What is OpenSanctions?
OpenSanctions collects sanctions lists, politically exposed persons (PEPs), regulatory watchlists, debarment lists and criminal warrants from hundreds of official sources and merges them into one consistent dataset. In October 2026 the site listed 478 sources and about 1.8 million entities in its default dataset, which is kept up to date from each source. Specialised collections cover consolidated sanctions, PEPs, debarred companies, maritime data and sanctioned securities.
You can search any entity on the website, see which lists it appears on and follow the links back to each source. The data is free for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 licence, which suits journalists, researchers and NGOs. Businesses that screen customers or counterparties need a commercial data licence or the paid screening API, and on-premise deployment is available.
Main Features
- Sanctions lists from countries and international organisations in one dataset
- Politically exposed persons and their close associates
- Regulatory watchlists, debarment lists and wanted persons
- Maritime and sanctioned securities collections
- Entity search with links back to every original source
- Bulk downloads, including JSON formats
- Screening API with multi-property matching, plus on-premise deployment
How to Get Started with OpenSanctions
- Go to opensanctions.org and search for a company, vessel or person in the news.
- Open a result to see which sanctions or watchlists it appears on and the source of each entry.
- Browse the datasets page to see what each source covers and how often it updates.
- For bulk or automated screening, download the data for non-commercial use or contact OpenSanctions about a commercial licence or API access.
OpenSanctions Pricing
OpenSanctions data is free for non-commercial use under the CC BY-NC 4.0 licence, and the website search is free. Commercial users need to buy a data licence or use the screening API. Options include a screening licence, a reseller or OEM licence and on-premise deployment, with prices provided by the sales team rather than listed on the site.
Who Should Use It?
- Compliance teams screening customers and counterparties against sanctions lists
- Journalists checking whether a company or vessel is sanctioned
- Researchers studying sanctions and politically exposed persons
- NGOs and anti-corruption groups mapping political exposure
- Developers building screening into their own products
OpenSanctions Alternatives
- OpenCorporates: an open database of company records for checking who stands behind a business.
- OCCRP Aleph: OCCRP's investigative data platform, which includes sanctions lists alongside registries and leaks.
- ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database: a free database of offshore companies and trusts named in major leaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenSanctions free?
OpenSanctions is free for non-commercial use, including searching the website and downloading the data under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence. Businesses using it commercially need a paid data licence or the screening API.
Is OpenSanctions enough for regulated sanctions screening?
OpenSanctions is used for screening, but commercial users must hold a licence, and a match should always be checked against the original official list it links to. Regulated firms remain responsible for their own compliance process.
How often is OpenSanctions updated?
The default dataset is rebuilt regularly, and the site shows the date of the latest update, which was the same day when checked in October 2026. Each source has its own update frequency, shown on its dataset page.