SDN List
The SDN List, formally the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, is the published register OFAC maintains of every individual, company, vessel, and entity currently designated as a Specially Designated National. It’s the single most-referenced sanctions data source in AML compliance, but it isn’t OFAC’s only list, and treating it as synonymous with “OFAC sanctions” generally misses several other lists that carry different legal consequences.
Key takeaways
- The SDN List is OFAC’s published register of every currently designated Specially Designated National, individuals, companies, vessels, and aircraft.
- OFAC provides it directly via its Sanctions List Service, in structured formats for system integration or through a browser search tool.
- The SDN List is distinct from OFAC’s Consolidated Non-SDN List, which covers more limited restrictions; treating them as one dataset misses real coverage.
- Entries include extensive alias lists and identifying details, which is why fuzzy matching, not exact-text search, is necessary to screen against it reliably.
- The list updates continuously with no fixed schedule, and OFAC’s own change archive runs back to 1994.
- The list itself can’t show entities automatically blocked under the 50 Percent Rule through ownership; that requires separate beneficial ownership analysis.
- Firms should pull data directly from OFAC’s own Sanctions List Service rather than relying on an undocumented third-party copy.
On this page
What the SDN List actually isHow to actually access itWhy “the SDN List” isn’t the same as “OFAC’s sanctions data”How an SDN List entry is actually structuredNo fixed update schedule, updated continuouslyWhy aliases make exact-match searching unreliableThe list doesn’t show hidden 50 Percent Rule exposureUsing the SDN List in practiceFAQsRead more
1994
Year OFAC’s own archive of changes to the SDN List begins
What the SDN List actually is
The SDN List, formally the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, is OFAC’s published register of every individual, company, vessel, and aircraft currently designated as an SDN. Each entry typically includes the name, known aliases, address, identifying numbers, and the specific sanctions programme under which the designation was made, tagged with a programme code such as [SDNTK] for narcotics trafficking designations or country-specific tags for programmes tied to a particular regime.
How to actually access it
OFAC provides the SDN List directly through its Sanctions List Service, which offers the full list in multiple formats, including XML and fixed-field or delimited files designed for direct integration into a firm’s own screening systems, alongside a browser-based Sanctions List Search application for manual lookups. The Sanctions List Service also includes a Customize Sanctions Dataset tool, letting users build a dataset limited to specific lists or programmes rather than downloading everything at once.
Why “the SDN List” isn’t the same as “OFAC’s sanctions data”
This is the point most introductory content collapses into one thing, and it matters operationally. OFAC’s Sanctions List Service explicitly separates the SDN List from a second, distinct dataset: the Consolidated Non-SDN List, covering individuals and entities subject to more limited, targeted restrictions that fall short of a full SDN-style asset block. A name can appear on the Consolidated Non-SDN List without being an SDN at all, carrying different, narrower legal consequences.
A screening programme built only around the SDN List, and blind to the Consolidated Non-SDN List, misses an entire category of restricted parties that OFAC separately tracks and publishes.
How an SDN List entry is actually structured
A typical entry combines several elements: the primary name, followed by any known aliases, marked a.k.a., which can run to a dozen or more variants for entities that operate under multiple front-company names; a physical address or range of addresses; identifying numbers such as a tax ID where available; and a bracketed programme tag identifying which sanctions authority and programme the designation falls under. Vessels and aircraft carry their own entries with registration and flag details rather than a personal address.
No fixed update schedule, updated continuously
OFAC updates the SDN List frequently but without a predetermined timetable, adding or removing names as necessary and appropriate rather than on any recurring cycle. OFAC maintains a cumulative changes file for the current calendar year, and a full archive of historical changes stretching back to 1994, letting researchers reconstruct exactly when a specific name was added, modified, or removed, since OFAC itself only maintains active, current list versions rather than a permanent historical snapshot within the live list.
Why aliases make exact-match searching unreliable
Because SDN entries routinely include extensive alias lists, transliterated name variants, and multiple spellings for names originating in non-Latin scripts, a screening system built around exact string matching will miss genuine hits routinely. This is precisely why sanctions screening depends on fuzzy matching logic rather than simple text comparison, and why alias coverage quality is one of the more important, and less visible, differentiators between screening data providers.
The list doesn’t show hidden 50 Percent Rule exposure
A subtlety worth being explicit about: the SDN List itself only shows entities OFAC has directly named. It doesn’t, and structurally can’t, show every entity that’s automatically blocked under the 50 Percent Rule through majority ownership by a named SDN, since OFAC doesn’t publish that derived, unlisted population. Checking the SDN List alone confirms whether a name was directly designated; it says nothing about whether an unlisted counterparty is nonetheless blocked because of who owns it.
Using the SDN List in practice
For a firm building or maintaining a sanctions screening programme, working with the SDN List well means downloading data directly from OFAC’s own Sanctions List Service or an equivalent primary feed rather than relying on a third party’s undocumented copy, refreshing that data on a schedule frequent enough to catch changes that happen without any advance notice, applying fuzzy matching tuned for the alias-heavy structure of real entries, and pairing name-list checks with beneficial ownership analysis to catch 50 Percent Rule exposure the list itself can’t reveal.
It’s also worth distinguishing the SDN List from the separate Consolidated Screening List some US agencies maintain, which combines export-control and trade-restriction data from multiple federal sources beyond OFAC alone. A firm operating in trade finance or export-adjacent business often needs to check both, since a name can appear on an export-control list without being an OFAC-designated SDN, and vice versa.
Screen against SDN and Non-SDN data together
Check counterparties against OFAC’s full sanctions data, not just the SDN List alone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SDN List?
The SDN List, formally the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, is OFAC’s published register of every individual, company, vessel, and entity currently designated as a Specially Designated National.
How do I access the actual SDN List?
OFAC provides it directly through its Sanctions List Service, in multiple formats including XML and delimited files for system integration, plus a browser-based search tool for manual lookups.
Is the SDN List the same as all of OFAC’s sanctions data?
No. OFAC separately maintains a Consolidated Non-SDN List covering entities subject to more limited restrictions that fall short of a full SDN asset block, which a firm also needs to screen against.
What information does a typical SDN List entry include?
Name, known aliases, address, identifying numbers where available, and a bracketed programme tag identifying the specific sanctions programme behind the designation.
How often is the SDN List updated?
Frequently, but on no predetermined schedule. Names are added or removed as necessary and appropriate, which is why continuous re-screening matters more than a fixed review cycle.
Why can’t I rely on exact name matching against the SDN List?
Entries routinely include extensive alias lists and transliterated name variants, so exact string matching misses genuine hits that fuzzy matching logic is specifically designed to catch.
Does the SDN List show every entity that’s actually blocked?
No. The list only shows directly named entities. It doesn’t show entities automatically blocked under the 50 Percent Rule through majority ownership by a named SDN, since OFAC doesn’t publish that derived population.
Is the SDN List the same as the Consolidated Screening List?
No. The Consolidated Screening List combines export-control and trade-restriction data from multiple US federal agencies beyond OFAC, so a name can appear on one without appearing on the other.
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Last reviewed July 19, 2026 · 9 min read · Written for compliance and risk professionals · By the WhoWiki editorial team
Key takeaway: The SDN List, formally the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, is the published register OFAC maintains of every individual, company, vessel, and entity currently designated as a Specially Designated National. It’s the single most-referenced sanctions data source in AML compliance, but it isn’t OFAC’s only list, and treating it as synonymous with “OFAC sanctions” generally misses several other lists that carry different legal consequences.