Country controls and sanctions screening

Your store’s country rules help define where you sell. Restricted-party screening checks names and other available details against published records. Together, they give your team more of the information it needs before an order ships.

Give each control a clear job

In Shopify, shipping zones and rates help organize the destinations you serve. Screening adds a check of the parties involved.

Each check has a different input. A shipping address describes a destination. A name identifies a person or company to examine. The available order data may still leave questions about other parties or the eventual use of the goods.

A permitted destination can still need review

OFAC administers both broad jurisdiction-based restrictions and measures targeting particular people or organizations. A listed party can be located outside a broadly restricted destination. That is why a destination rule alone cannot answer every sanctions question. OFAC’s geography guidance explains this distinction.

Consider an example order going to a country your store serves. The shipping company name resembles a screening record. Your destination settings allow delivery, while the screening result gives your team a reason to compare the details before deciding what to do.

The reverse is also possible: a name check finds no candidate, while a restriction concerning the goods or destination still applies. The BIS Export Compliance Toolkit provides resources for the wider export review.

Look beyond a listed name when needed

Ownership can matter even when a company is not named separately on a list. OFAC’s 50 Percent Rule guidance addresses entities owned directly or indirectly, in aggregate, by blocked persons. Establishing that ownership may require information beyond an order form.

Canadian rules also include restrictions concerning listed parties, goods and activities. Global Affairs Canada’s guidance explains that the specific regulations determine the applicable measures. Assess the rules that apply to your business and transaction, with qualified advice where needed.

Put the checks into your order routine

Start with a store procedure that connects destination rules, party screening and any additional review your business needs. Give the team a clear place to see a result and record its reasoning.

For RuleNorth, that place is Shopify. The app screens billing and shipping names, companies, addresses and countries after an order arrives. A possible match or insufficient identity information requires review. Important order changes start a fresh check.

Your team records Proceed or Do not proceed for the current order review and handles fulfillment actions in Shopify. RuleNorth’s Coverage page defines its US source roster; the Scope page explains the additional work a transaction can require.

Follow the order walkthrough to see the product in context, or read the US screening workflow guide for a broader process your team can discuss with its adviser.