Sanctions screening API

KnowFirm's screening endpoint checks a business or party name against the U.S. Consolidated Screening List (CSL) — the U.S. government's merged export-control and sanctions watchlist (OFAC SDN, BIS Entity List, State Department lists, and more) — and returns scored potential matches in one call.

What is sanctions / denied-party screening?

Denied-party screening is the process of checking a customer, vendor, or counterparty against government watchlists before doing business with them, to avoid dealing with sanctioned or export-restricted parties. A screening API does this programmatically as part of onboarding or KYB.

One call

curl -X POST -H "X-API-Key: $KNOWFIRM_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Example Trading Co"}' https://api.knowfirm.com/v1/screening

Response (shape)

{
  "query": "Example Trading Co",
  "matchCount": 2,
  "matches": [
    { "name": "EXAMPLE TRADING CO", "score": 100, "list": "SDN", "source": "csl_screening", "capturedAt": "…" }
  ],
  "listFreshness": "2026-06-20T…",
  "disclaimer": "Informational screening against the U.S. Consolidated Screening List. …"
}

Each match carries a score (exact / prefix / partial), the underlying list, and listFreshness so you know how current the data is.

How KnowFirm is different

• KYB + screening in one API — verify a business and screen it without a second vendor.
• Transparent scoring + freshness — every match shows why it matched and when the list was last captured.
• Screening is never suppressed — opt-out / data-removal requests do not remove a party from screening results; a sanctioned entity cannot opt out of being screened.

Important: informational only

KnowFirm screening is informational and not legal advice. Always verify any potential match against the official source at trade.gov/consolidated-screening-list before acting, and consult counsel for compliance decisions. This is KYB tooling, not an FCRA consumer-reporting product.

FAQ

What list does KnowFirm screen against? The U.S. Consolidated Screening List (CSL), which merges the main U.S. export-control and sanctions lists (including OFAC SDN, BIS Entity List, and State Department lists).

Is a match a confirmed sanctions hit? No. A match is a scored potential match on name similarity. You must verify it against the official source and apply your own compliance judgment before acting.

Can a business opt out of screening? No. Opt-out / data-removal applies to firmographic lookup and enrichment, but sanctions screening is exempt — a party cannot remove itself from a watchlist check.

Is this legal or compliance advice? No. KnowFirm screening is informational only and is not legal advice or a consumer report. See Sanctions screening disclaimer.

See also: KYB API overview · Quickstart.