Sanctions Screening API Reference

Overview

Sanctions Screening works by matching your query against every name and alias on the OFAC SDN list using fuzzy name matching built for transliterated names. Sanctioned individuals are listed under many spellings, so exact comparison misses them. Each result carries a confidence score and the alias it matched on, letting you tune between catching more names and reviewing fewer false positives.

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

GEThttps://api.apiverve.com/v1/sanctionscreening

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sanctionscreening?name=Banco%20Nacional%20de%20Cuba&threshold=0.85&limit=10&type=individual" \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"

const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sanctionscreening?name=Banco%20Nacional%20de%20Cuba&threshold=0.85&limit=10&type=individual', {
  headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here' },
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sanctionscreening?name=Banco%20Nacional%20de%20Cuba&threshold=0.85&limit=10&type=individual",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/sanctionscreening?name=Banco%20Nacional%20de%20Cuba&threshold=0.85&limit=10&type=individual", nil)
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Parameters

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Parameter	Type	Description
`name`Required	string	The person or company name to screen (minimum 3 characters)
`threshold`OptionalPremium	number	Minimum match score to return, between 0.5 and 1. Lower catches more names but returns more false positives default 0.85
`limit`OptionalPremium	number	Maximum number of matches to return (1-50) default 10
`type`OptionalPremium	string	Restrict screening to one entry type

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "query": "Banco Nacional de Cuba",
    "matched": true,
    "matchCount": 1,
    "verdict": "exact",
    "topScore": 1,
    "results": [
      {
        "uid": 306,
        "name": "BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA",
        "type": "entity",
        "score": 1,
        "confidence": "exact",
        "matchedOn": "BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA",
        "matchedVia": "primary",
        "isWeakAlias": false,
        "programs": [
          "CUBA"
        ],
        "title": null,
        "aka": [
          {
            "name": "BNC",
            "type": "aka",
            "strength": "weak"
          },
          {
            "name": "NATIONAL BANK OF CUBA",
            "type": "aka",
            "strength": "strong"
          }
        ],
        "dateOfBirth": [],
        "placeOfBirth": [],
        "nationalities": [],
        "citizenships": [],
        "addresses": [
          {
            "address1": "Zweierstrasse 35",
            "city": "Zurich",
            "postalCode": "CH-8022",
            "country": "Switzerland"
          },
          {
            "address1": "Avenida de Concha Espina 8",
            "city": "Madrid",
            "postalCode": "E-28036",
            "country": "Spain"
          },
          {
            "address1": "Dai-Ichi Bldg. 6th Floor, 10-2 Nihombashi, 2-chome, Chuo-ku",
            "city": "Tokyo",
            "postalCode": "103",
            "country": "Japan"
          },
          {
            "address1": "Federico Boyd Avenue & 51 Street",
            "city": "Panama City",
            "country": "Panama"
          }
        ],
        "ids": [],
        "remarks": null
      }
    ],
    "list": {
      "source": "OFAC SDN",
      "authority": "US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control",
      "publishDate": "07/15/2026",
      "recordCount": 19217,
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16T05:00:12.431Z"
    }
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`query`	string	`"Banco Nacional de Cuba"`	The name that was screened
`matched`	boolean	`true`	Whether any entry on the list matched the query
`matchCount`	number	`1`	Number of matching entries returned
`verdict`	string	`"exact"`	Highest confidence across all matches: exact, high, possible, or none
`topScore`	number	`1`	Match score of the strongest match, from 0 to 1
`results`	array[1]		Matching SDN entries, strongest first
`uid`	number	`306`	OFAC unique identifier for the entry
`name`	string	`"BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA"`	Primary name as published by OFAC
`type`	string	`"entity"`	Entry type: individual, entity, vessel, or aircraft
`score`	number	`1`	Match score for this entry, from 0 to 1
`confidence`	string	`"exact"`	Plain-language score band: exact, high, or possible
`matchedOn`Premium	string	`"BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA"`	The normalized name or alias the query actually matched
`matchedVia`Premium	string	`"primary"`	Whether the match came from the primary name or an alias type
`isWeakAlias`Premium	boolean	`false`	True when matched on an alias OFAC flags as low confidence
`programs`	array	`[CUBA]`	Sanctions programs the entry is listed under
`title`Premium	object	`null`	Role or title of the listed individual
`aka`Premium	array[2]		All known aliases with type and strength
`name`Premium	string	`"BNC"`
`type`Premium	string	`"aka"`
`strength`Premium	string	`"weak"`
`dateOfBirth`Premium	array	`[]`	Published dates of birth
`placeOfBirth`Premium	array	`[]`	Published places of birth
`nationalities`Premium	array	`[]`	Published nationalities
`citizenships`Premium	array	`[]`	Published citizenships
`addresses`Premium	array[4]		Published addresses
`address1`Premium	string	`"Zweierstrasse 35"`
`city`Premium	string	`"Zurich"`
`postalCode`Premium	string	`"CH-8022"`
`country`Premium	string	`"Switzerland"`
`ids`Premium	array	`[]`	Published identity documents and registration numbers
`remarks`Premium	object	`null`	OFAC remarks for the entry
`list`	object	`{...}`
`source`	string	`"OFAC SDN"`	Name of the sanctions list screened
`authority`	string	`"US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control"`	Publishing authority for the list
`publishDate`	string	`"07/15/2026"`	Date OFAC published the list version screened against
`recordCount`	number	`19217`	Number of entries on the list version screened against
`lastUpdated`	string	`"2026-07-16T05:00:12.431Z"`	ISO 8601 timestamp of the last successful list sync

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted	A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart; see rate limits.

Other ways to use Sanctions Screening

Set up Sanctions Screening on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →

Use it in Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.VerveSheets →Reference →

Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.VerveContext →Reference →

Sanctions Screening