When screening for sanctions, many Swiss companies first concentrate on the data of SECO or on internationally known sources such as OFAC and the United Nations. The British sanctions list, by contrast, is sometimes overlooked.
Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, it has had a sanctions system of its own. The UK Sanctions List contains the persons, organisations and ships designated by the United Kingdom and is published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
For Swiss companies, the list can be relevant in particular where customers, suppliers, banks, payment routes or other business relationships have a connection to the United Kingdom.
What is the UK Sanctions List?
The UK Sanctions List is the official British publication of sanctions entries under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. It contains designated or specified persons, organisations and ships that may be subject to British sanctions measures.
The British government makes the list available in several formats, including a searchable web application and as XML, CSV, HTML, PDF, ODS and text files.
Since 28 January 2026, the UK Sanctions List has been the only official source for all British sanctions designations. The former OFSI Consolidated List of Asset Freeze Targets is no longer updated.
Who publishes and maintains the list?
The UK Sanctions List is published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, FCDO for short. Depending on the type of sanction, other British authorities are involved in implementation, supervision, licensing or enforcement.
For searching and professional assessment, it is crucial to use the current UK Sanctions List and not an outdated copy of the former OFSI list.
Which entities can be included?
The official British list can contain different types of entries:
- individuals;
- companies and other organisations;
- ships, that is, specified vessels;
- other entities, insofar as they are designated or specified under the relevant British rules.
In addition, prohibitions under British law can also affect companies that are not expressly listed if they are owned or controlled by a designated person. A pure name search therefore does not fully capture questions of ownership and control.
What information can an entry contain?
Depending on the entry, the following details in particular may be available:
- unique British reference or ID number;
- primary name and alias names;
- names in non-Latin scripts;
- type of entity, such as person, organisation or ship;
- date and place of birth;
- nationality;
- addresses;
- passport or identification details;
- sanctions regime;
- date of designation;
- applicable sanctions measures;
- British reasons for the listing, known as the Statement of Reasons;
- other descriptive information.
These additional details matter because names alone are regularly not enough to identify a person or organisation unambiguously.
What types of British sanctions exist?
The United Kingdom can provide for different sanctions measures. These include in particular:
- financial sanctions, including asset freezes;
- trade sanctions and arms embargoes;
- transport measures for ships and aircraft;
- immigration and travel sanctions;
- director disqualifications;
- other programme-specific restrictions.
Which measures apply to a specific entry follows from the relevant sanctions regime and its legal basis.
Why can the UK sanctions list matter for Swiss companies?
A Swiss registered office alone does not rule out a connection to British sanctions. Relevance can arise in particular in the case of:
- customers or suppliers in the United Kingdom;
- British parent companies, subsidiaries or participations;
- payments through British banks or financial service providers;
- financing, insurance or investments with a UK connection;
- supply chains with British intermediaries;
- contracts governed by British law;
- business relationships with persons or organisations that appear on the UK Sanctions List.
Whether and which British rules apply in an individual case cannot be derived from a list hit alone. The specific legal meaning depends on the facts and on the legal systems concerned.
Why do UK, SECO, OFAC and UN differ?
Sanctions regimes partly pursue similar aims but are not identical. A person or organisation can be on the UK Sanctions List without appearing on all other lists at the same time.
For internationally active companies, it can therefore make sense to look at several sources in parallel. Which sources sanctioncheck.ch offers is shown on the home page; the PDF screening report shows the data status of the sources as stored at the time of the check.
What does a hit mean?
A hit initially only means that there is a possible match between the search term and an entry. It does not yet confirm that the person or organisation searched for is actually identical to the entry.
For the assessment, the following in particular should be compared:
- full name and known alias names;
- date and place of birth;
- nationality;
- address or registered office;
- company and control details;
- reference numbers and identity documents;
- sanctions regime and Statement of Reasons.
What are false positives?
A false positive is a possible match that turns out, after careful review, to be a coincidence of names or another false alarm.
False positives arise in particular from common names, different spellings, deviating transliterations, incomplete source data or similar company names.
A possible result should therefore neither be ignored nor automatically treated as a confirmed sanction.
How should a possible hit be reviewed?
- Document the search result and the time of the check.
- Compare additional identifying details with the entry.
- Where there is a serious match, check the entry in the official UK Sanctions List.
- Take ownership and control relationships into account where they are relevant to the specific case.
- Involve internal specialist functions or external advice if the identity or the consequences remain unclear.
- Record the decision and the reasons in a traceable way.
When does a UK check make sense?
Typical points in time are:
- before entering into a business relationship;
- before payments or deliveries with a UK connection;
- when taking on new suppliers or business partners;
- when ownership or control structures change;
- in periodic, risk-based repeat checks;
- where there are specific indications of a possible British designation.
Because the list is updated continuously, a check only describes the position at the time it was carried out. An introduction to the process is provided in the article What Is Sanctions Screening?
Is the UK list enough on its own?
For Swiss companies, the UK Sanctions List is usually only one part of the relevant landscape of sources. Depending on the business model, the Swiss SECO data, the OFAC lists and the consolidated list of the UN Security Council may also be relevant.
Broader coverage of sources reduces the risk of overlooking an entry, but it does not replace a qualified assessment of the specific result.
Why is documentation important?
Traceable documentation shows which details were checked against which sources, and when.
The following can usefully be documented:
- date and time;
- name or company name checked;
- sources taken into account;
- possible hits displayed;
- identifying details compared;
- assessment and basis for the decision.
A screening report documents the search position at the time, but it is not a guarantee of the completeness of external data and not a legal assessment.
How does sanctioncheck.ch help?
sanctioncheck.ch allows individuals and organisations to be screened centrally against the sanctions sources available on the platform at the time of the check. The PDF screening report shows the data status of the sources as stored at the time of the check.
Possible hits are displayed together with the additional information available. Search results can be documented in a PDF screening report and found again in the search history.
The service supports the screening process but does not replace an individual legal or professional assessment.
Conclusion
Since 28 January 2026, the UK Sanctions List has been the sole official source for all British sanctions designations. It contains persons, organisations and ships that may be subject to British sanctions measures.
For Swiss companies, it can be relevant in particular for customers, suppliers, banks, contracts or payment routes with a UK connection.
A search hit is not yet a confirmed identity. What remains decisive is the comparison of additional details, the check of the official source and traceable documentation of the assessment.