Frequently Asked Questions

552. Has the Treasury Department now sanctioned the individuals and entities included in its January 29, 2018 report on senior political figures, oligarchs, and parastatal entities of the Russian Federation?

552 … No. Pursuant to section 241 of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (Pub. L. 115-44), the Treasury Department, in consultation with Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, delivered a report on January 29, 2018 to the specified congressional… Read more

627. What is the purpose of the Executive Order (E.O.) of September 20, 2018, “Authorizing the Implementation of Certain Sanctions Set Forth in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act”?

627 … Title II of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, as amended ( CAATSA ), and the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, as amended ( UFSA ), provide for the imposition of certain sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation. The E.O. of September 20, 2018 provides… Read more

673. What is the purpose of Executive Order (E.O.) 13883, “Administration of Proliferation Sanctions and Amendment of Executive Order 12851”?

673 … E.O. 13883 delegates to the Secretary of the Treasury the implementation of the sanctions related to multilateral development bank assistance and to United States bank loans that are contained in the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, as amended (“CBW… Read more

563. What is the structure of a digital currency address on OFAC’s SDN List?

563 … Digital currency addresses listed on the SDN List include their unique alphanumeric identifier (up to 256 characters) and identify the digital currency to which the address corresponds (e.g., Bitcoin (XBT), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Neo (NEO), Dash (DASH), Ripple (XRP), Iota (MIOTA),… Read more

594. Is it possible to query a digital currency address using OFAC’s Sanctions List Search tool?

594 … Yes, it is possible to query for digital currency addresses using OFAC’s Sanctions List Search tool. Users of the tool may search for digital currency addresses by inputting the hash value into the "ID #" field and then clicking "Search." The ID # field does not use fuzzy logic, so only exact… Read more

646. How do I block digital currency?

646 … Once a U.S. person determines that they hold virtual currency that is required to be blocked pursuant to OFAC's regulations, the U.S. person must deny all parties access to that virtual currency, ensure that they comply with OFAC regulations related to the holding and reporting of blocked… Read more

647. Should an institution tell its customer that it blocked access to their digital currency and, if so, how does the institution explain it to the customer?

647 … An institution may notify its customer that it has blocked digital currency pursuant to OFAC regulations. The customer has the right to apply for the unblocking and release of the digital currency. To apply online to have the virtual currency released, please go to OFAC’s online application… Read more

481. If there is an active and ongoing investigation against an individual or entity for apparent violations of the Burmese Sanctions Regulations (“BSR”), would that investigation cease now that the President has ended economic and financial sanctions on Burma and the prohibitions in the BSR are no longer in effect?

481 … Pending OFAC enforcement matters will proceed irrespective of the termination of OFAC-administered sanctions on Burma, and OFAC will continue to review apparent violations of the BSR , whether they came to the agency’s attention before or after the Burma sanctions program was terminated.… Read more

695. What are the general travel authorizations in the Cuba program?

695 … Travel-related transactions are permitted by general or specific licenses for certain travel related to the 12 categories of activities identified in 31 CFR § 515.560(a) . Those travel-related transactions permitted by general license, subject to specified criteria and conditions, include:… Read more

696. Are authorized travelers who have initiated travel arrangements prior to the addition of an entity or subentity on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List required to cancel their Cuba-related travel plans if their travel arrangements involve direct financial transactions with a listed entity or subentity?

696 … Consistent with the Administration’s interest in avoiding negative impacts on Americans for arranging lawful travel to Cuba, any travel-related arrangements that include direct financial transactions with entities and subentities that appear on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List will… Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence