Can I send money to countries financially sanctioned by the United States?

The short answer is generally no, you cannot directly send money to countries under comprehensive financial sanctions by the United States. It's a critical area of compliance, and navigating these restrictions requires a deep understanding of the regulations.

Here's the thing: the U.S. government, primarily through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury, implements various sanctions programs against countries, entities, and individuals deemed a threat to national security or foreign policy. These sanctions can range from targeted measures against specific individuals or companies to comprehensive embargoes that prohibit virtually all financial transactions with an entire country.

When a country is under a comprehensive sanction, it means that U.S. persons—which includes individuals, companies, and financial institutions like banks and money transmitters—are generally forbidden from engaging in any financial transactions, including sending money, to or from that country. This isn't just a suggestion; it's a legal requirement, and violations can lead to severe penalties, including hefty fines and even imprisonment.

The practical impact is that banks and licensed money transmitters operating in the U.S. have robust compliance systems in place to screen all transactions against OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list and sanctioned countries. If a transfer attempts to go to a sanctioned country or involves a sanctioned entity, it will almost certainly be blocked, reviewed, and potentially reported to OFAC. This is a core part of their Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) obligations.

You might wonder if there are any exceptions. In very rare cases, OFAC can issue specific licenses for certain humanitarian aid or other approved activities, but these are highly restricted and require explicit permission. For the average person looking to send remittances or personal funds, such exceptions are not applicable.

So, if you try to initiate a transfer to a comprehensively sanctioned country, your bank or money transmitter will prevent it from going through. They are legally obligated to do so. The best course of action is always to check the current OFAC sanctions list if you have any doubt about a particular country or entity. Trying to circumvent these rules is a serious offense.