OFAC Venezuela General License 60: Compliance Guide

OFAC Venezuela General License 60 creates a narrow, time-limited path for earthquake relief transactions that would otherwise be prohibited under U.S. Venezuela sanctions. Companies must act quickly, verify that each activity fits the authorization, and preserve a defensible record connecting payments, counterparties, shipments, and humanitarian purposes.

What General License 60 Authorizes

OFAC issued General License 60 on June 25, 2026, and published it in the Federal Register on October 13, 2026. The license generally authorizes transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 591.

The authorization remains effective through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on October 23, 2026. Because the stated time falls immediately after midnight, organizations should not treat October 23 as a full operating day. Transactions should generally be completed before the deadline, allowing sufficient time for intermediary banks, payment processors, freight providers, and other participants to finish their roles.

Relief Activities and Related Payments

The license covers transactions sufficiently connected to earthquake relief. Depending on the facts, this may include acquiring relief supplies, arranging transportation, paying service providers, supporting logistics, and processing related funds transfers. NGOs, exporters, suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, banks, and money transmitters may all encounter activity potentially within its scope.

GL 60 also includes the processing or transfer of funds on behalf of third-country persons to or from Venezuela when those funds support authorized transactions. This provision can be important when international relief programs involve donors, vendors, or financial institutions located outside the United States.

Important Exclusions

GL 60 does not authorize the unblocking of property blocked under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations. A party cannot release blocked funds or other property merely because the underlying purpose involves earthquake relief.

The license also does not authorize transactions prohibited under other sanctions programs, Executive orders, or portions of 31 CFR chapter V outside its stated scope. Export controls, customs requirements, anti-money laundering obligations, and other federal laws continue to apply independently. The humanitarian purpose of a transaction does not eliminate these parallel compliance duties.

Operational Controls Before the Expiration Date

Organizations should manage GL 60 activity through transaction-level controls rather than relying on a general humanitarian designation. Each payment, shipment, contract, and service should have a documented connection to qualifying earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela.

A sound review generally begins with the parties, goods, services, payment path, destination, end use, and timing. Compliance teams should identify every known participant, including purchasers, consignees, intermediaries, government entities, carriers, financial institutions, and ultimate recipients. They should then determine which sanctions restrictions would apply without GL 60 and how the license authorizes the specific activity.

Screen Every Relevant Counterparty

Denied party and sanctions screening remain necessary even when a general license may apply. Screening results should be reviewed rather than treated as an automated clearance. A match involving a blocked person, government entity, vessel, aircraft, address, or financial institution may require escalation and a more detailed legal analysis.

Companies should also rescreen parties when transaction details change. Substituting a consignee, routing payment through a different bank, using a new carrier, or changing the end recipient can alter the sanctions analysis. GL 60 should not be recorded as a blanket approval for all Venezuela-related activity.

Control the Funds Transfer Process

U.S. financial institutions and U.S. registered money transmitters may generally rely on the originator regarding compliance with the authorization, provided they do not know or have reason to know that the transfer is noncompliant. This reliance provision does not make incomplete or misleading payment information acceptable.

Originators should provide clear remittance details identifying the earthquake relief purpose and relevant transaction. Banks may request contracts, invoices, shipment records, certifications, or other supporting information. Organizations should account for these reviews before the expiration time because initiating a payment does not necessarily mean that every required transaction has been completed.

Connecting Sanctions Records to Export and Drawback Files

Venezuela-related exports can create overlapping sanctions, export control, customs, and duty drawback questions. These disciplines should be evaluated separately, but their supporting records should remain connected. A sanctions authorization does not establish drawback eligibility, and drawback documentation does not establish sanctions compliance.

For goods exported as part of earthquake relief, the transaction file should generally explain why the export was authorized, who received the goods, when the goods left the United States, and how the movement relates to the relevant import and drawback records. Maintaining these links is especially important when compliance responsibilities are distributed among an importer, broker, exporter, freight forwarder, and financial institution.

Build a Complete Authorization File

A defensible GL 60 file may include the commercial contract, purchase order, invoice, packing list, transportation documents, export filing data, payment instructions, screening results, end-use information, and internal approval. The file should also identify the applicable authorization period and explain the earthquake relief nexus.

Organizations should retain evidence showing when payments and services occurred. This can include bank confirmations, carrier acceptance records, warehouse releases, delivery confirmations, and correspondence resolving screening alerts. If activity continues near the deadline, the company should document which steps were completed while the authorization remained effective.

Preserve Drawback Traceability

A drawback claim generally depends on meeting the applicable customs requirements for imported merchandise, substitution where permitted, export or destruction, and record retention. When Venezuela appears in the supply chain, the drawback file should also be capable of demonstrating that the underlying export was handled through an appropriate compliance process.

Broker and importer teams should reconcile product identifiers, quantities, values, tariff classifications, import entries, inventory movements, and export evidence. Sanctions records can then be associated with the relevant export transaction without being treated as a substitute for the customs records required to support the claim. This coordinated approach reduces the risk that an otherwise supportable refund becomes difficult to defend because the export file lacks compliance context.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Does OFAC Venezuela General License 60 Expire?

GL 60 is scheduled to expire at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on October 23, 2026. Companies should use a conservative operational cutoff and avoid assuming they have the entire day on October 23. No transaction should depend on an extension unless OFAC formally issues one.

Does GL 60 Authorize All Humanitarian Trade With Venezuela?

No. The license applies to transactions related to earthquake relief efforts that would otherwise be prohibited under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations. Other humanitarian, commercial, or charitable activity may require a different authorization. Each transaction should be evaluated based on its specific purpose, parties, timing, payment route, and legal restrictions.

Can GL 60 Be Used to Release Blocked Funds?

No. GL 60 does not authorize the unblocking of property blocked under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations. If a bank or other institution has blocked funds, the parties should not treat the earthquake relief authorization as permission to release them. A separate authorization or other OFAC action may be necessary.

Can Banks Rely on the Payment Originator's Representation?

U.S. financial institutions and registered money transmitters may generally rely on the originator regarding compliance if they do not know or have reason to know that the transfer is outside GL 60. Banks may still conduct screening, request documents, reject instructions, or escalate transactions based on their risk controls.

Does an Authorized Export Automatically Qualify for Duty Drawback?

No. OFAC authorization and drawback eligibility are separate determinations. An export may fit GL 60 but fail to satisfy the customs requirements for a drawback claim. Importers and brokers must independently establish the required relationship among imported merchandise, inventory records, exported or destroyed goods, and the applicable drawback provision.

How Stable Software Can Help

Strengthening Broker-Controlled Drawback Operations

Sanctions-sensitive exports require clear documentation and reliable connections between import, inventory, and export records. Stable Software's DrawbackAI duty drawback software allows U.S. customs brokers to white-label the platform for importer clients and file claims under the broker's own filer code.

DrawbackAI is offered through a flat software license, and Stable Software never takes a percentage of the refund. This model helps brokers retain control of the client relationship and drawback filing process while avoiding refund-based software fees. Brokers evaluating Venezuela-related export activity can use DrawbackAI for the drawback workflow while maintaining separate sanctions screening, licensing, and legal review procedures appropriate to each transaction.

Resources