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OFAC Business Search for Suppliers, Customers and Counterparties

An OFAC business search checks a company name against the OFAC sanctions lists to see whether the business is a listed entity. It should cover trading names, former names, addresses, registration numbers and any vessels the company runs, because listed entities rarely appear under one neat name.

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Business search at a glance

Entity types
Organizations, vessels and aircraft
Legal suffixes
GmbH, OOO, SA, JSC and similar removed
Extra data
Country, address, registration and IMO numbers
Lists
OFAC on every plan, global lists on Growth
Ownership
Reviewed by your team under the 50 percent rule
Two analysts tracing a printed company ownership chart on a meeting table

What is an OFAC business search

An OFAC business search is a sanctions check on an organization rather than a person. You enter the name of a supplier, customer, distributor, carrier or bank and compare it with the entities on the SDN list and the OFAC consolidated non-SDN lists. Entity entries can include aliases, former names, addresses in several countries, registration numbers and, for shipping companies, the vessels linked to them.

Company names change more often than people expect. A business can trade under a brand that differs from its legal name, rename itself after it is designated, or set up a new firm at the same address. OFAC entries record many of these as aliases or as formerly known as names, often written fka. A search that only looks at the exact legal name misses them.

There is also a rule that no name search can answer by itself. Under the OFAC 50 percent rule, a company can be blocked even though it never appears on any list.

What to search for each business

A thorough business search uses more than the name on the invoice. Collect these during onboarding.

  • Full legal name

    As registered, including the legal form. OfacScanner removes suffixes such as GmbH, OOO, SA and JSC before scoring so they do not distort the result.

  • Trading names and brands

    Any name the business uses with customers. Search each one as its own record.

  • Former names

    Ask whether the company traded under another name in recent years. Listed entities often appear with fka names.

  • Registered and operating address

    Country and city help separate a listed entity from an unrelated firm with a similar name.

  • Registration or tax numbers

    Identifiers in the OFAC entry give the strongest proof for or against a match.

  • Vessels and aircraft

    For shipping, freight and aviation partners, search vessel names and IMO numbers too.

The OFAC 50 percent rule explained

Under OFAC guidance, any entity owned 50 percent or more, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, by one or more blocked persons is itself treated as blocked. That is true even when the entity is not named on the SDN list or any other list.

Aggregate means the shares of different blocked persons are added together. If one blocked person owns 30 percent of a company and another owns 25 percent, the company is blocked. Indirect means ownership through other companies counts. If a blocked person owns 100 percent of a holding company that owns 50 percent of a subsidiary, the subsidiary is blocked as well.

The rule is about ownership, not control. A company that a blocked person controls but owns less than 50 percent of is not automatically blocked under this rule, though OFAC advises caution with such companies and they may become designated later.

  • Owned 50 percent or more by blocked persons means blocked
  • Shares of several blocked persons are added together
  • Ownership through other companies counts
  • Control without 50 percent ownership calls for extra care

OfacScanner checks names and you check ownership

OfacScanner does not hold ownership data and does not decide whether a company falls under the 50 percent rule. It screens the names, aliases, addresses and identifiers you give it. To cover ownership, collect the owners of each business partner during onboarding, then screen every owner who is a person or company as a separate record, for example with batch sanctions screening. If owners on the lists add up to 50 percent or more, treat the company as blocked.

How to run an OFAC business search

Five steps that cover the company, its names and its owners.

  1. 01

    Search the legal name as an organization

    Set the type to organization so people with similar names do not crowd the results. Add the country.

  2. 02

    Search trading and former names

    Run each extra name as its own search, or list them as rows in one CSV file.

  3. 03

    Search linked vessels and aircraft

    For carriers and shipping partners, search the vessel or aircraft name and add the IMO number when you have it.

  4. 04

    Screen the owners

    Screen each owner from the ownership information you collected. Add up the shares of any owners that match a listed party.

  5. 05

    Decide and keep the record

    Clear or escalate with a reason. Each result keeps the list version, time and score breakdown for your files.

Business names and the ratings they get

Fictional companies screened as organizations, showing how suffixes, former names and country affect the rating.

Businesses you search

  • Northwind Freight GmbH, organization, Germany
  • Bluewater Trading JSC, organization
  • Example Marine Holdings SA, organization, Panama

Rating you get

  • Northwind Freight GmbH

    No candidate above your threshold

    35/100 Clear

  • Bluewater Trading JSC

    Close to a former name on a listed entity, no country given

    80/100 Review

  • Example Marine Holdings SA

    Alias match after suffix removal, country fits

    93/100 Likely match

Example data for illustration. The companies are fictional. Real results show the listed entry, the matched alias, the program and the list version date.

OFAC business search questions

Another question? Write to [email protected].

Can a company be blocked if it is not on the SDN list?
Yes. Under the 50 percent rule an entity owned 50 percent or more, directly or indirectly, by one or more blocked persons is blocked even if its own name is not listed.

Does OfacScanner check company ownership?
No. OfacScanner screens the names and details you provide. You collect ownership information and screen each owner, then apply the 50 percent rule to the results.

Why remove legal suffixes before matching?
Suffixes such as GmbH, OOO, SA or JSC carry little meaning for identity and differ between countries and records. Removing them lets the score focus on the distinctive part of the name.

Should I search individuals linked to a business too?
Yes. Directors, signatories and owners are often screened as people. Our guide to OFAC name search covers how to search people well.

Which lists cover shipping and trade risk?
The OFAC lists include many vessels and trading companies. Exporters and logistics firms usually add the UN, EU and UK lists, which are part of Growth and higher. See sanctions screening for exporters.

Keep exploring

OFAC name search Search a person by name and catch spelling and alias variants. Read more Exporters Screen every party on a shipment in one CSV file before goods leave. Read more Logistics Screen shippers, consignees, notify parties and vessels before cargo moves. Read more SDN list search Search the Specially Designated Nationals list with aliases and a clear score. Read more

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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.