Documentation

Find the guide you need to screen names via the API, work with the bulk data, or understand how the OpenSanctions database is built.

Screen names via the API

Download the bulk data

See what's in the data

Self-host the API

Integrate screening with the API

Getting started with the API: an overview of the OpenSanctions API and all related resources.
The matching API: make a screening call, scope your query, and interpret responses.
The entities API: look up and browse entities directly by ID.

Data formats: choose between FollowTheMoney (FtM) JSON, CSV, and plain-text exports.
Downloading the data and keeping it fresh: update cycles and stable URLs for automated retrieval.
Tracking data changes with delta files: process daily additions, modifications, and deletions instead of full re-imports.
On-premise OpenSanctions API: run the yente screening service on your own infrastructure.
Use OpenSanctions data in Senzing: load our datasets into the Senzing entity resolution engine.

Understanding OpenSanctions data: entities, identities, and the concepts behind the database.
Entity structure: how FollowTheMoney entities and their relationships are put together.
Identifiers and de-duplication: how entity IDs work, and how to keep stored references current.
Data enrichment: how we cross-match designated entities against reference datasets.

Data dictionary: the full reference of entity schemas and their properties.
Entity risk tagging: the topics we use to flag sanctions, criminal, and political risk.
Sanctions programs: the government policies that form the legal basis for designations.

Politically exposed persons: what PEPs are and how we classify political office-holders.
Securities data: connecting companies to the instruments and assets described on sanctions lists.

Building a monitoring workflow: re-screen your counterparties as watchlist data changes.
On-premise OpenSanctions API: run the yente screening service on your own infrastructure.
Change policy: how we introduce changes to the data without breaking integrations.

Open source software components: the data pipeline and matching software we release as free software.
Open building blocks: other free financial-crime tooling we build on or support.
Contributing to our data and tools: improve our crawlers, report data issues, or propose new sources.
Research using OpenSanctions data: academic and journalistic work built on the database.
Contact us: reach the team with questions the documentation doesn't answer.