BIS Entity List Screening API

Screen parties against the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List — the critical export control registry that restricts access to American technology and commodities.

About the BIS Entity List

The Entity List is maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Published as Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the Entity List identifies foreign persons — including businesses, research institutions, government organizations, and individuals — that are subject to specific export license requirements. When a party is placed on the Entity List, exporters must obtain a license from BIS before shipping, transferring, or re-exporting any items subject to the EAR to that entity.

The Entity List was established in 1997 as part of the U.S. government's effort to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Over the decades, the list has expanded well beyond its original nonproliferation focus. Today, entities are added for reasons including involvement in activities contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, support for military modernization programs of adversarial nations, participation in human rights abuses, enabling surveillance technology for authoritarian regimes, and acting contrary to U.S. interests in the areas of advanced computing, semiconductor manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.

The most consequential Entity List designations in recent years have targeted Chinese technology companies and semiconductor manufacturers, reflecting the strategic competition between the U.S. and China in critical technology sectors. BIS has also used the Entity List extensively to restrict Russian access to Western technology following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each entry specifies the license requirement — typically a "presumption of denial," meaning that license applications will almost certainly be rejected — and defines the scope of items covered, which can range from specific Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) to all items subject to the EAR.

BIS updates the Entity List through Federal Register notices, which are published on a rolling basis. Major rounds of additions can contain dozens or hundreds of new entries at once, particularly during periods of heightened geopolitical tension. The End-User Review Committee (ERC), an interagency body composed of representatives from the Departments of Commerce, State, Defense, and Energy, reviews and decides on proposed additions, removals, and modifications to the list.

Why Entity List Screening Matters

Violations of the Export Administration Regulations carry severe penalties. Criminal penalties for willful violations can reach $1 million per violation and up to 20 years of imprisonment. Civil penalties can reach approximately $364,992 per violation (adjusted annually for inflation). Beyond direct penalties, BIS can impose denial orders that bar a company from participating in any export transactions — effectively shutting down an exporter's business. The extraterritorial reach of the EAR means that even non-U.S. companies can be subject to enforcement if they re-export U.S.-origin items or items containing de minimis levels of U.S.-origin content.

The Entity List is particularly important for technology companies, semiconductor firms, aerospace manufacturers, and research institutions. Unlike OFAC sanctions (which primarily concern financial transactions), Entity List restrictions control the flow of physical goods, software, and technology — making screening essential at the transaction level for every export, re-export, and deemed export.

Who Needs to Screen

• Manufacturers and exporters of controlled technology and dual-use goods
• Semiconductor companies and chip equipment manufacturers
• Aerospace and defense contractors with international supply chains
• Cloud computing providers granting access to advanced computing resources
• Software companies distributing products with encryption or other controlled features
• Universities and research institutions collaborating with foreign partners
• Freight forwarders, customs brokers, and logistics companies
• Any company re-exporting U.S.-origin items or technology from third countries

How Veridex Screens the Entity List

Veridex maintains a continuously updated mirror of the BIS Entity List, ingesting Federal Register updates within minutes of publication. Our screening engine handles the complex organizational names common on the Entity List — including Chinese, Russian, and Arabic entity names with multiple transliterations — and normalizes corporate suffixes, abbreviations, and subsidiary naming patterns. Each API response includes the specific license requirement, the items covered, the license review policy (presumption of denial or case-by-case), and the Federal Register citation for the designation.

Sample Screening Result

Below is an example API response showing a match against a publicly known Entity List entry.

// POST /v1/screen
{
  "query": "Huawei Technologies",
  "lists": ["BIS_ENTITY"],
  "hits": [
    {
      "list": "BIS_ENTITY",
      "entity_name": "Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.",
      "type": "Entity",
      "score": 0.97,
      "programs": ["EAR"],
      "country": "China",
      "license_requirement": "All items subject to the EAR",
      "license_policy": "Presumption of denial",
      "fr_citation": "84 FR 22961",
      "match_basis": "exact_name"
    }
  ],
  "screened_at": "2026-04-08T12:00:00Z",
  "latency_ms": 39
}