Embargoed and Sanctioned Countries

The U.S. export regulations restrict imports and exports to certain destinations without a U.S. Government authorization (called "license").
  • Embargoes sanctions (CRIMEA AND COVERED REGIONS OF UKRAINE**, CUBA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA, and SYRIA) prohibit ALL transactions (including imports and exports) without a license authorization.
  • Targeted sanctions prohibit certain exports of items, data and/or software without a license authorization.

Step-by-step Review

  1. Consult the OFAC sanctions programs for any international transaction/activity (shipments, travels, visitors, etc.). For the most current countries information, please visit the U.S. Department of Treasury website.
  2. If the export involves an item/activity controlled under the EAR or the ITAR, you must consult, in addition to the OFAC sanctions programs, the lists of embargoed and sanctioned countries administered by the EAR or the ITAR.

Results

If your transaction/export involves an embargoed or sanctioned country, please contact the Office of Trade Compliance prior to proceeding and with as much advance notice as possible.
 
EAR
15 CFR 746 - website
15 CFR 744 - website
ITAR
22 CFR 126.1 - website
OFAC
Regs & E.O. - website
Embargoed countries
Cuba, Iran, Syria.
(a) Prohibited countries: 
Belarus, Burma, Cuba, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela.
(c) U.N. Arms Embargoed countries: 
Central African Republic, Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea,  Somalia, Sudan
Embargoed countries: 
Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Crimea and covered regions of Ukraine**  
Targeted sanctions countries: 
Crimea and covered regions of Ukraine**, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Russian and Belarusian industry sector.  
 
 
(f) to (w) special policy :
Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Russia, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Cyprus, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan
Targeted sanctions countries: 
Afghanistan, Balkans, Belarus, Burma, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine/Russia, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
Military End-Use/End-User licensing requirements: 
People's Republic of China
 
 
Prohibited Parties:
- Denied Parties List
- Entity List
- Unverified List 
Prohibited Parties:
- Debarred List
- Munitions E.C. Order
 
Prohibited Parties:
- Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN)
 
Proliferation activities
Other Red Flags
Proliferation activities
Other Red Flags
Other Red Flags
 

Red Flags

The U.S. export regulations prohibit proceeding with any transaction if the exporter detects something suspicious or that indicates an illegal activity might occur. In such case, the exporter is required to investigate and clear the red flags before proceeding. BIS provides a list of Red Flag indicators.

News and Alerts

VENEZUELA

On November 2014, the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a final rule amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to impose license requirements on the export, re-export, or transfer (in-country) of certain items to or within Venezuela when intended for a "military end use" or "military end user."

RUSSIA, CRIMEA, AND OCCUPIED REGIONS OF UKRAINE**

Please contact the Office of Trade Compliance prior to engaging in any type of export (including temporary export such as travels with equipment) with Russia, Crimea and the occupied regions of Ukraine.**

As part of a series of sanctions announced by the United States, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that it is expanding its export restrictions on items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) in response to Russia’s continued actions in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Effective immediately, BIS will deny pending applications for licenses to export or re-export any high technology item subject to the EAR to Russia or occupied Crimea that contribute to Russia’s military capabilities. In addition, the Department is taking actions to revoke any existing export licenses which meet these conditions. All other pending applications and existing licenses will receive a case-by-case evaluation to determine their contribution to Russia’s military capabilities.

 
The United States will continue to adjust its export licensing policies toward Russia as warranted by Russia’s actions in Ukraine. We urge Russia to honor the commitments it made in Geneva on April 17 to deescalate the situation in Ukraine.
 
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).
 
**Because of the rapidly changing geopolitical situation in southern and eastern Ukraine, please contact the Office of Trade Compliance for the most up-to-date guidance. 
 
For more information, please consult: