United States persons are prohibited by the federal government from engaging in activities or financial transactions with individuals or entities that have been determined to be acting contrary to the interests of the United States. These are known as “restricted parties.”
Restricted party lists are administered and enforced by multiple U.S. Governmental Agencies, including the Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Homeland Security, and others. The Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) is the central repository for many of these restricted party lists.
There are tens of thousands of parties that may appear on various United States government lists, including universities or research institutions, as well as individuals. These parties present a greater risk of diversion for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, terrorism, or other activities contrary to United States national security and foreign policy interests.
Restricted Party Screenings seek to identify parties that may be prohibited from receiving some or all items subject to export control regulations, unless the exporter secures a license. Screenings of known contacts against these lists should also be conducted prior to international travel and hosting international scholars. Depending on the list within which it was found, a match indicates that there is:
- A strict export prohibition
- A specific license requirement
- The presence of a "red flag"
A screening takes just minutes and can be performed by our Export Control Analyst. Examples include but not limited to potential collaborating entities and/or individuals, visiting scholars, international memorandum of understanding or cooperative agreement, international vendor or independent contractor.
If you’re interested in requesting a screening, please begin by completing the Restricted Party Questionnaire. Research Compliance will notify you if any of the parties are subject to restrictions.
For units which anticipate a large volume of screening requests, the Associate Vice Provost for Research Operations & Compliance may authorize direct access to the Visual Compliance software for localized screening efforts. To arrange for such access and training on the use of the software, please submit your request to the University Export Compliance Office and describe in reasonable detail the need for localized screening access.
If you’re requesting the screening of an International Scholar for the purpose of a research visit to campus, please complete our Non-Immigrant Export Control Questionnaire.