Frequently Asked Questions

919. How do sanctions related to U.S. bank loans imposed on Russia pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Act of 1991 (CBW Act), as announced by the State Department on August 20, 2021, affect existing prohibitions?

919 … The prohibitions announced by the State Department on August 20, 2021 related to U.S. bank loans have the same scope as those imposed by OFAC in August 2019 under the CBW Act Directive . Please see FAQs 675 – 678 for additional information. Independent of the CBW Act Directive, OFAC has… Read more

920. How are the sanctions related to import restrictions imposed on Russia pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Act of 1991 (CBW Act), as announced by the State Department on August 20, 2021, being implemented?

920 … The announced import restrictions related to the permanent importation of firearms and ammunition that are the growth, product, or manufacture of the Russian Federation will be implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). OFAC has… Read more

921. What is the purpose of Executive Order (E.O.) of August 20, 2021, “Blocking Property with Respect to Certain Russian Energy Export Pipelines”?

921 … The Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019, 22 U.S.C. 9526 note, as amended (PEESA), requires the imposition of sanctions with respect to the provision of vessels engaged in specified activities for the construction of certain Russian energy export pipelines, including the Nord… Read more

912. What does Belarus General License 3 (GL 3), “Authorizing Certain Transactions with the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus,” authorize?

912 … Belarus GL 3 authorizes transactions and activities with the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus (the Belarusian KGB) that are necessary and ordinarily incident to requesting, receiving, utilizing, paying for, or dealing in certain licenses and authorizations for the… Read more

913. Does Belarus GL 3 authorize the exportation of hardware or software to the Belarusian KGB, or where the Belarusian KGB is the end user of such hardware and software?

913 … No. Belarus GL 3 does not authorize the exportation, reexportation, or provision of any goods, technology, or services to the Belarusian KGB or any other blocked person, except for the limited purposes of complying with rules and regulations administered by, and certain actions and… Read more

914. Do non-U.S. persons risk exposure to U.S. sanctions for engaging in transactions and activities that would be authorized for U.S. persons pursuant to Venezuela General License (GL) 40C?

914 … No. Non-U.S. persons would not risk exposure under U.S. sanctions for engaging in activities or facilitating transactions or payments for such activities that would be authorized for U.S. persons pursuant to Venezuela GL 40C . … Do non-U.S. persons risk exposure to U.S. sanctions for engaging… Read more

915. For purposes of Venezuela General License (GL) 40C, what is liquefied petroleum gas?

915 … For purposes of Venezuela GL 40C , the term liquefied petroleum gas refers to the definition provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration – a group of hydrocarbon gases, primarily propane, normal butane, and isobutane, derived from crude oil refining or natural gas processing. These… Read more

892. What is the difference between the previous version of Sanctions List Search, and the upgraded version made live to the public on January 25, 2021?

892 … OFAC’s Sanctions List Search application has been available to the public since 2011. Over the years the tool’s userbase grew to a point where the original infrastructure and design for the application could not keep up with demand. In late 2020, OFAC took steps to increase the tool’s… Read more

894. What does Russia-related General License (GL) 1B authorize?

894 … Russia-related GL 1B authorizes U.S. persons to engage in certain transactions and activities involving the Federal State Budgetary Institution Marine Rescue Service (MRS) that are otherwise prohibited by Executive Order (E.O.) 14039 of August 20, 2021, "Blocking Property with Respect to… Read more

897. How can a person seek to be removed from an OFAC sanctions list?

897 … Consistent with OFAC regulations, persons may seek to be removed from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List or Other OFAC Sanctions Lists . For information concerning the process for seeking such removal, please refer to OFAC’s Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC… Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence