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Targeted financial sanctions

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) hosts and maintains an updated list of proscribed persons and entities as identified by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The targeted financial sanctions (TFS) list on the FIC website reflects available identity details of persons and entities contained in notices published by the Director of the FIC. The list is updated within 24 hours of changes made by the UNSC.

The TFS list includes all persons and entities applicable to sections 26A, 26B and 26C of the FIC Act which refer to sanctions under a resolution by the UNSC and require accountable institutions to scrutinise their clients against the applicable list, to freeze assets and to ensure not to proceed with a transaction.

It is important to note the TFS list is not a FIC or South African domestic sanctions list, but a replica of the original source, which is the UNSC consolidated list of targeted financial sanctions.

You can find possible matches on the TFS list via the online search tool. The tool is designed to assist accountable institutions or any asset holder in finding possible matches between their clients’ names and/or entities names on the TFS list.

Obligations in terms of targeted financial sanctions​

No person is allowed to transact with or process transactions for a sanctioned person or entity. No financial services may be provided to the person or entity. Accountable institutions should be mindful of the fact that failure to comply with TFS obligations is a criminal offence. The only exception to this general prohibition is in specific instances where the Minister of Finance has permitted financial services or dealings with property.

All businesses are encouraged to:

Targeted financial sanctions obligations

All businesses are encouraged to:

Application for permitted financial services

The FIC Act allows the Minister of Finance or a delegated authority to permit a sanctioned person or entity to conduct financial services or deal with property affected by a sanction, under certain limited circumstances as defined in the FIC Act. This permission may extend to allowing financial services or the dealing in affected property necessary in the normal course of business.

Applications to use or deal with frozen assets, or to make assets available to designated persons or entities, must be made using the Permitted Financial Services and Dealing with Property Application Form.

De-listing procedure

A person or entity that wishes to be removed from the sanctions list may submit a de-listing request. The UNSC established two approaches for placing individuals and entities on sanctions lists and for removing them, as well as for granting humanitarian exemptions, namely a focal point for de-listing and the Office of the Ombudsperson to the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. Petitioners, other than those whose names are inscribed on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list, may submit de-listing requests either by directly approaching the Focal Point or through their state of residence or citizenship.

Frequently asked questions

Sanctions impose restrictions on activities that relate to particular countries, goods and services, or persons and entities. TFS measures generally restrict sanctioned persons and entities from having access to funds and property under their control and from receiving financial services in relation to such funds and property. For these sanctions to be given effect, the FIC Act requires accountable institutions to freeze property and transactions pursuant to financial sanctions imposed in the UNSCR.
Section 26A, 26B and 26C, 28A(1)(c) and 29(1)(b)(vi) of the FIC Act.
The acquisition, collection or use of the property of persons or an entity whose names appear in the TFS List is prohibited. This includes the provision of financial services and products to those persons or entities. In short, this means that accountable institutions are not allowed to transact with a sanctioned person or entity or to process transactions for such a person or entity. The status quo as at the time of the imposition of the sanction in relation to property or funds of the sanctioned person or entity must be maintained and no financial services may be provided to the person or entity. The only exception to this general prohibition is in specific instances where the Minister of Finance has permitted certain financial services or dealings with property.
Accountable institutions are not allowed to transact with or process transactions for a sanctioned person or entity. No financial services may be provided to the person or entity. The only exception to this general prohibition is in specific instances where the Minister of Finance has permitted financial services or dealings with property.

All reporting to the FIC must be done via the FIC online registration and reporting platform, which must be accessed on the FIC website. In order to report, the entity that wishes to report or who is required to submit the report, must first register on the FIC’s registration platform, goAML.

  • Terrorist property report (TPR): A S28A report is to be submitted in the instance that your client is listed on the TFS List.
  • Suspicious and unusual transaction Report (STR) or Suspicious Activity Report (SAR): A S29 report is to be submitted in the instance where there are suspicious transactions or activities that may be connected to a person on the list, but the entity cannot confirm this as a fact.The indicator to be selected when reporting, is to specify under which sanctions regime you are reporting.


Go to register and report for more information

The FIC publishes and maintains the TFS list on its website.

  • This list will change from time to time, and it is your obligation to ensure that you make use of the most recent list.
  • This list is searchable on the FIC website and has the functionality to print the search results and search criteria.
  • This list is also downloadable in PDF, Excel and XML formats.

An accountable institution is required to search for their clients against the lists provided. There are several search criteria that can be used to assist in narrowing down the search results.

These include the following fields:

  • Name
  • Surname
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality
  • Identifying number
  • Aliases


The accountable institution will be required to ensure that they complete as much information as possible in the search fields. It is the responsibility of the accountable institution to review the search results and to make a determination as to the validity thereof.

Accountable institutions which are likely to come into contact with sanctioned persons or entities should screen clients and prospective clients against the relevant sanctions lists. This should be done during the client onboarding process, as well as subsequently and as and when the UNSC adopts new TFS measures or expand existing ones.

The FIC Act allows the Minister of Finance to permit a sanctioned person or entity to conduct financial services or deal with property affected by a sanction in order to allow such a person or entity access to certain basic living expenses and third party contractual agreements which occurred prior to the UNSC designation as may be the case.

Based on the information provided in a submission to the FIC, the Minister of Finance may permit access to certain types of expenses which may be met from the property that is affected by a sanction, the amounts of such expenses, the funds or property from which such expenses may be met and the conditions to the access to the relevant funds or property. Complete the application form to apply for access to permitted financial services.

This is an automated alert notification e-mail that is sent to registered users advising them of an update to the UNSC consolidated list. The e-mail will contain the change made to the list as an attachment.

  • Subscribe to receive these free alerts

Screen clients against TFS list

Accountable institutions must determine whether they have a sanctioned person or entity as a client or whether a prospective client is a sanctioned person or entity. Screening against the relevant sanctions lists should be done during the client onboarding process, on an ongoing basis and when the UNSC adopts new TFS measures or expands existing ones – including adopting a new sanction regime under Chapter VII of the UNSC.

Freeze assets

Any person or entity is strictly prohibited from dealing with property that is associated with acts of terrorism, with persons or organisations that carry out acts of terrorism or with sanctioned persons. Once a person or business has filed a report to the FIC relating to a person or entity on the TFS list, they must freeze the property and cease to conduct business with the entity in question.

Reporting obligations to the FIC

If a business or an accountable institution suspect that their client may be a positive match, they must file a suspicious or unusual transaction report and/or a terrorist property report with the FIC. All South African citizens have responsibilities regarding TFS obligations. These are outlined in sections 26A, 26B and 26C of the FIC Act.

Accountable institutions and other persons must report to the FIC property in their possession or under their control which is owned or controlled by or on behalf of a person or an entity identified in the sanctions list. Accountable institutions and any other person or entity wishing to report to the FIC must first register with the FIC before they can report. Persons or entities that are not listed as accountable institutions can contact the FIC compliance centre on +27 12 641 6000 or log an online compliance query.

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