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Entity Intelligence

OpenSanctions API

Structured sanctions, PEP and watchlist entity graph.

slug
opensanctions-api
priority
82
reviewed
Apr 24, 2026
Next wavePhase 2High riskHighly sensitiveAPIAccountPolicy reviewapproved
01overview

How this source is shaped

Very valuable but sensitive. It can support compliance and public-interest research, but matching results must be carefully explained because false positives can create reputational harm.

Source type
Api
Access model
Mixed
Pricing model
Free And Commercial Access Depending On Usage
API available
Yes
Requires account
Yes
Risk level
High
Sensitivity
Highly Sensitive
Integration phase
Phase 2
Integration priority
82
02scoring

Review dimensions

Each dimension is graded on a 0–10 scale. The overall score is a weighted aggregate.

overall score
7.90/10

Weighted aggregate across the eight review dimensions.

Authorityreputation and provenance of the source
8.70/10
Data qualityaccuracy, coverage, completeness
8.20/10
Usabilityhow quickly an analyst can extract value
7.20/10
APIshape, stability and cost of programmatic access
8.20/10
Documentationhow well the source is explained and referenced
8.00/10
Freshnesshow up-to-date the data stream is
8.00/10
Ethical fitalignment with our ethical OSINT posture
6.20/10
Commercial valueproduct leverage and monetisable surface
8.60/10
03application

Where this source fits

What analysts use it for, and — just as important — where it does not belong.

Primary use cases
  • screening
  • compliance_research
  • entity_risk_context
  • journalistic_research
Suitable for
  • compliance_analysts
  • journalists
  • due_diligence_teams
Not suitable for
  • casual_people_search
  • automated_adverse_labeling
  • consumer_profile_scoring
data types
sanctionspepwatchlistsentitiesrelationships
04opinion

Editorial take

Our qualitative read on the source — tone, framing and trust posture.

Powerful source, but this is where OSINT must behave like a grown-up product: cautious UX, disclaimers, confidence, manual review.

05product

Integration stance

Build, buy or defer. What shape the product integration would take, and why.

Integrate only with explicit compliance framing, result explanations, match confidence and false-positive warnings.

06governance

Ethics and compliance

What to handle carefully, and what must not ship without sign-off.

Ethical notes

Never present matches as final accusations. Always require human review and source-level explanation.

Compliance notes

May involve regulated compliance workflows. Review licensing, terms and jurisdictional implications before commercial use.

07technical

Metadata

Catalog-side technical footer. Values as recorded in the source row.

source owner
OpenSanctions
report module
compliance_screening
integration candidate
true
requires policy review
true