Free PEP & sanctions check — 3 free full assessments, no card

Most "free sanctions check" sites give you a name-match teaser and put the actual result — the list, the identifiers, the evidence — behind a paywall. FIRMCY does it differently: sign up, verify your email, get 3 free full assessments — sanctions, PEP and adverse media — and every screening returns the complete result with a report you can file in your compliance records.

What the free check includes

What is a politically exposed person (PEP)?

EU anti-money-laundering rules distinguish three categories for PEP screening:

1. The office-holder — a person entrusted with a prominent public function, such as a head of state or government, minister, member of parliament, senior judge, central-bank board member, ambassador, senior armed-forces officer, senior executive of a state-owned enterprise or leading political-party official.
2. A family member — including a spouse or equivalent partner, children and their spouses or partners, and parents.
3. A person known to be a close associate — including a joint beneficial owner or someone with a close business relationship with the office-holder.

Cyprus AML Law L.188(I)/2007, section 2 includes all three categories in the PEP definition for customer due diligence.

PEP status is not an allegation — it is a risk classification. The law presumes that prominent public functions carry elevated exposure to bribery and corruption, so obliged entities must identify PEP relationships and manage them with enhanced due diligence: senior-management approval, source-of-wealth and source-of-funds measures, and enhanced ongoing monitoring.

How the PEP check works

In your free account, enter the person’s name to search the worldwide PEP database and major sanctions regimes. Add a date of birth or nationality to weigh identity plausibility, see the complete list evidence and retain an audit-ready report. Matching supports transliteration variants (including Greek↔Latin), spelling variants and aliases.

Why compliance teams use it

A free check is only useful if its limits are clear. Every FIRMCY screening records what was searched, which lists were checked and what was found, keeps the evidence, and produces a report that stands up when a supervisor — CySEC, ICPAC, the Bar Association or the National Betting Authority — asks how you screened a client. See which jurisdictions currently trigger enhanced due diligence on our FATF & EU high-risk country lists page, and stay current with the free weekly Cyprus AML briefing.

Frequently asked questions

Is the PEP and sanctions check really free?

Yes. Create a free account and verify your email address: every new organisation receives 3 free full assessments — sanctions, PEP and adverse media, each with an audit-ready report. No card required.

Which sanctions lists does the free check cover?

Global sanctions regimes including UN, EU, OFAC (US) and UK (OFSI), plus a worldwide politically-exposed-persons database. The free full assessments for new organisations add adverse-media and jurisdiction-risk checks.

Is there a public name search?

Not yet. A public name-only search is being prepared and is not open. To check a name today, create a free account and verify your email address; each full assessment returns the complete match detail and a downloadable, audit-ready report.

What is a politically exposed person (PEP)?

PEP screening covers three categories: the office-holder entrusted with a prominent public function, their family members, and persons known to be close associates. EU anti-money-laundering rules define each category; Cyprus AML Law L.188(I)/2007, section 2 includes all three in the PEP definition for customer due diligence.

Why do I have to check whether a client is a PEP?

EU and Cyprus obliged entities are required to have risk-management systems that determine whether a customer or beneficial owner is a PEP, and to apply enhanced due diligence when one is: senior-management approval for the relationship, measures to establish source of wealth and source of funds, and enhanced ongoing monitoring. PEP status is not an accusation of wrongdoing — it is a risk classification the law obliges you to identify and manage.

How often should I re-screen a client?

At onboarding, on any trigger event (new adverse information, a change in ownership or transaction pattern), and periodically in line with the client's risk band. Because sanctions lists change daily and PEP status changes with elections and appointments, one-off screening goes stale; FIRMCY's monitoring can re-screen enrolled parties automatically and alert you on new findings.

Is PEP and sanctions screening lawful under GDPR?

In the authenticated service, your organisation is the controller and Ioannou & Sharpe LLC, which operates FIRMCY, acts as processor under the Data Processing Agreement.