How to use the Consolidated Screening List
Updated · Rotomal
The Consolidated Screening List (CSL) is a free search and API from the International Trade Administration that combines US export and sanctions lists from the Departments of Commerce, State and Treasury. Search each customer, consignee and end user by name, with fuzzy matching on, and look at country and address. A possible match is not a decision: do further due diligence, check the official listing in the Federal Register or the agency's list, and do not ship until it is resolved.
What the CSL covers
| Agency | Lists in the CSL |
|---|---|
| Commerce (BIS) | Denied Persons List, Unverified List, Entity List, Military End-User List |
| State | Nonproliferation Sanctions, AECA Debarred List |
| Treasury (OFAC) | SDN List, Foreign Sanctions Evaders, Sectoral Sanctions Identifications, Correspondent Account or Payable-Through Account Sanctions (CAPTA), Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions, Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies, Palestinian Legislative Council |
The search and files update every day at 5:00 AM Eastern, based on the files each agency supplies. The ITA notes that as of 1 October 2026 the State nonproliferation list no longer includes persons designated by State under certain programs; those persons are on OFAC's SDN List.
How to search it, step by step
- Open the CSL search on trade.gov and turn on fuzzy name matching, so spelling and transliteration differences still return a result.
- Search the company name, then any trading names and the names of individuals you deal with.
- Compare country, city and address on every hit with what you know about your customer.
- Record the date, the name searched and the result, including a screenshot or export if you clear a near match.
- If a hit looks real, stop, do further due diligence and check the official listing before you ship.
Where the free search stops
- It covers US lists only; selling into the UK or EU means checking the UK Sanctions List and the EU financial sanctions list as well.
- It does not remember your customers or rescreen them when a list changes.
- It keeps no log of your searches; you have to keep your own record.
- It cannot tell you whether a company is owned 50 percent or more by a listed party, which matters under the BIS Affiliates Rule when it is in effect.
If you want it done for you
Counterparty Watch reads the same CSL data, adds the UK, EU and UN lists, rescreens your saved parties every day and keeps the log. Plans start at $39 a month.
Questions
Is the Consolidated Screening List free?
Yes. The International Trade Administration publishes the CSL search, an open API and downloadable CSV, TSV and JSON files at no charge.
Is a CSL hit proof that I cannot ship?
No. The ITA describes the CSL as an aid to screening; a possible match needs further due diligence, and the official publication in the Federal Register is the authoritative source. Get advice before shipping to a confirmed match.
Does the CSL include UK or EU sanctions?
No. It contains US government lists only. The UK publishes the UK Sanctions List, which replaced the OFSI Consolidated List on 28 January 2026, and the EU publishes its own consolidated financial sanctions list.
Sources
- International Trade Administration: Consolidated Screening List Source: trade.gov
- GOV.UK: Financial sanctions, consolidated list of targets (closed 28 January 2026) Source: gov.uk