OFAC Soon Will Begin Archive for Sanctions FAQs

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week outlined several initiatives it has recently completed or is planning to launch to modernize its website, sanctions guidance, and licensing and compliance applications.

The agency said it soon will launch an archive of its past frequently asked questions to make it easier for the public to pinpoint differences compared to the agency’s most current FAQs. OFAC said it will do this by “preserving certain older versions of amended FAQs,” allowing the public to access them even after they’ve been replaced. “We are continuing to assess how to make this feature as user-friendly as possible and look forward to launching it soon,” OFAC said.

OFAC also announced that it has updated a host of its most-viewed frequently asked questions that cover “general sanctions questions and issues.” They mostly deal with “basic principles of sanctions implementation,” along with guidance on what OFAC means by “blocked property” and how to verify the authenticity of an OFAC document.

The agency said it plans to “continue reviewing FAQs through an ongoing process focused on providing up-to-date and useful information to the public,” and it plans to announce more FAQ updates. It also recently introduced a “new and improved” FAQ search function that allows users to search FAQs by a keyword or phrase and filter by specific topics or sanctions programs.

The agency also highlighted other modernization efforts, including its new online compliance hotline portal (see 2408020041), a new requirement for filers of blocked property to submit those documents electronically instead of through mail (see 2405080023), the May launch of its Sanctions List Service (see 2405060043), and more.

OFAC said it’s “committed to modernizing its operations and enhancing access to information to help the public understand and implement our sanctions,” and welcomes feedback on the updates.