Guide collection
Watchlist screening guides: sources, scope and evidence
Choose available watchlist sources, understand different record types and keep PEP, adverse-media and ownership assessments connected to review.
On this page
Choose the sources your process requires
Which lists does this check need? Start with your approved process, then use current coverage to find each source. In SanctionsKit, choose the sources in Screening policies or New screening. Apps can call GET /api/v1/sources; the source guide explains how.
The global lists guide connects each authority with the source name used in the product. Finding a list in a directory does not mean you can use it for this request. If a required source is unavailable, SanctionsKit rejects the check. It does not quietly leave the list out.
Read a finding in the context of its source
The watchlist walkthrough shows where to find the selected lists and returned records. Read the source comparison to see why a sanctions record, a public role and a sector ban mean different things.
Use restricted-party screening for trade checks. Keep the source and authority link with each candidate. A reviewer needs to know which list it came from. Calling every result an OFAC match could point the team toward the wrong rule.
Connect checks that take place elsewhere
Use the PEP guide and adverse-media guide when another service or team does those checks. They explain how to keep that evidence with the case. They do not mean that full PEP or news research is included in SanctionsKit.
For a company, use the ownership guide. Add required outside tasks to the policy, then link the evidence when they are done. A no-match for the company name must not hide an open question about who owns it.
Explain which data supported the result
The freshness guide helps you read the source version used in a check. It also explains the dates. When a file was published, when it was fetched and when the search ran are three different facts.
Use evidence retrieval to find retained results and exports. Keep the work marked incomplete when required data is unavailable or the request fails. The result needs to describe the check that happened, not the one you hoped to run.
Choose the source family for the research question
Find published list entries in the dataset directory. For sanctions, use the OFAC, UK, EU or UN source guide. For export restrictions, start with CSL; for procurement debarment, use World Bank coverage. A public-office or enforcement record has a different meaning from a financial-sanctions designation.
Frequently asked questions
Which watchlist guide helps me choose between source categories?
Use the category comparison to distinguish sanctions records, public-office information and other exclusions. Then check the global lists guide and current source availability. Different categories can require different review and business decisions.
Does a source appearing in a guide mean it is available to my request?
No. Confirm current eligibility through coverage and source discovery, including the subject type and requested environment. A guide explains the source; it does not establish that the source is activated for every operation.
Where can I learn to record an external PEP or media assessment?
Use the PEP and adverse-media workflow guides. They explain how to keep the outside assessment and evidence reference connected to the case while preserving the limits of the SanctionsKit screening result.
Which guide explains a mismatch between a source date and screening date?
Use the freshness guide. It distinguishes publication, retrieval and screening events, and shows why the result's source version matters. Those dates should not be collapsed into a single claim that data is current.