Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

UK OFSI financial sanctions licensing for lawyers: applications, exceptions, evidential standards, prioritisation, decision-making and post-licence obligations

Published by a LexisNexis Risk & Compliance expert

Practice notes

How-to guide

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) sits within HM Treasury. It communicates, implements and enforces financial sanctions in the UK. It also has powers to issue licences that permit activities or transactions which would otherwise be prohibited under the UK financial sanctions regime. OFSI can only grant licences relating to financial sanctions. If your application concerns another category of sanction, eg trade or immigration, you must send it to the appropriate department. See further Practice Note: Understanding the financial sanctions regime.

OFSI licences can be general or specific:

General licences.
Specific licences where a transaction is involved and no statutory exception or general licence applies.

Where a transaction involves a person or organisation subject to financial sanctions (directly or indirectly), and no applicable statutory exception or general licence is in place, you must obtain a specific licence to proceed without breaching financial sanctions. You should not assume a licence will be granted, nor engage in any activities prohibited by financial sanctions unless you hold a valid licence. This How-to guide summarises the key requirements for OFSI’s licence application process and offers hints and tips to make the experience quicker and easier for both you and OFSI...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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