International sanctions regimes can make a destination, a person, or a specific good unshippable — and the list changes, which is exactly why this page won't try to give you one.
International sanctions — restrictions imposed by governments and international bodies on trade with specific countries, entities or individuals — can make a shipment illegal regardless of what the item is or how well it's packed. These aren't carrier preferences; they're legal restrictions with real penalties for a business that ships in breach of them, which is why compliance is treated seriously by any logistics provider.
This page deliberately does not publish a fixed list of restricted countries, because sanctions regimes change — sometimes suddenly, in response to current events — and a static list on a shipping guide would become inaccurate exactly when it mattered most. The two most referenced official sources are the EU's sanctions framework and the US Treasury's OFAC sanctions lists; both maintain their own current, searchable tools rather than a single fixed list, for the same reason.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| OFAC Sanctions List Search (US Treasury) | The US Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list and consolidated non-SDN sanctions lists — searchable directly at ofac.treasury.gov. |
| EU sanctions framework | The EU maintains its own restrictive-measures regimes, covering specific countries, entities and individuals, updated as EU foreign policy decisions change — check the EU's own current sanctions map/database rather than a secondhand summary. |
| Destination-specific export control rules | Separate from country-level sanctions, some categories of goods (dual-use technology, certain electronics, encryption) can be restricted for export to specific destinations even where the country itself isn't broadly sanctioned. |
That a country not being available to book means it's necessarily fully sanctioned — there can be other reasons a route isn't offered.
That a country being 'fine' six months ago means it still is — sanctions regimes change, sometimes with immediate effect.
That sanctions only concern large commercial shippers — a personal parcel is not exempt from export control or sanctions law.
No, deliberately — sanctions regimes change, and a static list would go stale. Check the official OFAC and EU sanctions resources directly for the current position on any specific destination.
Not necessarily the same thing, though they overlap — sanctions are legal restrictions set by governments, while a carrier or logistics provider may also have its own operational reasons for not serving certain routes. Either can mean a destination isn't available.
Yes — export controls on categories like dual-use technology or certain electronics can restrict specific goods to specific destinations independently of broader country-level sanctions.
Check the official sanctions lists directly, then confirm with Cargosender support before booking anything unusual.
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