Frequently Asked Questions

An OFAC license is an authorization from OFAC to engage in transactions that otherwise would be prohibited by U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC. There are two types of OFAC licenses: general licenses and specific licenses. General License: A general license authorizes certain categories of… Read more

OFAC reviews each specific license application on a case-by-case basis, generally in the order in which they are received. The review process for each license application may vary, which will affect the length of the review. For example, in some instances, OFAC may require additional information… Read more

When attempting to verify or disqualify potential matches to individuals or entities on OFAC's sanctions lists, organizations should follow their own sanctions compliance policies and procedures for investigating potential matches.  OFAC recommends that such procedures include the following steps… Read more

E.O. 14312 removes sanctions on Syria, effective July 1, 2025, while maintaining sanctions on Bashar al-Assad and certain other destabilizing regional actors. Specifically, the E.O. revokes the following six E.O.s that form the foundation of the Syrian Sanctions Program and terminates the national… Read more

Yes. All Syrian financial institutions, including the Central Bank of Syria, were removed from OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) on June 30, 2025. Effective July 1, 2025, U.S. persons are not prohibited from providing financial services to Syria,… Read more

No. The United States no longer maintains comprehensive sanctions on Syria, effective July 1, 2025, following the issuance of E.O. 14312 . You may send U.S.-origin food or medicine to Syria without a specific license from OFAC. The Department of Commerce maintains jurisdiction over the export of… Read more

GL 52C authorizes, subject to its conditions and exclusions, transactions prohibited by Executive Orders (E.O.s) 13884 or 13850 with Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) and any entity in which PdVSA owns, directly or indirectly, a 50 percent or greater interest (collectively, "PdVSA Entities"), by… Read more

OFAC encourages anyone who is aware of possible violations of OFAC-administered sanctions to report them to OFAC through OFAC's Disclosure Portal . In considering any enforcement action, OFAC looks at the totality of the circumstances surrounding any possible violation, including whether a matter… Read more

The President issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13835 on May 21, 2018. Subsection 1(a)(iii) of E.O. 13835 prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions related to the sale, transfer, assignment, or pledging as collateral by the Government of Venezuela (GOV) of any equity interest in an entity… Read more

On October 22, 2025, OFAC designated Public Joint-Stock Company Oil Company Lukoil (Lukoil) to increase pressure on Russia's energy sector and degrade Russia's ability to raise revenue for its war machine. OFAC is aware of potential efforts by Lukoil to divest its assets outside of Russia to non-… Read more