Screen export shipment parties against the Consolidated Screening List (CSL) using the ITA API before generating export documentation
domain: api.trade.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Register for an API key at developer.trade.gov and review the CSL endpoint documentation covering BIS Entity List, SDN, DPL, and other sublists
Send a GET request to the CSL search endpoint with the party name, country, and optionally address fields as query parameters
Parse the response for hits, checking the 'source' field to identify which restricted list matched and the confidence score
For any match, halt the shipment and escalate to export compliance counsel before proceeding; document the hold decision
Implement fuzzy-name matching logic beyond the API's default to catch transliteration variants and name-order differences for non-Latin characters
Known gotchas
The CSL API does not guarantee a real-time feed; OFAC SDN updates can lag by hours, so supplement with a direct OFAC SDN XML pull for highest-risk transactions
A 'no match' result is not a legal safe harbor; the EAR and OFAC regulations impose a 'reason to know' standard that requires independent due diligence
Aliases and alternate spellings are indexed but incomplete; always screen the ultimate consignee, intermediate consignee, and end user, not just the bill-to party
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