OFAC Issues General License for Personal Remittances to Afghanistan
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 10 issued a new general license authorizing certain non-commercial, personal remittances to Afghanistan. General License No. 16 authorizes certain transactions involving the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, or any entity they own by 50% or more if those transactions are “ordinarily incident and necessary to the transfer” of personal remittances to Afghanistan.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
The license authorizes those transactions as long as they don't “involve sanctioned individuals or entities, or property in which a blocked person has an interest,” OFAC said in new frequently asked question 949. The agency also said U.S. sanctions don’t block the “hand-carrying of noncommercial, personal remittances to an individual in Afghanistan or ordinarily resident in Afghanistan, other than a blocked individual.”
But the license doesn’t “authorize any debit to a blocked account of the Taliban or the Haqqani Network,” OFAC said. It also doesn’t authorize “financial transfers” to the Taliban or the Haqqani Network “other than for the purpose of effecting the payment of reasonable and customary taxes, fees, or other duties.” OFAC said it may issue specific licenses on a case-by-case basis for transactions that fall outside the scope of GL 16.
The agency added that non-U.S. people or entities may proceed with a transaction that would normally be allowed under GL 16, according to a revised FAQ 931. OFAC urged people, entities, banks and others to contact Sanctions Compliance and Evaluation Division at OFAC_Feedback@treasury.gov with questions.