Sanctions

PEP and Sanction Search API

PEP and Sanction Search finds people, companies and vessels that are politically exposed or subject to an international sanction. Each match names the lists it appears on and how closely the name matched, so a customer can be screened before onboarding and the evidence kept.

Screens individuals by name and date of birth, and companies and vessels by name, against PEP and sanction sources, with country filters for both
Three strictness levels, a similarity threshold you set, and up to 100 matches per search, each flagged as PEP, sanctioned or both

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For developers

After the technical detail?

For the technical detail, go to the API documentation. It holds the request and response schema, the integration guides and the error codes for this endpoint.

Request and response schema
Search types and sandbox records

View developer documentation

Accounts start in the sandbox. Production keys are issued once the account is approved.

Encrypted in transit and at rest Handled under the Australian Privacy Principles

What the check gives you

Screening a customer against PEP and sanction lists before you onboard them

Anti-money laundering obligations require a business to know whether a customer is politically exposed or sanctioned before it deals with them. PEP and Sanction Search takes the customer's name, and date of birth for an individual, and returns every listing that matches at the strictness you choose. Each match records which sources it came from and how closely the name matched, so the decision and its evidence can be stored against the customer.

Whether the person is politically exposed

Each match carries an is_pep flag and the list of PEP sources the person was identified on. PEP results can be limited to given countries.

Whether they are sanctioned, and by whom

Each match carries an is_sanctioned flag, the countries where the sanction applies and the sanction sources it appears on. Sanction results can be limited to given countries.

How close the match is

Each match carries the name that was matched, a similarity percentage and an edit distance against the name you searched. Only matches at or above your similarity threshold are returned.

Whether there is more to see

A more_results flag states when more matches exist than the number you asked for, and an extended result option returns the additional data held on each individual.

How a check runs

One call, answered in the same response

Your system sends the name, and date of birth for an individual, with the strictness and filters. The sources are searched and the matches come back in the same response, with no polling.

Name order is ignored when matching, so John Michael will match a listing recorded as Michael John. For companies, date of birth and PEP countries are ignored.

Reading the result

What each answer means for the subject in front of you

A search returns a list of matches, each flagged for PEP and sanction status. An empty list means nothing matched at the strictness and threshold you set.

No listing

Nothing matched

No PEP or sanction listing matched the name at the strictness and similarity threshold you set. A narrower search or a lower threshold is not needed unless your policy calls for one.

PEP

A politically exposed person matched

The match carries the PEP sources the person was identified on. Review the similarity score and the sources before treating the customer as exposed.

Sanctioned

A sanctioned party matched

The match carries the countries where the sanction applies and the sources it appears on. A match can be both sanctioned and a PEP.

What it costs

A monthly subscription, drawn down as you run checks

Your subscription is credited to your account each month and each check consumes credits from it. If you go past the included amount, further checks are charged at a per-check rate. The rate depends on the volume you commit to, so the sales team is the fastest way to find where your business lands.

Volume-based pricing
No lock-in contract

How billing works

Subscribe monthly, spend it as credits

The monthly subscription arrives as credits on your account.
Each check draws down credits as it runs.
Checks beyond the included credits are billed per check.
Higher monthly volume moves you to a lower rate.

Talk to sales about volume

Related checks

Others in Sanctions

PEP and Sanction Bulk Search runs the same screening for a list of subjects in one call. Adverse Media Check, Court Check and Banned and Disqualified Person Search cover the other screening sources.

PEP / Sanction Bulk Search API

All Sanctions endpoints

Questions

Questions we get asked about PEP and Sanction Search

Do we need a developer to implement this?

Yes. PEP and Sanction Search is a REST endpoint that takes a JSON request and returns a JSON list of matches, so a developer connects it to your onboarding or monitoring system. A sandbox with a deterministic test dataset is provided at no usage cost, so the integration can be built and tested before production keys are issued.

What does our system need to send?

For an individual, the first name and last name, or a full name, with an optional middle name and a date of birth. For a company, the company name. For a vessel, the vessel name. With them, the search type, and optionally PEP and sanction country codes, a maximum number of results from 1 to 100 that defaults to 20, a similarity threshold from 0 to 100 that defaults to 80, and a flag to return extended data on each match.

What is the difference between the search types?

A narrow search matches the exact first name, last name and date of birth, and for companies names containing the exact words supplied. A medium search matches the exact last name and birth year and allows partial matches on other names; for companies it drops matches made up only of common words such as group or company. A broad search allows partial matches on first name, last name and date of birth. The reference suggests narrow for low-risk searches and broad for high-risk ones.

What comes back?

A list of matches. Each carries a unique identifier, a caption, the is_pep and is_sanctioned flags, the countries where the person is sanctioned, the PEP and sanction sources matched, the matched name, a similarity percentage and an edit distance. When extended results are requested, additional data on the individual is included. A more_results flag states whether further matches were available.

Where does the data come from?

Each match names the PEP sources and sanction sources it was found on, and the countries a sanction applies to. The reference documentation does not publish the full list of sources or a refresh cycle; the sources on each match are the record of what was checked.

How many calls can we make?

The API allows 600 requests per minute by default, measured as a rolling average, and returns a 429 response above that rate. PEP and Sanction Bulk Search takes a list of subjects in one request. A higher limit can be requested through Global Data support with a description of the operational need.

Are the names we send stored by Global Data?

Personally identifiable information sent in a request is not stored or retained unless it is needed to process that request. Query data is stripped of PII before it is kept for audit. Data in transit and at rest is encrypted, and retention follows the Australian Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. Global Data is not a credit bureau and does not create an access footprint on any record.

Getting started

The first step to access is a conversation

New accounts begin with sandbox access, and production API keys are issued once the account has been commercially approved.

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Call 03 9948 4089, 9am–5pm AEST Monday to Friday

Encrypted in transit and at rest

Handled under the Australian Privacy Principles

ISO 27001 Certified