor Lane](https://apify.com/tudorlane) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% 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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Sanctions Watchlist Monitor: OFAC, UK, EU & UN alerts

**Use when:** an agent or workflow must keep re-screening a customer/supplier list and only hear about **new** sanctions matches or delistings since the last run (ongoing KYC/AML monitoring). For one-off checks use Sanctions Screening instead.

**Try this input**

```json
{"names": [{"name": "Vladimir Putin", "dob": "1952"}, {"name": "Acme Widgets Ltd"}], "watchlistId": "default", "threshold": 88}
```

**Sample output** (one item, shortened)

```json
{"name": "Vladimir Putin", "baseline": false, "changed": true, "new_match_count": 1, "risk": "high",
 "changes": ["NEW match: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN on UK Sanctions List (FCDO/OFSI) (score 100.0)"],
 "new_matches": [{"list": "UK Sanctions List (FCDO/OFSI)", "id": "RUS0251", "score": 100}]}
```

Lists: US OFAC SDN (+ aliases), UK Sanctions List (FCDO), EU Financial Sanctions File, UN Security Council Consolidated. Up to 5,000 names; optional DOB year and country cut false positives. Schedule it daily.

**Pricing:** pay per event, **$0.0005 per name screened** + **$0.05 per new match**. Baseline (first) runs never charge for new matches.

### Limits & failure modes

- First run for a `watchlistId` only saves a baseline; changes are reported from the second run.
- Fuzzy matching: lower `threshold` (min 70) means more false positives. Always confirm a match on the official list.
- If an official list can't be downloaded, the run reports it rather than silently treating names as clear.
- Snapshot lives in your named key-value store `sanctions-watchlist`; deleting it resets the baseline.
- Screening aid, not legal advice.

Last tested 2026-10-29.

### Use from AI agents (MCP)

- **Apify MCP server:** add `https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist` to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code or any MCP client.
- **REST:** `POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/tudorlane~sanctions-watchlist/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN` with the input JSON.

# Actor input Schema

## `names` (type: `array`):

Max 5000. Each: {name, dob (optional, year or date), country (optional), type (optional: individual/entity)} or a plain string.

## `watchlistId` (type: `string`):

Name for this watchlist; the snapshot is kept in your named key-value store 'sanctions-watchlist' under this ID.

## `threshold` (type: `integer`):

Fuzzy-match score 70-100.

## `previousSnapshot` (type: `object`):

Optional: pass the SNAPSHOT record from an earlier run instead of the saved watchlist.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "names": [
    {
      "name": "Vladimir Putin",
      "dob": "1952"
    },
    {
      "name": "Acme Widgets Ltd"
    }
  ],
  "watchlistId": "default",
  "threshold": 88
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One item per request.

## `dataset` (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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "names": [
        {
            "name": "Vladimir Putin",
            "dob": "1952"
        },
        {
            "name": "Acme Widgets Ltd"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "names": [
        {
            "name": "Vladimir Putin",
            "dob": "1952",
        },
        { "name": "Acme Widgets Ltd" },
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "names": [
    {
      "name": "Vladimir Putin",
      "dob": "1952"
    },
    {
      "name": "Acme Widgets Ltd"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tudorlane/sanctions-watchlist"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/WgvPwspWKZlH5441Z/builds/1bSiCL55ZewNB7ep6/openapi.json