Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) and the SDN List

As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. Collectively, such individuals and companies are called "Specially Designated Nationals" or "SDNs." Their assets are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

The best way to get the SDN list is from OFAC's website. The list is disseminated in a number of different formats, including XML and fixed field/delimited files that can be integrated into databases.

The SDN list is frequently updated. There is no predetermined timetable, but rather names are added or removed as necessary and appropriate.

All changes for the current calendar year are cumulatively available in the SDN List PDF file. The entire list may also be browsed using OFAC's Sanctions List Search Tool​. Cumulative changes for prior years back to 1994 are also available in ASCII format on the Archive of Changes to the SDN List page. The same link will take you to a *.PDF version of the file for calendar years back to 2001.

Date Updated: May 9, 2024

If you have checked a name manually or by using software and find a match, you should do a little more research. Is it an exact name match, or very close? Is your customer located in the same general area as the SDN or another entry on one of OFAC's sanctions lists? If not, it may be a "false hit." If there are many similarities, contact OFAC's hotline for verification.

SDNs are individuals and entities located throughout the world that are blocked pursuant to the various sanctions programs administered by OFAC. SDNs can be front companies, parastatal entities, or individuals determined to be owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries or groups. They also can be specially identified individuals such as terrorists or narcotics traffickers. U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with SDNs and must block any property in their possession or under their control in which an SDN has an interest. SDNs are designated primarily under the statutory authority of the Trading With the Enemy Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. OFAC also administers several other sanctions lists including the Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE) List and the Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI) List. U.S. persons are not required to block the property of individuals and entities on these FSE and SSI lists (unless the targets are also on the SDN list), but other prohibitions and investment restrictions apply.

The Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") of the U.S. Department of Commerce maintains separate lists for the purposes of the programs that it administers (including the Denied Persons List and the Entity List). The Denied Persons List consists of individuals and companies that have been denied export and reexport privileges by BIS. The Entity List consists of foreign end users who pose an unacceptable risk of diverting U.S. exports and the technology they contain to alternate destinations for the development of weapons of mass destruction. Accordingly, U.S. exports to those entities may require a license. Authority for the Denied Persons List and the Entity List can be found in Title 15, Part 764, Supplement No. 2 and Title 15, Part 744, Supplement No.4 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, respectively.

The foreign policy objectives and legal requirements of OFAC's lists are significantly different from those of the BIS lists. The unique goals of the OFAC and BIS programs preclude the creation of a combined OFAC and BIS list.

For historical information about names that have been added to, updated, or removed from OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals List or one of OFAC’s other sanctions lists, please see our Archive of Changes page. Designation, removal, and update information is organized chronologically by list and by year. In addition, all changes to OFAC’s lists are announced on OFAC’s recent actions pages and OFAC maintains all of its recent actions records going back to 2001. Users can now search the entire collection of recent actions notices by using the search field at the top right of the recent actions page.

If you, your organization, or your property have been listed by OFAC on an OFAC-administered sanctions list, you or your authorized representative can request removal by following the administrative reconsideration process described in 31 CFR § 501.807. Administrative reconsideration is OFAC's process for reevaluating the circumstances that led to a person or property being sanctioned, which allows OFAC to assess and reconsider whether the sanctions against the person or property should remain in force. For additional information concerning the administrative reconsideration process, please refer to the How to Request Removal from an OFAC Sanctions List page on OFAC's website.

If you have been listed by the Department of State on an OFAC-administered sanctions list, please see Sanctions Delisting - United States Department of State for information about the State Department's review process for removal of sanctions imposed by the Department of State.

The administrative reconsideration process is solely intended for persons who appear on one of OFAC's lists or are otherwise sanctioned. If you have been mistaken for a sanctioned person, for example, because you have a name that is a close match to a listed person, contact OFAC's Compliance Hotline.

Using OFAC's Reconsideration Portal, you can submit a petition for administrative reconsideration (also referred to as a "delisting petition" or a "reconsideration request") to request that OFAC remove a person or property (e.g., a vessel) from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) or any other list maintained by OFAC. This portal enables OFAC to gather required and recommended information to facilitate the delisting petition reinvestigation process.

After you or your authorized representative submits a petition through the portal, OFAC will perform an initial review to assess whether the submission contains the required information. If necessary, OFAC will contact the submitter to request the missing required information. If the petition submission appears complete, OFAC will email a petition identification number (Case ID or Petition ID). OFAC endeavors to perform its initial review of portal submissions within seven to 10 business days.

OFAC's reinvestigation of each delisting petition is unique and the processing time—which can be lengthy—will vary depending on a range of factors, including the thoroughness of the initial delisting petition submission, OFAC's need for additional information, candor of the petitioner, and the level of necessary consultation with other government agencies, among others. If OFAC needs additional information or clarification to evaluate a delisting petition, it may send you one or more questionnaires. To expedite the administrative reconsideration reinvestigation process, submitters should try to provide detailed and timely responses to questionnaires according to the instructions included with the questionnaire. To request an update on your delisting petition, follow the instructions provided in the email assigning you a Petition ID and include "Status Update" in the subject line. Please note, however, due to the high volume of correspondence, we will not be able to respond to every email or request for a status update.

Once OFAC has all the information needed to make its determination and has completed its review, OFAC will notify you or your authorized representative of the determination via email. Generally, petitions will either be granted or denied. If granted, the relevant blocked person or property will be removed from the relevant OFAC sanctions list, and a notification of the delisting will be published in the Federal Register. If denied, you may reapply using the same process, however, you will need to present new arguments or evidence to support OFAC in potentially reaching a different determination.

OFAC may deny delisting petitions that contain inconsistent, misleading, or false information or statements. Knowingly and willfully making materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or concealing a material fact in a submission to OFAC also may result in criminal penalties.

Date Updated: June 29, 2026

Yes. If you, your organization, or your property have been listed by OFAC on one of OFAC's sanctions lists, and OFAC denied your delisting petition, you may reapply using the same process as the initial delisting petition (see FAQ 897); however, you will need to present new arguments or evidence to support OFAC in potentially reaching a different determination. If you fail to present new arguments or evidence, OFAC may deny your delisting petition with reference to its previous determination. For additional information on how to submit delisting petitions and the information required for submission, see the How to Request Removal from an OFAC Sanctions List page on OFAC's website.

The administrative reconsideration process is solely intended for persons who appear on one of OFAC's lists or are otherwise sanctioned. If you have been mistaken for a sanctioned person, for example, because you have a name that is a close match to a listed person, contact OFAC's Compliance Hotline.