What a Sanctions Clear certificate records
Screening is only half the job. The other half is showing someone that you did it. Below is the certificate the free check issues today, section by section. On the Growth plan and up, certificates also name the contact, its company file and who cleared a possible match, and why. Starter keeps a dated log of each check and a note on the contact, without the PDF.
Download the sample PDFThe certificate, section by section
- 01
Certificate number
Unique to each certificate. Quote it to a bank or auditor and they can match it to the record of the check.
- 02
Result
The outcome in plain words: no match, a possible match to review, a strong possible match, or incomplete when a list was not available.
- 03
What was checked
The name and country exactly as entered, and the time of the check in UTC.
- 04
Lists checked
Each list with its publication date and the SHA-256 hash of the file downloaded from the publisher, so the version used can be proven later.
- 05
Listed names that resemble it
Every listed name above the review threshold, with its list, its score and the details the list gives, such as country and programme.
- 06
What to do next
The steps to take before you pay or ship: compare the details, record why you cleared it, or hold the payment.
- 07
Verify
Scan the QR code, or enter the code at sanctionsclear.com/verify, to confirm the certificate is genuine.
Where certificates live
One per contact
Attached to the vendor or customer in QuickBooks Online or Xero when it is first screened, and replaced when its status changes. Whoever opens the record sees the latest result.
One for the whole account
A summary for a period: how many vendors and customers were screened, which list versions were used, and how many possible matches were opened and cleared. This is the one a bank questionnaire wants.
Checkable by anyone
Each certificate links to a page on sanctionsclear.com/verify that shows who issued it, when, the result as of that date, and whether a newer certificate has replaced it.
Who asks to see it
Your bank
Business banks send sanctions questionnaires at onboarding and at review. The log answers "how do you screen your counterparties?" with dates.
Your auditor
Auditors sample payments and ask whether the payee was checked first. The certificate ID ties the payment to the check.
Large customers
Supplier questionnaires from big customers and government primes ask for your screening process. Attach a sample certificate.
A regulator
If something does go wrong, the record of what you checked and when is what shows a screening process was in place.
Get a certificate for every check on the Growth plan
Join the waitlist, or check one name now and download the result as a PDF.