AMLR 2027: prepare for regular sanctions checks
From 10 July 2027, the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR) applies to the businesses listed below. If your activity falls within its scope, you will need to meet its requirements for checking customers, reviewing results and keeping records.
- Today
- 10 July 2027All obliged entities
- 10 July 2029Professional football clubs and football agents
Who will need to comply with the regulation?
Check whether your business is among the obliged entities.
- Banks and credit institutions
- Electronic money institutions (EMIs)
- Payment institutions (PIs)
- Investment, insurance and other financial institutions
- Crypto-asset service providers (CASPs)
- Accounting and tax advice
- Legal services
- Trust and company services
- Real estate
- Gambling services
- Crowdfunding services
- Traders in covered goods
- Professional football clubs and agentsApplies from 10 July 2029
Guides by topic
- Who will need to comply with the regulation?Check whether your business is among the obliged entities.
- Repeat checks when sanctions lists changeKnow when changes to sanctions lists call for another review.
- Ownership and controlUnderstand who owns or controls your customer.
- Reviewing matchesCompare the evidence before deciding whether a match is the same person.
- Records of your checksKeep results, decisions and the information needed to explain them later.
- Sharing dataUnderstand how screening fits alongside your other software.
How LexaScan supports these checks
Repeat checks
Scheduled and periodical screenings run a list again on the schedule you set, so customers you checked earlier are checked against the lists again.
Reviewing matches
In an outcome list, a reviewer records a decision on each match. The unsolved view lists the matches still waiting for a decision.
Records of your checks
Export detailed results as CSV or XLSX with every match, or as a formatted PDF report.
Frequently asked questions
When does the regulation apply?
From 10 July 2027. Professional football clubs and football agents have a later application date: 10 July 2029. Existing AML and sanctions obligations still apply before these dates.
Who does it apply to?
Credit and financial institutions, and other professions and businesses, when they carry out the activities defined in the regulation. Coverage depends on the professional activity and, in some cases, transaction thresholds. Article 3 gives the full list; Articles 4–6 set out possible exemptions.
Is a small business exempt?
No. Size alone does not exempt a business: the rules can also apply to a small firm or an individual professional.
How often should customers be checked again?
Sanctions lists change continually, so a single check at the start of a business relationship is not enough. The regulation does not set a single screening interval for everyone: set screening frequency according to your business and each customer’s risk. Article 26(4) requires regular checks, and credit and financial institutions must also check when a new person or company is listed.
What should we keep, and for how long?
Bring screening results, review decisions and supporting documents into your company’s records policy. Keep enough information to explain what was checked and why a decision was made. Customer due-diligence records are generally retained for five years after the end of a business relationship or a one-off transaction, subject to applicable exceptions and additional requirements.
Does screening replace our other tools?
Use screening alongside your other tools. Decide where you will keep customer information, run checks and save your decisions. Downloading a sanctions list gives you data. It does not check your customers automatically.
Organise your checks before the new rules apply
Start with the customers and owners you need to check, decide how often to repeat checks, and agree who will review the results.
This guide provides general information and does not replace legal advice. Your company remains responsible for its risk assessment, customer identification, sanctions decisions and other obligations under the regulation.
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