CSV upload
Batch Sanctions Screening for Your Whole Customer File
Batch sanctions screening checks many names in one run instead of one at a time. You upload a CSV file of customers, vendors or payees, OfacScanner screens every row against the sanctions lists, and you download a file with a rating for each row.
What is batch sanctions screening
Batch sanctions screening means checking a full list of records against sanctions lists in a single job. The list is usually an export from your CRM, billing system, ERP or onboarding tool, saved as a CSV file. Each row is one person, company or vessel, and each row gets its own result.
Teams use it in three common moments. The first is the backlog, when a company starts a sanctions program and has thousands of existing customers nobody has checked yet. The second is the regular sweep, when a vendor file or a customer base is screened again on a fixed schedule. The third is a one off event, such as an acquisition, a new bank partner asking for proof, or a new market where you take on a large group of accounts at once.
Doing this by hand means typing each name into a search box and saving a screenshot. With a file of a few hundred rows that already takes a full day. With tens of thousands it is not realistic, and the gaps in the work are exactly what an examiner looks for.
How to screen a CSV file
From export to downloaded results in five steps. Nothing to install.
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01
Export your records
Save customers, vendors or payees as a CSV file with a header row. One row per party. Extra columns are fine, they are kept and returned in the results file.
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02
Upload the file
Drop the file into the batch screen in your workspace. A file can hold up to 100,000 rows, and larger exports can be split into several files.
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03
Map the columns
Tell OfacScanner which column holds the name and, if you have them, the entity type, country, date of birth and your own record ID. The mapping is saved for the next file with the same layout.
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04
Run the batch
Every row is normalized, transliterated and scored against the lists you have enabled. You can leave the page, the job keeps running and the status shows the progress.
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05
Download and review
Download the results CSV, or open the rows rated Review, Likely match or Exact match straight away. Possible matches become cases your team can assign and close with a reason.
What goes in and what comes out
A short slice of an uploaded vendor file and the ratings returned for it. Your own columns stay next to the result, so the file drops back into your system.
Rows in your CSV
- V-1042, Northwind Freight Ltd, organization, PA
- V-1043, Harbor Lane Supplies, organization, US
- C-2210, Elena Petrova, individual, 1979-03-14
- V-1044, Example Vessel Star, vessel,
Rating per row
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Northwind Freight Ltd
No candidate above your threshold
38/100 Clear -
Harbor Lane Supplies
No candidate above your threshold
22/100 Clear -
Elena Petrova
Similar listed name, birth year differs
78/100 Review -
Example Vessel Star
Alias match on a listed vessel name
92/100 Likely match
Example data for illustration. The real results file adds the matched entry, its alias, the sanctions program, the list name and the list version date for every row with a candidate.
Prepare a clean file before you upload
Better input gives fewer false positives. These small steps pay off on large files.
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Use one row per party
Split joint accounts and list directors or beneficiaries you want screened as their own rows.
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Keep full legal names
Avoid initials and short forms when the full name is in your system. Legal suffixes are handled for you.
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Add a country column
A country or nationality lets the score separate a namesake abroad from a listed party.
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Add dates of birth for people
A birth date is the single strongest way to clear a common name quickly.
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Mark the entity type
Individual, organization or vessel. A person is never scored high against a ship.
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Include your own record ID
It comes back in the results file, so you can match results to accounts without guessing.
Built for files with thousands of rows
A batch is only useful if the review that follows is fast. These parts keep the follow up short.
Column mapping you set once
Map name, type, country, birth date and ID columns. The same export layout works again next month without new setup.
The same matching as single checks
Every row gets normalization, alias search, transliteration and a 0 to 100 score, exactly like an OFAC check on one name.
Cases for possible matches
Rows above your threshold open as cases. Assign them, comment, decide and close each one with a reason.
Evidence per row
Each row is stored with the list version, time, user and score breakdown, the same proof you get for a single check.
Monitoring after the batch
Screened rows can stay under ongoing sanctions monitoring, so the next list update is checked for you.
Webhooks when work is done
Get a screening.completed or case.created event in your own system instead of checking the page.
From a one time batch to a steady routine
A batch answers the question for today. Sanctions lists change several times a month, so the file you cleared this morning can hold a listed party next week. The usual pattern is one large batch to clear the backlog, then monitoring of the same records so every new list version is compared against them automatically.
New customers usually come in one at a time through an onboarding form. For those, a single check in the app or the sanctions screening API fits better than a daily file. Many teams use all three. They run a batch for the existing base, check new sign ups as they arrive and keep everyone under monitoring.
- Initial backlog of existing customers or vendors
- Quarterly or monthly sweep of a vendor or payee file
- Portfolio taken over in an acquisition
- Proof requested by a bank partner or auditor
Plan and limits for batch files
Batch CSV screening is part of the Growth plan and every plan above it. Growth includes 50,000 checks per month, and each screened row counts as one check. Files can hold up to 100,000 rows. There are no overage fees, so at the monthly limit new checks pause until the next period while monitoring keeps running. See pricing for every plan.
Batch sanctions screening questions
Another question? Write to [email protected].
Which file format do I need?
How many rows can one file hold?
Which columns help the most?
What happens to rows that look like a match?
Can I run a batch through the API?
Keep exploring
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Type a person or company name, see the risk rating and top candidates from the current OFAC list, and keep the evidence when you sign up.
Results support your compliance decisions, and the final decision stays with your team. OfacScanner is not affiliated with OFAC or the U.S. Department of the Treasury.