Frequently Asked Questions

1123. In Crystallex Int’l Corp. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 17-mc-00151 (D. Del.), the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has entered a Sale Procedures Order with respect to certain shares in PDV Holding (PDVH) to satisfy a U.S. district court judgment confirming an arbitral award against Venezuela. May persons participate in or comply with steps relating to a judicial sale of such shares?

1123 … OFAC will not take enforcement action against any individuals or entities for participating in, facilitating, or complying with the prefatory steps set out in the court’s Sale Procedures Order, or for engaging in transactions that are ordinarily incident and necessary to participating in,… Read more

1124. I am a party seeking to enforce bondholder rights to the shares of CITGO Holding serving as collateral for the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) 2020 8.5 percent bond, pending the outcome of ongoing litigation. How can I preserve or enforce my bondholder rights consistent with the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 591 (VSR)?

1124 … OFAC will not take enforcement action against any person for taking steps to preserve the ability to enforce bondholder rights to the CITGO shares serving as collateral for the PdVSA 2020 8.5 percent bond (see also OFAC Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) 1123 ; General License 42 and OFAC FAQ… Read more

1125. I am a creditor of the Government of Venezuela, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), or a PdVSA subsidiary. Do I need an OFAC license to negotiate the settlement of claims related to assets of the Government of Venezuela or PdVSA?

1125 … Venezuela General License (GL) 42 generally authorizes transactions prohibited by the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 591 (VSR), that are ordinarily incident and necessary to the negotiation of settlement agreements with the IV National Assembly, its Delegated Commission, an IV… Read more

1030. What obligations do operators of credit card systems have under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 587 (RuHSR), and the Belarus Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 548 (BSR), with regard to payment cards issued by sanctioned Russian financial institutions?

1030 … Pursuant to the RuHSR and BSR, U.S. persons, including U.S. operators of credit card systems and U.S. acquirers, are prohibited from processing transactions involving certain sanctioned foreign financial institutions, unless exempt or authorized by OFAC. Non-U.S. operators of credit card… Read more

1031. What is a UID? And why does OFAC sometimes publish lists of UIDs in its Recent Actions notices?

1031 … Throughout OFAC’s sanctions list data products , such as the XML file, each entry is assigned a unique identification number (UID) as a means to help make sorting and filtering through information easier. In OFAC’s files, a UID is a numeric string that is associated with a single entry… Read more

1032. On April 20, 2022, Transkapitalbank (TKB) was designated pursuant to Russia-related Executive Order 14024. Can U.S. persons continue to engage in Afghanistan-related transactions with TKB?

1032 … Yes. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued two general licenses (GLs) related to TKB, which allow U.S. persons to engage in certain transactions involving TKB for specified time periods. Russia-related GL 28 (this content is no longer available) authorizes U.S. persons to… Read more

1033. What actions were taken on May 8, 2022 related to certain accounting, trust and corporate formation, and management consulting services?

1033 … On May 8, 2022, the Director of OFAC, in consultation with the Department of State, issued a determination pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14071 , "Prohibitions Related to Certain Accounting, Trust and Corporate Formation, and Management Consulting Services," prohibiting the exportation,… Read more

1034. For the purposes of the determination of May 8, 2022 made pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14071, “Prohibitions Related to Certain Accounting, Trust and Corporate Formation, and Management Consulting Services,” what is meant by the terms “accounting,” “trust and corporate formation,” and “management consulting” services?

1034 … For the purposes of the determination of May 8, 2022 made pursuant to E.O. 14071 , OFAC anticipates publishing regulations defining these terms to include the following: “Accounting services” – includes services related to the measurement, processing, and evaluation of financial data about… Read more

1035. For the purposes of Russia-related General License 35 what is meant by the terms “credit rating services” and “auditing services?”

1035 … The term “credit rating services” means services related to assessments of a borrower’s ability to meet financial commitments, including analysis of general creditworthiness or with respect to a specific debt or financial obligation. The term “auditing services” means examination or… Read more

1036. When do the prohibitions imposed by the determination of May 8, 2022 made pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14071, “Prohibitions Related to Certain Accounting, Trust and Corporate Formation, and Management Consulting Services,” take effect?

1036 … The prohibitions imposed by the determination of May 8, 2022 made pursuant to E.O. 14071 take effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time June 7, 2022. In addition, OFAC has issued General License 34 to authorize all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the wind down of the… Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence